Executive - is the office of the president and department secretaries.
Their power is mainly to run the
national government.
Legislative - these are compose of two bodies, the senate which compose of the senators and congress which compose of the congressman/woman. Their power is to create laws for the country (thou the president of the republic could also create laws).
Judiciary -these are compose of the courts of the country wherein the Supreme Court has the last say in all cases. their power is to interpret laws and give final ruling from disputes/cases.
Principle of check and balance is created with the intentions to make sure the honesty of the three branches of the government (Executive, Legislative and Judiciary). example will be, creating a law of the country, a proposed law should first pass and approved at both level of legislative (senate and congress) before it is passed to executive where the president will either signed it for approval or reject it for non approval or just not sign it at all wherein for a certain amount of time the unsigned bill of law will become automatically became a valid law. another example is the selection of cabinet secretaries in the executive branch, those appointed cabinet secretaries should fist pass the commission on appointments which are composed of members of the legislative branch (thou those appointed cabinet secretaries could perform their duties even without yet the approval of the commission of appointments but it has limits) another example is the selection of supreme court judges, it is the president who has the final say on who to appoint as a supreme court judge and chief justice, its also the legislative who has a power to form an impeachment trial if a supreme court judge is accused of wrong doing
Under the system of checks and balances, one department is given certain powers by which it may definitely restrain the others from exceeding constitutional authority. It may object or resist any encroachment upon its authority, or it may question, if necessary any act or acts which unlawfully interferes with its sphere of jurisdiction and authority. (Suarez, 2005).
The following are illustrations where there are checks and balances:
1. the lawmaking power of the Congress is checked by the President through its veto power, which in turn maybe overturn by the legislature 2. the Congress may refuse to give its concurrence to an amnesty proclaimed by the President and the Senate to a treaty he has concluded 3. the President may nullify a conviction in a criminal case by pardoning the offender 4. the Congress may limit the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and that of inferior courts and even abolish the latter tribunals 5. the Judiciary in general has the power to declare invalid an act done by the Congress, the President and his subordinates, or the Constitutional Commissions.