Filipino Student Essays

Section 1 of Article VI of 1987 Constitution states that the legislative power is vested in the Congress of the Philippines. In other words, it is the legislative department responsible to prescribe general rules for the government.  According to de Leon, H. (2005), this legislative function involves the determination of the legislative policy as a defined binding rule of conduct through the enactment of law. In crafting laws, the legislative body comes out with two main documents: bills and resolutions. Resolutions is defined as a formal expression of opinion, will or intent of the Senate or the House of Representatives.  Resolutions can be classified as simple, if passed by either House for its exclusive use or purpose; concurrent, if passed independently in one House and ratified by the other in the same manner as a bill; and joint, if approved by both Houses meeting in joint session but voting separately (e.g., proposing amendments to the Constitution). The 1987 C...

The Constitutional Commission (ConCom) bestowed the Congress with vast powers to perform a wider and more dynamic role. This is reflected in the 1987 Constitution, where the Legislative Department (Article VI) has the greatest number of sections with 32 compared to Executive and Judiciary with 23 and 16, consecutively.  A. Bicameral Legislature  The legislative department is divided into two chambers: the Senate as the upper chamber and the House of Representatives as the lower chamber.  1. The Senate  i. Composition and election - According to Section 2, the Senate is composed of twenty-four (24) Senators, who are elected nationwide by the qualified voters, as may be provided by law. Unless otherwise provided by law, the regular election of Senators shall be held on the second Monday of May. (Sec. 8)  ii. Term of office - It is six (6) years. It shall commence, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the 30th day of J...

The Philippine Congress undertook a series of developments that reflected the sociopolitical conditions of the times and the level of political maturity of society.  According to Velasco, R. and Sylvano, M. (1989), the unicameral Malolos Congress of the short-lived Philippine Republic of 1898-1899 was starting point of the system’s evolution. It was followed by a colonial legislative system composed of all-American appointees – the Philippine Commission of 1901. From foreign-controlled legislature, it was then dominated by elected Filipinos and became bicameral by virtue of the Jones Act of 1916. This lasted until November 1935 with the inauguration of the semi-independent Commonwealth Government. After the ratification of the 1935 Philippine Constitution, a unicameral National Assembly replaced the bicameral body. But, the Constitution was amended in 1941 restoring the bicameral legislature and it was called the ‘Congress of the Philippines’. Excluding the time of the Jap...