ONE WHO ROSE FROM THE RANKS. Commissioner Armando Climaco Velasco, an achiever in his own right started out his career in the Commission as a City Election Officer of Baguio City early in 1990. After four years, he was promoted as Provincial Election Supervisor of Benguet. In May of 2000, he became the COMELEC Assistant Regional Director of the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) and with barely a year as such or in February 2001 he was designated as Regional Election Director (RED) of CARand later on capping his stint as COMELEC public servant with his appointment by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Commissioner on November 4, 2008 to carry on the unfinished term of Commissioner Moslemen A. Macarambon of five (5) years.
During his early days as COMELEC local official, he was tasked to perform various special assignments, from being a member of COMELEC Task Forces to becoming Chairman of several Special Boards of Canvassers of various electoral exercises in the archipelago. Along this line, he was also a recipient of numerous awards and citations by various Local Government Units and Civic Society Organizations from 1992 to 2007. Among these awards and citations conferred to Commissioner Velasco were a Certificate of Commendation for his Outstanding Performance during the May 11, 1992 Synchronized Local and National Elections; and a Certificate of Recognition for his Outstanding Services during the 1996 ARMM Election being the first province to proclaim a winning candidate. An Outstanding Alumnus Award in the field of Law was also awarded to him by the Holy Rood Academy on December 26, 1999. In May 2002, the Baguio Colleges Foundation Alumni Association named Commissioner Velasco as an Outstanding Alumnus. In that same year, he was also awarded as an Outstanding Regional Director of the Year, Best in Service of Philippines, 2002 by the Philippine Media Research and Progress Reports, Inc. In September 2007, as Grand Knight of Fr. Carlu Council 3363, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson honored Commissioner Velasco the prestigious Knights of Columbus Star Council Award.
The Commissioner was also involved in several socio-civic activities and has held high-status positions in the North among them are: Director, Rotary Club Downtown Session, Baguio City; Board of Director, Baguio-Benguet Community Credit Cooperative, 1998-2000; Honorary Member, Association of Chiefs of Police of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPPI); Executive Officer, Philippine Military Academy Host Parents' Association and President, Cordillera Association of Regional Executives (CARE) 2003-2005, to name a few.
Commissioner Armando Velasco was born on April 4, 1956 in San Pedro Ili, Pangasinan and is married and has three children.
