A constitutional convention was called to change the 1935

Constitution of the Philippines The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippin ...

, written to establish the

Commonwealth of the Philippines The Commonwealth of the Philippines ( es, Commonwealth de Filipinas or ; tl, Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 ...

. A special election was held on November 10, 1970 to elect the convention's delegates, which would convene in 1971. Former Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia was sworn in as the President of the Constitutional Convention on June 1, 1971. However, he died thirteen days after taking oath. Former President

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 1 ...

replaced Garcia. Sotero H. Laurel served as the President Pro-Tempore of the convention. Other prominent delegates were former Senators

Raul Manglapus Raul Sevilla Manglapus (October 20, 1918 – July 25, 1999) was a prominent post–World War II Filipino politician and songwriter. He co-founded the reformist Progressive Party of the Philippines and the Christian Democratic Socialist Movement ...

and Roseller T. Lim. Other delegates would become influential political figures, including

Hilario Davide Jr. Hilario Gelbolingo Davide Jr. (born December 20, 1935) is a Filipino lawyer, professor, diplomat, constitutionalist and former politician, who served as the 20th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Permanent Representative ...

Marcelo Fernan Marcelo "Celing" Briones Fernan (October 24, 1927 – July 11, 1999) was a Filipino lawyer and political figure. He is the only Filipino to have served as both Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and as Senate President. He is also the thi ...

Sotero Laurel Sotero Cosme "Teroy" Hidalgo Laurel II (September 27, 1918 – September 16, 2009) was a Filipino politician and educator who served as a Senator from 1987 until 1992, including a period as President pro tempore from 1990 until 1991. Laurel ...

Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. Aquilino Quilinging Pimentel Jr. (, December 11, 1933 – October 20, 2019), commonly known as Nene Pimentel, was a Filipino politician and human rights lawyer who was one of the leading political opposition leaders during the regime of Ferdinan ...

, Teofisto Guingona, Jr.,

Raul Roco Raul Sagarbarria Roco (October 26, 1941 – August 5, 2005) was a political figure in the Philippines. He was the standard-bearer of '' Aksyon Demokratiko'', which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential bids in 1998 and 2004. He was ...

Edgardo Angara Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993 to 1995. He was a Senator from 1987 to 1998 and then served as Secretary of Agricult ...

, Richard Gordon,

Margarito Teves Margarito "Gary" Bustaliño Teves (born August 1, 1943) is a Filipino politician who served as Secretary of the Department of Finance of the Philippines. He was appointed to the position in July 2005 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, followi ...

and Federico Dela Plana. The work of the Convention was affected by the declaration of martial law in September 1972 by President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

. Eventually, on November 29, 1972, the Convention approved the new constitution. It was submitted to a vote in the 1973 constitutional plebiscite. The results of the plebiscite and the legality of the 1973 Constitution was questioned before the

Philippine Supreme Court The Supreme Court ( fil, Kataas-taasang Hukuman; colloquially referred to as the ''Korte Suprema'' lso used in formal writing is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on Ju ...

in the

Ratification Cases The Ratification Cases, officially titled as ''Javellana v. Executive Secretary'' (G.R. No. L-36142, March 31, 1973; 50 SCRA 30), was a 1973 Supreme Court of the Philippines case that allowed the 1973 Philippine Constitution to come into ful ...

. The constitution was upheld. Marcos' dictatorship would continue to rule until being ousted by the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

in 1986.

Election

Delegates

References

External links

The composition of the 1971 Constitutional Convention that created the 1973 Constitution, detailing the number of delegates per province
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office
Official website of the Commission on Elections
{{Philippine elections 1970 1970 elections in the Philippines Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos

Election

Delegates

See also

References

External links