The Philippines is a republic with a presidential form of government wherein power is equally divided

among its three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

One basic corollary in a presidential system of government is the principle of separation of powers wherein
legislation belongs to Congress, execution to the Executive, and settlement of legal controversies to the
Judiciary.
The Legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them through the power vested in the
Philippine Congress. This institution is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Executive branch is composed of the President and the Vice President who are elected by direct
popular vote and serve a term of six years. The Constitution grants the President authority to appoint his
Cabinet. These departments form a large portion of the countrys bureaucracy.
The Judicial branch holds the power to settle controversies involving rights that are legally demandable
and enforceable. This branch determines whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion
amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part and instrumentality of the government. It is made
up of a Supreme Court and lower courts.
The Constitution expressly grants the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review as the power to declare
a treaty, international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree, proclamation, order, instruction,
ordinance or regulation unconstitutional.
THE LEGISLATURE AND THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
Legislative Power
1. Meaning. The word legislative is derived from the Latin lex which means law. In general, legislative
power refers to the power to make and unmake laws. Laws are rules or collection of rules, whether written
or unwritten, prescribed under the authority of a political society for the common good. The Legislative
Department (Legislature) is the law-making branch of the government.
2. Delegation to the Congress. Fundamentally, legislative power is an attribute of sovereignty, in that the
Constitution itself, the fundamental law of the State, is a legislation of the sovereign people. However,
through the Constitution, the people delegated the legislative power to the Congress of the Philippines.
Section 1, Article VI states that Legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines The
delegation of power entails a surrender of authority to the representatives, or in the case of legislative
power, to the Congress. Thus, law-making can only be performed by the Congress, even if the law it enacts
involves the people.
3. Reservation to the People. The Constitution, however, makes a reservation as to the delegation, in that it
explicitly states: except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and
referendum. In other words, there is no complete delegation of law-making power to the Congress, as the
power is reserved to the people in cases of initiative and referendum. Thus, laws are made or unmade,
first, by the Congress in the form of statutes, and second, by the people in initiatives and referendums;
legislative power is exercised by the Congress and the sovereign Filipino people.
4. Legislative Power as Exercised by Congress. Legislative power as exercised by Congress manifests itself
more specifically in the Constitution as power of appropriation, power of taxation, and power of
concurrence.
(a) Power of Appropriation. Section 29 (1), Article VI speaks of the power to appropriate. It states, No
money shall be paid out of the Treasury except in pursuance of an appropriation made by law.

Appropriation means the authorization by law for the use of a certain sum of the public funds. An
appropriations law is necessary before public funds may be spent by the government for its projects. The
government needs money in all its activities and projects so that the power of appropriation, also known as
the power of the purse, is said to be one of the most important prerogatives of the Congress.
(b) Power of Taxation. The power, which is one of the inherent powers of the state, is generally exercised
by the legislative department. The Constitution limits such power as follows: The rule of taxation shall be
uniform and equitable. The Congress shall evolve a progressive system of taxation. As was discussed in
Chapter 4, taxation must be uniform, equitable, and progressive. Any law passed by the Congress contrary
to this provision is null and void.
(c) Power of Concurrence. Section 21, Article VII states that no treaty or international agreement shall be
valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate. This refers
to the power of concurrence of the Congress in which no treaty can become binding and effective as a
domestic law without the two-thirds concurrence of the Members of the Senate.
VETO POWER the power or right vested in one branch of a government to cancel orpostpone the decisions, enactments,
etc., of another branch, especiallythe right of a president, governor, or other chief executive to rejectbills p
assed by the legislature.
AN ACT STRENGTHENING CIVILIAN SUPREMACY OVER THE MILITARY BY RETURNING TO THE
CIVIL COURTS THE JURISDICTION OVER CERTAIN OFFENSES INVOLVING MEMBERS OF THE
ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES, OTHER PERSONS SUBJECT TO MILITARY LAW, AND THE
MEMBERS OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL OFFICE, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE CERTAIN
PRESIDENTIAL DECREES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:
Section 1. Members of the Armed forces of the Philippines and other persons subject to
military law, including members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units, who commit
crimes or offenses penalized under the Revised Penal Code, other special penal laws, or local
government ordinances, regardless, of whether or not civilians are co-accused, victims, or
offended parties which may be natural or juridical persons, shall be tried by the proper civil
court,
except
when
the
offense,
as
determined
before
arraignment
by the civil court, is service-connected, in which case the offense shall be tried by courtmartial: Provided, That the President of the Philippines may, in the interest ofjustice, order or
direct at any time before arraignment that any such crimes or offenses be tried by the proper
civil courts.
As used in this Section, service-connected crimes or offenses shall be limited to those
defined in Articles 54 to 70, Articles 70 to 92, and Articles 95 to 97 of Commonwealth Act No,
408, as amended.
In imposing the penalty for such crimes or offenses, the court-martial may take into
consideration the penalty prescribed therefor in the Revised Penal Code, other special penal
laws, or local government ordinances.
Sec. 2. Subject to the provisions of Section 1 hereof, all cases filed or pending for filing with
court-martial or other similar bodies, except those where the accused had already been
arraigned, shall, within thirty (30) days following the effectivity of this Act, be transferred to

