Government of the Philippines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Government of the Republic of the Philippines
Pamahalaan ng Republika ng Pilipinas

1898 (official)
Formation
1987 (de jure)
Country Philippines
Website gov.ph
Legislative branch
Legislature Congress
Batasang Pambansa Complex (House
Meeting place of Representatives/Lower Chamber)
GSIS Building (Senate/Upper Chamber)
Executive branch
Leader President
Appointment Election by popular vote
Headquarters Malacañang Palace
Main organ Cabinet
Judicial branch
Court Supreme Court
Manila
Seat
Baguio City (summer)

The Government of the Philippines (Filipino: Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) is the national government of the
unitary state of the Philippines. It is a presidential, representative, and democratic republic where the President
of the Philippines is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system.

The government has three interdependent branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial
branch. The powers of the branches are vested by the Constitution of the Philippines in the following:
Legislative power is vested in the two-chamber Congress of the Philippines—the Senate is the upper chamber
and the House of Representatives is the lower chamber.

Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the President. Judicial power is vested
in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body.

Contents
 1 Legislative Department
 2 Executive Department
 3 Judicial Department
 4 Office of the Ombudsman
  5 Administrative divisions
 6 See also
 7 References

Legislative Department
The legislative power is vested in the Congress of the Philippines which consists of the Senate and House of
Representatives. The upper house is located in Pasay City, while the lower house is located in Quezon City.
Both are in Metro Manila. The district and sectoral representatives are elected for a term of three years. They
can be re-elected but they may not run for a fourth consecutive term.

Senators are elected to a term of six years. They can be re-elected but may not run for a third consecutive term.
The House of Representatives may opt to pass for a vacancy of a legislative seat, which leads to a special
election. The winner of the special election will serve the unfinished term of the previous district representative,
and will be considered as one elective term. The same rule also applies in the Senate, however it only applies if
the seat was vacated before a regular legislative election.

The current President of the Senate is Franklin Drilon, while the current Speaker of the House of
Representatives is Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.

Executive Department
Main article: Executive departments of the Philippines

The executive power is vested in the President of the Philippines. The President is elected by popular vote. The
principal workplace of the President is the Malacañang Palace in San Miguel, Manila. The executive branch is
currently headed by President Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party. The President is also the Commander-
in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, The second highest official is elected separately from the
President by popular vote. The current Vice President is Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance and
was given the Coconut Palace in Pasay City as his principal workplace. The Vice-President is first in line to
succession if the President resigns, is impeached or dies. The Vice-President is usually, though not always, a
member of the president's cabinet. If there is a vacancy in the position of vice-president, the President will
appoint any member of Congress (usually a party member) as the new vice-president. The appointment must
then be validated by a three-fourths vote of the Congress.[1]

Judicial Department
The judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court of the Philippines and lower courts established by law. The
Supreme Court, which has a Chief Justice as its head and 14 Associate Justices, occupies the highest tier of the
judiciary. The justices serve until the age of 70. The justices are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines.[2] The sitting Chief Justice is Maria Lourdes
Sereno, the 24th to serve in that position.

Other court types of courts, of varying jurisdiction around the archipelago, are the:
Lower Collegiate Courts:

 Court of Appeals
 Court of Tax Appeals
 Sandiganbayan

Regular Courts:

 Court of Appeals
 Regional
 Municipal Circuit Trial Courts

Muslim Courts

 Sharia District Courts

 Sharia Circuit Courts
Office of the Ombudsman
See also: Corruption in the Philippines

The government and all three of its branches are independently monitored by the office of the Ombudsman
(Filipino: Tanodbayan). The Ombudsman is given the mandate to investigate and prosecute any government
official allegedly guilty of crimes, especially Graft and Corruption. The Ombudsman is assisted by six deputies:
the Overall Deputy, the Deputy for Luzon, the Deputy for Visayas, the Deputy for Mindanao, the Deputy for the
Armed Forces, and the Special Prosecutor.

Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of the Philippines

Local government hierarchy. The dashed lines emanating from the president means that the President only
exercises general supervision on local government.

