Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1987 CONSTITUTION
1973 CONSTITUTION
1935 CONSTITUTUON
The
Filipino
people,
imploring the aid of Divine
Providence, in order to
establish a government that
shall embody their ideals,
conserve and develop the
patrimony of the nation,
promote the general welfare,
and secure to themselves and
their posterity the blessings
of independence under a
regime of justice, liberty, and
democracy, do ordain and
promulgate this Constitution.
Source: http://www.batasnatin.com/law-library/political-and-public-internationallaw/constitutional-law/1334-1987-1973-1935-philippines-constitution-compared-comparisonmatrix.html
Kami, ang nakapangyayaring
sambayanang
Pilipino,
na
humihingi
ng
tulong
sa
Makapangyarihang Diyos, upang
bumuo ng isang makatarungan at
makataong lipunan at magtatag ng
isang Pamahalaan nakakatawan sa
aming mga mithiin at mga
lunggatiin,
magtataguyod
ng
kabutihan
sa
bawat
isa,
mangangalaga at magpapaunlad ng
aming kamanahan, at titiyak para
saming sarili at angkanang susunod
ng mga biyaya ng kalayaan at
demokrasya sa ilalim ng pananaig
ng batas at ng pamamahalang
puspos
ng
katotohanan,
katarungan, kalayaan, pag-ibig,
pagkakapantay-pantay
at
kapayapaan, ay naglalagda at
naghahayag ng Konstitusyong ito.
Source:
http://tagaloglang.com/ThePhilippines/Government/preambleto-the-1987-constitution.html
declares that the people of South Africa recognise the injustices of our
past, and honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land.
The preamble to the Chinese Constitution notes that China is one of the
countries with the longest histories in the world and details, at great length,
Chinese history and the nation's achievements. The Turkish preamble
mentions that the Turkish Constitution is established in line with the
concept of nationalism outlined and the reforms and principles introduced
by the republic's founder Atatrk. In Eastern and Central Europein
countries such as Croatia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukrainethe
preambles celebrate the nations struggles for independence and selfdetermination.
3. Supreme Goals. Preambles often outline a society's fundamental goals.
These may be universal objectives, such as the advancement of justice,
fraternity, and human rights; economic goals, such as nurturing a socialist
agenda or advancing a free market economy; or others, such as maintaining
the union. These goals tend to be abstract ideas, such as happiness or wellbeing. The preamble to the Constitution of Japan, for instance, is peaceloving (never again shall we be visited with the horrors of war desire
peace for all time), while the preambles to the Constitutions of the
Philippines and of Turkey stress love.
4. National Identity. Preambles usually contain statements about the national
creed. Understanding the constitutional faith of each country, and its
constitutional philosophy, cannot be complete without reading its preamble.
Frequently, preambles include an additional element about future aspirations
and may include a commitment to resolve disputes by peaceful means, to
abide by the principles of the UN Charter, or to further national aspirations
as stated in a declaration of independence. These statements often refer to
inalienable rights, such as liberty or human dignity.
5. God or Religion. A preamble may include references to God. Some
preambles emphasize God's supremacy, such as the preambles to the
Canadian Charter (the supremacy of God) or the Swiss Constitution (in
the Name of Almighty God). Other preambles refer to a religion: the Greek
preamble refers to the Holy Trinity; in the Irish preamble, the Holy Trinity is
mentioned as our final end and a source of authority toward which all
actions of men and states must be referred. Conversely, the preamble may
emphasize the separation of state and religion or the state's secular character.
While common characteristics can be identified, each preamble has its own
distinguishing features. Preambles come in various lengths, harmonize with or
contradict the body of the constitution, and may be enacted together with the body
of the constitution as well as in a later constitutional moment.
Justice Harlan noted: Although that Preamble indicates the general purposes for
which the people ordained and established the Constitution, it has never been
regarded as the source of any substantive power conferred on the Government of
the United States, or on any of its Departments. Such powers embrace only those
expressly granted in the body of the Constitution, and as such as may be implied
from those so granted.
is the U.S. Constitution. This was also the case with the preamble to the German
Grundgesetz in which a defeated and shattered Germany, recuperating from the
Nazi nightmare, was able to proclaim its attachment to a new Europe. In those
moments, preambles enjoy popular consent. When those moments pass, popular
consent is more difficult to achieve.
http://icon.oxfordjournals.org/content/8/4/714.full#sec-13
our people because of varying political and social beliefs, practices, and
persuasions.
Imploring the aid of Divine Providence now appear as imploring the aid of
Almighty God, to make the reference to God more personal and direct. And by
invoking God in the preamble, Jose Laurel, Sr. said, the Filipino people thereby
manifested their intense religious nature and place unfaltering reliance upon Him
who guides the destinies of men and nations.
http://myreactionph.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-is-meaning-of-preamble-of.html
Source of Constitutions authority
The Filipino people- signify oneness and solidarity of the Filipinos as
differentiated from the words people of the Philippines w/c may include other
inhabitants or aliens.
A sovereign people- intended to emphasize that the Filipino people in ordaining &
promulgating the Constitution do so on their own authority as a sovereign people
w/out intervention from foreign power.
Belief in God stressed
The reference to the Almighty God points out the religious nature of the Filipino
people as they acknowledge the existence of Supreme Being that guides their
destinies and the destiny of their nation. The entire Preamble is like a collective
prayer to this Supreme Being, recognizing Him as the source of their authority to
promulgate the Constitution
The Philippines is a predominantly Christian nation and its people believe in the
power of prayer.
Changes in the Preamble
The Preamble of the 1973 Constitution was notably changed in the 1987
Constitution. Among the changes are the insertion of the following:
The phrase to build a just and human society, which makes it clear that
the adoption of the new Constitution does not only seek the establishment
of a new government. A just and humane society may be said to be the
one where every individual, regardless of his station in life, is treated
fairly before the law, and where special concern is given to the poor and
the less fortunate so that, like the rest, they may be able to attain a decent
standard of living;
The phrase the rule of law, as a reminder to every one of the nations
sad experience under an authoritarian regime which has been accused,
among others, of numerous violations of human rights, election frauds,
graft and corruption, suppression of dissent, and other repressive acts;
The word love, as a principle together with truth, justice, freedom,
equality, and peace to stress the need for a sense of love to bind all
Filipinos, especially during these critical times when armed conflicts and
intense political rivalries still continue to divide our nation; and