the proper civil courts: Provided, That the Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines shall,
upon petition before commencement of trial and with written consent of the accused, order
the transfer of such excepted case or cases to the proper civil courts for trial and resolution.
Sec. 3. Presidential Decree Nos. 1822, 1822-A, 1850 and 1952, and all acts, general orders,
executive orders, and other presidential issuances, rules and regulations inconsistent with this
Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.
Sec. 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official
Gazette orin at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved:
(SGD.)
Speaker
of

RAMON
of
the

V.

MITRA
House

(SGD.)
President

JOVITO
SALONGA
of
the
Senate
Representatives

This bill which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 1468 and House Bill No. 31130, was
finally passed by The Senate and the House of Representatives on May 9, 1991 and April 30,
1991, respectively.
Introduction

The Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City is the current base of

the House of Representatives.
According to the 1987 Constitution, legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines,
which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

The Senate shall be composed of twenty-four Senators who shall be elected at large by the qualified voters
of the Philippines, as may be provided by law; the House of Representatives shall be composed of not more
than 250 (unless otherwise fixed by law), 20 percent of whom must be Party-list representatives.
The qualifications to become a senator, as stipulated in the constitution, are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;

at least thirty-five years old;
is able to read and write
a registered voter; and
a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years before election day.

Meanwhile, the constitution provides for the following criteria to become a member of the House of
Representatives:
1.
2.
3.
4.

a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;

at least twenty-five years old;
is able to read and write; and
except the party-list representatives, a registered voter and a resident for at least one year in the
district where s/he shall be elected.

Legislative process
Congress is responsible for making enabling laws to make sure the spirit of the constitution is upheld in the
country and, at times, amend or change the constitution itself. In order to craft laws, the legislative body
comes out with two main documents: bills and resolutions.
Resolutions convey principles and sentiments of the Senate or the House of Representatives. These
resolutions can further be divided into three different elements:

joint resolutions require the approval of both chambers of Congress and the signature of the
President, and have the force and effect of a law if approved.
concurrent resolutions used for matters affecting the operations of both chambers of Congress
and must be approved in the same form by both houses, but are not transmitted to the President
for his signature and therefore have no force and effect of a law.
simple resolutions deal with matters entirely within the prerogative of one chamber of Congress,
are not referred to the President for his signature, and therefore have no force and effect of a law.

Bills are laws in the making. They pass into law when they are approved by both houses and the President
of the Philippines. A bill may be vetoed by the President, but the House of Representatives may overturn a
presidential veto by garnering a 2/3rds vote. If the President does not act on a proposed law submitted by
Congress, it will lapse into law after 30 days of receipt.
Below is a chart mapping the process by which a law is made:
A writ of habeas corpus, also known as the great writ, is a summons with the force of a court order; it is
addressed to the custodian (a prison official for example) and demands that a prisoner be taken before the
court, and that the custodian present proof of authority, allowing the court to determine whether the
custodian has lawful authority to detain the prisoner. If the custodian is acting beyond his or her authority,
then the prisoner must be released. Any prisoner, or another person acting on his or her behalf, may
petition the court, or a judge, for a writ of habeas corpus. One reason for the writ to be sought by a person
other than the prisoner is that the detainee might be held incommunicado. Most civil law jurisdictions
provide a similar remedy for those unlawfully detained, but this is not always called habeas corpus.[1] For