The Philippines has four main classes of elected administrative divisions, often lumped together as local
government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to the lowest division:

1. Autonomous regions
2. Provinces (lalawigan, probinsiya, kapuoran) and independent cities (lungsod, siyudad/ciudad,
dakbayan, dakbanwa, lakanbalen)
3. Municipalities (bayan, balen, bungto, banwa) and component cities (lungsod, siyudad/ciudad,
dakbayan, dakbanwa, lakanbalen)
4. Barangays (also known as barrio)

Beyond these, the national government groups provinces and independent cities into regions, e.g. Metro Manila
or Region VI. The President has the prerogative to create, abolish and determine the composition of regions,
which is done so most often in consultation with the local government units affected, with the exception of
autonomous regions, where the residents of the local government units have to ratify in a plebiscite their
inclusion in such a setup.

Congress of the Philippines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Congress of the Philippines
Kongreso ng Pilipinas
16th Congress of the Philippines
 Type
Type Bicameral
Senate
Houses
House of Representatives
Leadership
President of the Franklin Drilon, Liberal
Senate Since July 22, 2013
Speaker of the Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.,
House of Liberal
Representatives Since July 22, 2013
Structure
316 (list)
Seats 24 senators
292 representatives

List

o Nacionalista (5)
o UNA (5)
o Liberal (4)
Senate political o Lakas (2)
groups o NPC (2)
o PDP-Laban (1)
o LDP (1)
o PRP (1)
o Independent (3)

List

o Liberal (113)
o NPC (39)
House of o NUP (26)
Representatives o Nacionalista (19)
political groups o Lakas (14)
o UNA (10)
o LDP (2)
o CDP (1)
o KBL (1)
 o Local parties (4)
o Independent (6)
o Sectoral (55)

Joint committees are chaired

Joint committees
by senators
Article VI, Constitution of the
Authority
Philippines
Elections
Senate last election May 13, 2013
House of
Representatives last May 13, 2013
election
Meeting place
Senate:

Government Service Insurance System Building,

Pasay

House of Representatives:

Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City

Website
Senate of the Philippines
House of Representatives of the Philippines

The Congress of the Philippines (Filipino: Kongreso ng Pilipinas) is the national legislature of the Philippines.
It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate (upper chamber), and the House of Representatives (lower
chamber) although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.[1]

The Senate is composed of 24 senators [2] half of which are elected every three years. Each senator, therefore,
serves a total of six years. The senators are elected by the whole electorate and do not represent any
geographical district.

The House of Representatives is composed of a maximum of 250 congressmen. There are two types of
congressmen: the district and the sectoral representatives. The district congressmen represent a particular
geographical district of the country. All provinces in the country are composed of at least one congressional
district. Several cities also have their own congressional districts, with some composed of two or more
representatives.[3]

The sectoral congressmen represent the minority sectors of the population. This enables these minority groups
to be represented in the Congress, when they would otherwise not be represented properly through district
representation. Also known as party-list representatives, sectoral congressmen represent labor unions, rights
groups, and other organizations.[4]

The Constitution provides that the Congress shall convene for its regular session every year beginning on the
4th Monday of July. A regular session can last until thirty days before the opening of its next regular session in
the succeeding year. The President may, however, call special sessions which are usually held between regular
legislative sessions to handle emergencies or urgent matters.[5]
The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: Senado ng Pilipinas, also Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas or
"upper chamber") is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress; the House of
Representatives is the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large with the
country as one district under plurality-at-large voting.

Senators serve 6-year tenure per terms with a maximum of 2 consecutive terms, with half of the senators elected
every three years to ensure that the Senate is maintained as a continuous body, though staggered. When the
Senate was restored by the 1987 Constitution, the 24 senators who were elected in 1987 served until 1992. In
1992 the candidates for the Senate obtaining the 12 highest number of votes served until 1998, while the next 12
served until 1995. Thereafter, each senator elected serves the full 6 years.

