The Philippine Executive Commission or PEC was established on January 1942

with Jorge B. Vargas as its first Chairman. The PEC was created as the temporary
care-taker government of the Greater Manila area and eventually of the whole
Philippines during the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II.

Framing a Constitution

Japanese Prime Minister Hideki Tojo landed in Nichols Field, an airfield south of Manila, for
state visit to the Philippines.
On May 6, 1943, Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo during a visit to the Philippines pledged to
establish the Republic of the Philippines. This pledge of Tojo prompted the "KALIBAPI," to call
for a convention on June 19, 1943, and twenty of its members were elected to form the
Preparatory Commission for Independence. The commission tasked to draft a constitution for the
Philippine Republic and elected head was Jos P. Laurel.
The Preparatory Commission presented its draft Constitution on September 4, 1943, and three
days later, the "KALIBAPI" general assembly ratified the draft Constitution.