Comelec’s new commissioners are career officers Casingal, Pipo
Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Monday announced that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. made ad interim appointments for career officials Norina Tangaro-Casingal and Noli Pipo as new Comelec commissioners.
Casingal has been the director of Comelec’s law department since 2016. She has been with Comelec for 27 years.
Pipo has been with Comelec for 32 years, beginning as an election officer in 1993 before serving as the Ilocos Regional Director since 2006.
Garcia led the oath-taking of Casingal on Monday, while Pipo’s oath-taking will be conducted on Wednesday, which will be his first day sitting on the Comelec en banc.
Casingal will be under the Comelec First Division, together with Commissioners Aimee Ferolino and Ernesto Maceda Jr.
On the other hand, Pipo will serve under Comelec Second Division with commissioners Rey Bulay and Nelson Celis.
Casingal and Pipo succeeded retired commissioners Socorro Inting and Marlon Casquejo who officially retired on February 2.
By 2027, the Comelec en banc will entirely consist of Marcos appointees, but Garcia noted that previous presidents in recent memory have also appointed the majority of its members during their term in line with the 1987 Constitution.
In 2022, Marcos appointed Garcia as chairman and Celis and Maceda Jr. as commissioners.
Ferolino and Bulay will retire on Feb. 2, 2027, giving Marcos a free hand to appoint their successors.