Aside from having its concurrence on every bill in order to be passed for the president's signature to become a
law, the Senate is the only body that can concur with treaties, and can try impeachment cases. The Senate
Presidency is currently held by Franklin Drilon

History

Joint session of Philippine Legislature including the newly elected Senate, November 15, 1916

The post-World-War-II Philippine Senate in 1951: Cipriano P. Primicias, Sr., far left, debates Quintín Paredes, far right. In
the middle are Justiniano Montano, Mariano Jesús Cuenco, Enrique B. Magalona, and Francisco Delgado; in the
foreground is Edmundo Cea. Deliberations were once held at the Old Legislative Building.
The Senate has its roots in the Philippine Commission of the Insular Government. Under the Philippine Organic
Act, from 1907 to 1916, the Philippine Commission headed by the Governor-General of the Philippines served
as the upper chamber of the Philippine Legislature, with the Philippine Assembly as the elected lower house. At
the same time the governor-general also exercised executive powers.

On August 29, 1916 the United States Congress enacted the Philippine Autonomy Act or popularly known as
the "Jones Law", which created of an elected bicameral Philippine Legislature with the Senate served as the
upper chamber and while the House of Representatives, the renamed Philippine Assembly, as the lower
chamber. The Governor-General stayed on as head of the executive branch of the Insular Government.

Then-Philippine Resident Commissioner Manuel L. Quezon encouraged Speaker Sergio Osmeña to run for the
leadership of the Senate, but Osmeña preferred to continue leading the lower house. Quezon then ran for the
Senate and became Senate President for the next 19 years (1916–1935). Senators then were elected via
senatorial districts via plurality-at-large voting; each district grouped several provinces and each elected two
senators except for "non-Christian" provinces where the Governor-General of the Philippines appointed the
senators for the district.

This setup continued until 1935, when the Philippine Independence Act or the "Tydings–McDuffie Act" was
passed by the U.S. Congress which granted the Filipinos the right to frame their own constitution in preparation
for their independence, wherein they established a unicameral National Assembly, effectively abolishing the
Senate. Not long after the adoption of the 1935 Constitution several amendments began to be proposed. By
1938, the National Assembly began consideration of these proposals, which included restoring the Senate as the
upper chamber of Congress. The amendment of the 1935 Constitution to have a bicameral legislature was
approved in 1940 and the first biennial elections for the restored upper house was held in November 1941.
Instead of the old senatorial districts, senators were elected via the entire country serving as an at-large district,
although still under plurality-at-large voting, with voters voting up to eight candidates, and the eight candidates
with the highest number of votes being elected. While the Senate from 1916 to 1935 had exclusive confirmation
rights over executive appointments, as part of the compromises that restored the Senate in 1941, the power of
confirming executive appointments has been exercised by a joint Commission on Appointments composed of
members of both houses. However, the Senate since its restoration and the independence of the Philippines in
1946 has the power to ratify treaties.

The Senate finally convened in 1945 and served as the upper chamber of Congress from thereon until the
declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972, which shut down Congress. The Senate was
resurrected in 1987 upon the ratification of the 1987 Constitution. However, instead of eight senators being
replaced after every election, it was changed to twelve.

In the Senate, the officers are the Senate President, Senate President pro tempore, Majority Floor Leader,
Minority Floor Leader and the Senate Secretary and the Senate Sergeant at Arms who shall be elected by the
Senators from among the employees and staff of the Senate. Meanwhile, the Senate President, Senate President
pro-tempore, the Majority Floor Leader and the Minority Floor Leader shall be elected by the Senators from
among themselves.

Composition
See also: Philippine senatorial elections

Election results from 1916 to the present. Note that some senators may switch to another party mid-term.

Article VI, Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that the Senate shall be composed of 24
senators who shall be elected at-large by the qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law.
The composition of the Senate is smaller in number as compared to the House of Representatives. The members
of this chamber are elected at large by the entire electorate. The rationale for this rule intends to make the
Senate a training ground for national leaders and possibly a springboard for the presidency.

It follows also that the Senator, having a national rather than only a district constituency, will have a broader
outlook of the problems of the country, instead of being restricted by narrow viewpoints and interests. With
such perspective, the Senate is likely to be more circumspect, or at least less impulsive, than the House of
Representatives.