example, in some Spanish-speaking nations, the equivalent remedy for unlawful imprisonment is
the amparo de libertad ('protection of freedom').
Habeas corpus has certain limitations. It is technically only a procedural remedy; it is a guarantee against
any detention that is forbidden by law, but it does not necessarily protect other rights, such as the
entitlement to a fair trial. So if an imposition such as internment without trial is permitted by the law,
then habeas corpus may not be a useful remedy. In some countries, the process has been temporarily or
permanently suspended, in all of a government's jurisdictions or only some, because of what might be
construed by some government institutions as a series of events of such relevance to the government as
to warrant a suspension; in more recent times, such events may have been frequently referred to as
"national emergencies."
The right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus has nonetheless long been celebrated as the most efficient
safeguard of the liberty of the subject. The jurist Albert Venn Diceywrote that the British Habeas Corpus
Acts "declare no principle and define no rights, but they are for practical purposes worth a hundred
constitutional articles guaranteeing individual liberty". [2]
The 1986 Philippine Presidential Election, popularly known as the Snap Election, held on 7 February
1986 was an election called earlier than expected. It was the most controversial election in the history of
the Philippines.
On Novermber 1985, Ferdinand E. Marcos declared to conduct a snap election when he was interviewed by
the American Broadcasting Company political affairs program This Week With David Brinkley. The Snap
Elections followed the end of Martial Law and brought about the EDSA Revolution of 1986. It caused the
downfall of President Ferdinand Marcos and the accession of Corazon C. Aquino as President.
Explain the differences between unicameral and bicameral legislatures. What are their virtues and vices?
A bicameral legislature is composed of two houses, namely the lower house and the upper house. The
lower house is usually elected by the general public and represent the ordinary people. The upper house is
usually selected and reflect political subdivisions, such as the House of Senate of US, or represent certain
class, such as the House of Lords of Britain. On the contrary, a unicameral legislature is composed of only
one body, representing all people in the community. This system usually exists in more culturally and
ideologically homogenous countries.
The virtues of the bicameral system
Firstly, the two houses of the bicameral legislature represent two different groups of people in the
community. For example, in the British legislature, the House of Lords acts as the upper house and
represent the aristocrats whereas the House of Commons acts as the lower house and represent ordinary
public. This way, the interest and views of people form different groups can be equally heard in the
legislature without any domination of either party.
Secondly, with the existence of two houses, both of them can have the effect of check and balance against
each other. This can form an effective self-monitoring system within the legislature, any mistake or false is
easily to be discovered and exposed to the knowledge of the public. Such system helps the prevention of
the passage of flawed or unfair legislation that favours any groups of people in the community.
Thirdly, a legislature formed by two houses can act as a stronger and more effective monitor over the
executive branch of the government. As a duty of the legislature, the legislators representing the public
should help the people to check the executive branch of the government in order to prevent abuse of
power within the government. With two legislative bodies, the check and balance of the executive...

The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classification
of vices (part of Christian ethics) that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct
Christians concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. In the currently recognized version, the sins are
usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. Each is a form of Idolatry-of-Self
wherein the subjective reigns over the objective.
The Catholic Church divides sin into two categories: venial sins, in which guilt is relatively minor, and the
more severe mortal sins. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a mortal or deadly sin is
believed to destroy the life of grace and charity within a person and thus creates the threat of
eternal damnation. "Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us that is, charity necessitates a
new initiative of God's mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting
of the sacrament of reconciliation."[1]
According to Catholic moral thought, the seven deadly sins are not discrete from other sins, but are instead
the origin ("capital" comes from the Latin caput, head) of the others. Vices can be either venial or mortal,
depending on the situation, but "are called 'capital' because they engender other sins, other vices". [2]
The Commonwealth of the Philippines (Tagalog: Komonwelt ng Pilipinas; Spanish: Mancomunidad de
Filipinas)[1] was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from
a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 to 1945 when Japan occupied the country. It replaced
the Insular Government, a United States territorial government, and was established by the Tydings
McDuffie Act. The Commonwealth was designed as a transitional administration in preparation for the
country's full achievement of independence.[10]
During its more than a decade of existence, the Commonwealth had a strong executive and a Supreme
Court. Its legislature, dominated by the Nacionalista Party, was at first unicameral, but later bicameral. In
1937, the government selected Tagalogthe language of Manila and its surrounding provincesas the basis
of the national language, although it would be many years before its usage became general. Women's
suffrage was adopted and the economy recovered to its pre-Depression level before the Japanese
occupation in 1942.
The Commonwealth government went into exile from 1942 to 1945, when the Philippines was under
Japanese occupation. In 1946, the Commonwealth ended and the Philippines reclaimed full sovereignty as
provided for in Article XVIII of the 1935 Constitution.