Philippine Executive Commission 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 . The PEC formally abolished all political parties on December 8 , 1942 by virtue of Proclamation No . 109 creating the " " Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas " " ( Organization in the Service of the New Philippines ) or better known then as the " KALIBAPI . " The " " KALIBAPI " " was established to aim at the mental education , moral regeneration , physical invigoration , and economic rehabilitation of the Philippines under the guidance of the Japanese Military Administration . It was tasked to foster strong cooperation with the Japanese as part of the Order Great East Asia that promotes the lifting of the " great Oriental race . " The " " KALIBAPI " " was appointed as a strong right arm of the Japanese occupational forces of the Philippines . Philippines independence . Framing a Constitution . 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 José 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 . National legislature . By September 20 , 1943 , the " " KALIBAPI ' s " " representative groups in the country ' s provinces and cities elected from among themselves fifty four ( 54 ) members of the Philippine National Assembly , the legislature of the country , with fifty four ( 54 ) governors and city mayors as " ex officio " members . Three days after establishing the National Assembly , its inaugural session was held at the pre - war Legislative Building and elected Benigno Aquino , Sr . as its first Speaker and José P . Laurel as President of the New Philippine Republic . Declaration of Independence . The Japanese - sponsored establishment of the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed on October 14 , 1943 with José P . Laurel being sworn - in as President . On the same day , a " " Pact of Alliance " " was signed between the new Philippine Republic and the Japanese government that was ratified two days later by the National Assembly . The Philippine Republic was immediately recognized by Japan , and in the succeeding days by Germany , Thailand , Manchukuo , Burma , Croatia and Italy while neutral Spain sent its " greetings . " The first act the National Assembly and the Laurel administration passed was the creation on December 3 , 1943 , the Food Administration Office that grouped together under its umbrella all existing food control agencies . The new administration that was crafted out of the establishment of a Japanese - sponsored Philippine Executive Commission was barely managing a food shortage that grappled the whole country , allocating basic food stuffs left available by the Japanese military who prioritized allocation in favor of sustaining their war efforts .