Senatorial candidates are chosen by the leaders of major political parties or coalitions of parties. The selection
process is not transparent and is done in "backrooms" where much political horse-trading occurs. Thus, the
absence of regional or proportional representation in the Senate exacerbates a top heavy system of governance,
with power centralized in Metro Manila. It has often been suggested that each region of the country should elect
its own senator(s) to more properly represent the people. This will have the effect of flattening the power
structure. Regional problems and concerns within a national view can be addressed more effectively. A
senator's performance, accountability, and electability become meaningful to a more defined and identifiable
regional constituency.

The Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) composed of three Supreme Court justices and six senators determines
election protests on already-seated senators. There had been three instances where the SET has replaced
senators due to election protests, the last of which was on 2011 when the tribunal awarded the protest of
Aquilino Pimentel III against Juan Miguel Zubiri.[2]

Qualifications
The qualifications for membership in the Senate are expressly stated in Section 3, Art. VI of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution as follows:

 No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, and on the day of the election,
is at least 35 years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less
than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.
 The age is fixed at 35 and must be possessed on the day of the elections, that is, when the polls are opened and
the votes cast, and not on the day of the proclamation of the winners by the board of canvassers.
 With regard to the residence requirements, it was ruled in the case of Lim v. Pelaez that it must be the place
where one habitually resides and to which he, after absence, has the intention of returning.
 The enumeration laid down by the 1987 Philippine Constitution is exclusive under the Latin principle of expressio
unius est exclusio alterius. This means that Congress cannot anymore add additional qualifications other than
those provided by the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Organization
Under the Constitution, "Congress shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday of July for its regular
session...". During this time, the Senate is organized to elect its officers. Specifically, the 1987 Philippine
Constitution provides a definite statement, to it:

The Senate shall elect its President and the House of Representatives its Speaker by a vote of all its respective
members.

Each House shall choose such other officers as it may deem necessary.

By virtue of these provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Senate adopts its own rules, otherwise
known as the "Rules of the Senate." The Rules of the Senate provide the following officers: a President, a
President pro tempore, a Secretary and a Sergeant-at-Arms.

Following this set of officers, the Senate as an institution can then be grouped into the Senate Proper and the
Secretariat. The former belongs exclusively to the members of the Senate as well as its committees, while the
latter renders support services to the members of the Senate.

Powers
The Senate was modeled upon the United States Senate; the two chambers of Congress have roughly equal
powers, and every bill or resolution that has to go through both houses needs the consent of both chambers
before being passed for the president's signature. Once a bill is defeated in the Senate, it is lost. Once a bill is
approved by the Senate on third reading, the bill is passed to the House of Representatives, unless an identical
bill has also been passed by the lower house. When a counterpart bill in the lower house is different from the
one passed by the Senate, either a bicameral conference committee is created consisting of members from both
chambers of Congress to reconcile the differences, or either chamber may instead approve the other chamber's
version.

While money bills originate in the House of Representatives, the Senate may still propose or concur with
amendments. Only the Senate has the power to approve, via a two-thirds supermajority, or denounce treaties,
and the power to try and convict, via a two-thirds supermajority, an impeached official.

Current members
Terms
Senator Party
Number Starts Ends

Sonny Angara LDP 1

Bam Aquino Liberal 1

2013 2019
Nancy Binay UNA 1

Alan Peter Cayetano Independent 2

Pia Cayetano Nacionalista 2

Miriam Defensor Santiago PRP 2 2010 2016

Franklin Drilon Liberal 1

JV Ejercito UNA 1 2013 2019

Juan Ponce Enrile UNA 2 2010 2016

Francis Escudero Independent 2 2013 2019

Jinggoy Estrada UNA 2

2010 2016
Teofisto Guingona III Liberal 1

Gringo Honasan UNA 2 2013 2019

Lito Lapid Independent 2 2010 2016

Loren Legarda NPC 2 2013 2019

Bongbong Marcos 1
Independent 2010 2016
Sergio Osmeña III 1

Aquilino Pimentel III PDP-Laban 1

2013 2019
Grace Poe Independent 1

Ralph Recto Liberal 1 2010 2016

 Terms
Senator Party
Number Starts Ends

Bong Revilla Lakas 2

Tito Sotto NPC 1

Antonio Trillanes IV Independent 2

2013 2019
Cynthia Villar Nacionalista 1

Party composition
Party Total %

UNA 5 20%

Liberal 4 16%

NPC 2 8%

Nacionalista 2 8%

Lakas 1 4%

PDP-Laban 1 4%

LDP 1 4%

PRP 1 4%

Independent 7 28%

Total 24 100%

Senator-elects
The following senators were elected at the Philippine Senate election, 2016 in May 9, 2016. The twelve were all
proclaimed in May 19, 2016.[3]

