COMLEC Commission on Elections of the Philippines

Better known as COMELEC, the Commission on Elections is the one of the Philippines’ three constitutional commissions. Being the country’s primary guardian of the ballot during elections, it also ensures all laws and regulations in regards to the election conducts, referendums, initiative and recall as its primary role for election procedures.

The COMELEC is liable and an independent branch of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Philippine Government branches under the constitution vested with the below important functions for its purpose:

Judicial

• To execute exclusive jurisdictions within all the running officials during and after elections within regional, provincial and city in regards to the elections, returns and the overall qualification over all contests that involves all municipal officials by general jurisdiction’s trial courts decision.

• Do the decision with exceptions for those who are involved with the right in voting, all questions that reflects the elections, the polling places’ determination for the number and location, the inspectors and election officials appointment and voters registration;

• Filing all court petitions in regards with voters’ inclusion or exclusion; and

• Investigate appropriately, case prosecution of election laws’ violations that include omissions or acts in election fraud, malpractices and offenses constitution

Ministerial

• Administer and execute the elections, initiatives, plebiscites, referendum, and recall’s conduct to its laws and regulations.

• Appoint agencies of law enforcement, the Government’s instrumentalities that includes the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ensure free, orderliness, honesty and peaceful elections with credibility, within the agreement of the President of the Philippines

• Political parties, coalitions or organizations registration and accredit the Commission’s arms of the citizens

Reportorial

• Submission of each election, initiative, referendum, plebiscite or recall’s comprehensive conduct report to the President and the Congress.
Recommendatory

• Recommend to Congress the legislation of effective standard and evaluation to decrease election expending which include limitation of posting propaganda materials in any places, and penalize and prevent election frauds in any forms, malpractices, offenses and disagreeable candidates ; and

• Recommend the termination of any appointed officer of employee to the President or the enforcement of any certain disciplinary action for any violation and disobedience to any directive, decision or order that has been made.

The Commission on its Proper

The Commission Proper is the body of making policies consists of the Chairman and other six Commissioners who are:

• Citizens that are naturally born in the Philippines

• Aged thirty-five years at least during their appointment;

• Majority of them are degree holders which include the Chairman and the Philippine Bar members with at least 10 years engaged in the law practice and;

• Should not have been candidates for any of the certain elective position within the elections’ preceding known as Article IX-C, Section 1, 1987 Constitution
- With the Commission on Appointments’ consent, the Chairman and the Commissioners are to be appointed by the power of the President
- The Chairman and the Commissioners’ length of service are only seven years without repetition of appointment.

Three members who are first appointed will be given seven years of service ,the other two members will be given five years of service and the last Members will be given three years of service without repetition of appointment.