Leonardo B. Perez

Perez served as Secretary of the Provincial Board of Nueva Vizcaya from 1952 to 1953.[1] In 1953, he was elected as delegate of Nueva Vizcaya to the House of Representatives. He was re-elected in subsequent elections in 1957, 1961 and 1965.[2] During the 1965 elections, Perez was also the official spokesman for Ferdinand Marcos during the latter's successful presidential election campaign against Diosdado Macapagal. From 1966 to 1967, he served as First Assistant Majority Floor Leader of the House. During his congressional career, he served as Chairman of the Committees on Anti-Filipino Activities, and Privileges and Election Law and authored Republic Act 4735, which established the municipality of Ambaguio from the provincial capital of Bayombong, in 1966.[3]

In 1967, Perez was elected to the Senate of the Philippines, where he served as the Chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security and the Vice Chairman of the Committees on Investigation (Blue Ribbon) and National Minorities, and authored Republic Act No. 6388, otherwise known as “the Election Code of 1971”.[1] He also authored Republic Act 6394, paving the way for the separation of six municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya to create the province of Quirino in 1971,[4] and sponsored Republic Acts 6372 which split the town of Dupax in Nueva Vizcaya into two municipalities, namely Dupax del Norte and Dupax del Sur.[5] However, his term ended prematurely when Congress was closed in 1972 by Marcos, shortly after the declaration of martial law.

In February 1973, Perez was appointed presidential troubleshooter and in May he was appointed chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). During his tenure, he oversaw several electoral exercises during the Martial Law era such as the July 1973 constitutional referendum, the 1975 presidential referendum, the 1976 constitutional referendum, the 1977 presidential referendum, and the 1978 elections for the Interim Batasang Pambansa. In 1980, he retired as chairman after completing his term.[6]

Perez joined Marcos' cabinet from 1981 to 1984 as Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs and was therefore a concurrent member of the Interim Batasang Pambansa. In 1984, he was elected to the Regular Batasang Pambansa representing Nueva Vizcaya after a bitterly disputed campaign marred by allegations of fraud.[7] He served until the dissolution of the body in 1986 following Marcos' fall in the EDSA Revolution.

In 1987, Perez ran again for the Senate as a candidate of Marcos' Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party in elections held in May[8] but lost.

Perez returned as elected representative of Nueva Vizcaya in Congress in the 1992 elections. After the end of his term in 1995,[9] he retired from politics.