Terms
Senator Party
Number Starts Ends

Franklin Drilon Liberal 2

Joel Villanueva Liberal 1

Tito Sotto NPC 2

Ping Lacson Independent 1 2016 2022

Richard Gordon Independent 1

Juan Miguel Zubiri Independent 1

Manny Pacquiao UNA 1

 Terms
Senator Party
Number Starts Ends

Risa Hontiveros Akbayan 1

Kiko Pangilinan Liberal 1

Win Gatchalian NPC 1

Ralph Recto Liberal 2

Leila de Lima Liberal 1

Seat

The GSIS Building in Pasay, the seat of the Senate.

The Senate currently meets at the GSIS Building in Pasay. Built on land reclaimed from Manila Bay, the Senate
shares the complex with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The Senate previously met at the Old Legislative Building in Manila until May 1997. The Senate occupied the
upper floors while the House of Representatives occupied the lower floors, with the National Library at the
basement. When the Congress Building was destroyed in World War II, Congress met at the Old Japanese
Schoolhouse in Manila; the Senate met at night while the House of Representatives met at daytime. Congress
returned to the Congress Building on 1950. When President Ferdinand Marcos dissolved Congress in 1972, he
built a new legislative complex in Quezon City. The unicameral parliament known as the Batasang Pambansa
eventually met there on 1978. With the restoration of the bicameral legislature on 1987, the House of
Representatives inherited the complex at Quezon City, now called the Batasang Pambansa Complex, while the
Senate returned to the Congress Building, until the GSIS Building was finished in May 1997. Thus, the
country's two houses of Congress meet at different places in Metro Manila.

Prominent Senators
See also: List of Senators of the Philippines

Assumed Philippine Presidency

 Manuel L. Quezon 2nd President (First President during Commonwealth). Also the first Senate President who
lobbied for a nationally elected senate that was established in 1940.
 José P. Laurel 3rd President (Japanese occupation of Manila)
 Sergio Osmeña 4th President
 Manuel Roxas 5th President
 Elpidio Quirino 6th President
 Carlos P. Garcia 8th President
 Ferdinand E. Marcos 10th President
 Joseph Ejercito Estrada 13th President
 Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo 14th President
 Benigno Aquino III 15th President
  The House of Representatives of the Philippines (Filipino: Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng
Pilipinas and Spanish: Cámara de Representantes de Filipinas) is the lower house of the Congress of
the Philippines. (The Senate of the Philippines is the upper house). It is often informally called
Congress. Members of the House are officially styled as Representative (Kinatawan) and sometimes
informally called Congressmen (mga konggresista) and are elected to a three-year term. They can be re-
elected, but cannot serve more than three consecutive terms. Around eighty percent of congressmen are
district representatives, representing a particular geographical area. There are 234 legislative districts in
the country, each composed of about 250,000 people. There are also party-list representatives elected
through the party-list system who constitute not more than twenty percent of the total number of
representatives.
 Aside from having its concurrence on every bill in order to be passed for the President's signature to
become a law, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach certain officials, and all money
bills must originate from the lower house.
 The House of Representatives is headed by the Speaker, currently Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. of Quezon
City. The official headquarters of the House of Representatives is at the Batasang Pambansa (literally,
national legislature) located in the Batasan Hills in Quezon City in Metro Manila. The building is often
simply called Batasan and the word has also become a metonym to refer to the House of
Representatives.

History

Joint session of the Philippine Legislature, Manila. November 15, 1916

Philippine legislature before 1924

Party control of the lower house. Notice the one-party dominance of the Nacionalistas from 1907 to 1941, the two-party
system with the emergence of the Liberal Party in 1946, the return of one-party dominance by the KBL from 1978 to
1984, and the multiparty system from 1987 to the present.
Same as above, but in cumulative seat totals, instead of percentages.

