Commission on Appointments

The Commission on Appointments (Filipino: Komisyon sa Paghirang, abbreviated as CA) is a body of the Congress of the Philippines as provided by the Constitution. It confirms certain appointments made by the President of the Philippines. Article VII, Section 16 of the 1987 Constitution reads:

"The President shall nominate and, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, appoint the heads of the executive departments, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, or officers of the armed forces from the rank of colonel or naval captain, and other officers whose appointments are vested in him in this Constitution. He shall also appoint all other officers of the Government whose appointments are not otherwise provided for by law, and those whom he may be authorized by law to appoint. The Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of other officers lower in rank in the President alone, in the courts, or in the heads of departments, agencies, commissions, or boards.

The only government official that is exempted is the Vice-President.

During the operation of the 1935 constitution, replaced in 1971, the commission was composed of 12 senators.

Officials confirmed

1. Heads of Executive Departments
2. Ambassadors, other Public Ministers and Consuls
3. Officers of the Armed Forces from the rank of Colonel or Naval Captain
4. Regular Members of the Judicial and Bar Council
5. Chairman and Commissioners of the Civil Service Commission
6. Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission on Elections
7. Chairman and Commissioners of the Commission on Audit
8. Members of the Regional and Consultative Commissions
9. Chief of Philippine National Police

However, the appointments of all judges and the Ombudsman shall not be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. Instead, they are recommended by the Judicial and Bar Council, and the President shall select from the recommendations.

Composition

The Commission is composed of the Senate President, the ex officio Chairman, twelve Senators and twelve members of the House of Representatives. Members from each House of Congress are elected based on proportional representation from the political parties and parties or organizations registered under the party-list system represented. The Chairman of the Commission shall vote only in case of a tie. It shall act on all appointments submitted within thirty session days of Congress. It shall be governed by a majority vote of all members.

The Commission on Appointments was again in the spotlight recently as Senator Jamby Madrigal invoked Section 20 of the Rules of the Commission on Appointments, effectively deferring the promotion of 25 officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. and the appointment of Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

Current members

Members for the 16th Congress:

Senators

Senator	Party		Bloc
Franklin Drilon*		Liberal	Majority
Ralph Recto		Liberal	Majority
Teofisto Guingona III		Liberal	Majority
Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.		Nacionalista	Majority
Alan Peter Cayetano		Nacionalista	Majority
Loren Legarda		NPC	Majority
Aquilino Pimentel III		PDP-Laban	Majority
Antonio Trillanes IV		Nacionalista	Majority
Sergio Osmeña III		Independent	Majority
Miriam Defensor Santiago		PRP	Majority
Juan Ponce Enrile		UNA	Minority
Jinggoy Estrada		UNA	Minority
Vicente Sotto III		NPC	Minority

*Drilon only votes to break ties.

Representatives

Representatives	Party		District	Bloc
Mel Senen Sarmiento*		Liberal	Samar-1st	Majority
Antonio del Rosario		Liberal	Capiz-1st	Majority
George Arnaiz		NPC	Negros Oriental-2nd	Majority
Antonio Lagdameo, Jr		NUP	Davao del Norte-2nd	Majority
Rodolfo Fariñas		Nacionalista	Ilocos Norte-1st	Majority
Rommel Amatong		Liberal	Compostela Valley-4th	Majority
Rufus Rodriguez		CDP	Cagayan de Oro-1st	Majority
Rosendo Labadlabad		Liberal	Zamboanga del Norte-2nd	Majority
Roy Loyola		Liberal	Cavite-5th	Majority
Conrado Estrella III		Abono	Party-list	Majority
Rodolfo Albano III		NPC	Isabela–1st	Minority
Agapito H. Guanlao		Butil	Party-list	Majority
Edgar Erice**		Liberal	Caloocan-2nd	Majority

*Resigned as member of the House of Representatives, and as member of the commission, after being confirmed as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government on September 29, 2015.
**Replaced Sarmiento as member of the commission.

Party composition

Party		Senate	House	Total
	Liberal	2+1	5	7+1
	Nacionalista	3	1	4
	NPC	2	2	4
	UNA	2	0	2
	PRP	1	0	1
	NUP	0	1	1
	CDP	0	1	1
	Abono	0	1	1
	ABS	0	1	1
	PDP-Laban	1	0	1
	Independent	1	0	1
Totals		12+1	12	24+1

Bloc composition

Bloc	Senate	House of Representatives	Total
Majority	9+1	11	20+1
Minority	3	1	4
Total	12+1	12	24+1