Philippine Assembly
Main article: Philippine Assembly

At the beginning of American colonial rule, from March 16, 1900, the sole national legislative body was the
Philippine Commission with all members appointed by the President of the United States. Headed by the
Governor-General of the Philippines the body exercised all legislative authority given to it by the President and
the United States Congress until October 1907 when it was joined by the Philippine Assembly. William Howard
Taft was chosen to be the first American civilian Governor-General and the first leader of this Philippine
Commission, which subsequently became known as the Taft Commission.

The Philippine Bill of 1902, a basic law, or organic act, of the Insular Government, mandated that once certain
conditions were met a bicameral, or two-chamber, Philippine Legislature would be created with the previously
existing, all-appointed Philippine Commission as the upper house and the Philippine Assembly as the lower
house. This bicameral legislature was inaugurated in October 1907. Under the leadership of Speaker Sergio
Osmeña and Floor Leader Manuel L. Quezon, the Rules of the 59th United States Congress was substantially
adopted as the Rules of the Philippine Legislature. Osmeña and Quezon led the Nacionalista Party, with a
platform of independence from the United States, into successive electoral victories against the Progresista
Party and later the Democrata Party, which first advocated United States statehood, then opposed immediate
independence.

It is this body, founded as the Philippine Assembly, that would continue in one form or another, and with a few
different names, up until the present day.

Jones Act of 1916

Main article: Jones Law (Philippines)

In 1916, the Jones Act, officially the Philippine Autonomy Act, changed the legislative system. The Philippine
Commission was abolished and a new fully elected, bicameral Philippine Legislature consisting of a House of
Representatives and a Senate was established. The Nacionalistas continued their electoral dominance at this
point, although they were split into two factions led by Osmeña and Quezon; the two reconciled in 1924, and
controlled the Assembly via a virtual dominant-party system.

Commonwealth and the Third Republic

Main article: National Assembly of the Philippines

The legislative system was changed again in 1935. The 1935 Constitution established a unicameral National
Assembly. But in 1940, through an amendment to the 1935 Constitution, a bicameral Congress of the
Philippines consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate was adopted.

Upon the inauguration of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946, Republic Act No. 6 was enacted providing
that on the date of the proclamation of the Republic of the Philippines, the existing Congress would be known
as the First Congress of the Republic. The "Liberal bloc" of the Nacionalistas permanently split from their
ranks, creating the Liberal Party. These two will contest all of the elections in what appeared to be a two-party
system. The party of the ruling president wins the elections in the House of Representatives; in cases where the
party of the president and the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are different, a sufficient
enough number will break away and join the party of the president, thereby ensuring that the president will have
control of the House of Representatives.
Martial Law
Main article: Batasang Pambansa

This set up continued until President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law and abolished Congress. He would
rule by decree even after the 1973 Constitution abolished the bicameral Congress and created a unicameral
Batasang Pambansa parliamentary system of government, as parliamentary election would not occur in 1978.
Marcos' Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL; New Society Movement) won all of the seats except those from the
Central Visayas ushering in an era of KBL dominance, which will continue until the People Power Revolution
overthrew Marcos in 1986.

1987 Constitution

The 1987 Constitution restored the presidential system of government together with a bicameral Congress of the
Philippines. One deviation from the previous setup was the introduction of the mid-term election; however, the
dynamics of the House of Representatives resumed its pre-1972 state, with the party of the president controlling
the chamber, although political pluralism ensued that prevented the restoration of the old Nacionalista-Liberal
two-party system. Instead, a multi-party system evolved.

Corazon Aquino who nominally had no party, supported the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP; Struggle
of the Democratic Filipinos). With the victory of Fidel V. Ramos in the 1992 presidential election, many
representatives defected to his Lakas-NUCD party; the same would happen with Joseph Estrada's victory in
1998, but he lost support when he was ousted after the 2001 EDSA Revolution that brought his vice president
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power. This also meant the restoration of Lakas-NUCD as the top party in the
chamber. The same would happen when Benigno Aquino won in 2010, which returned the Liberals into power.

The presiding officer is the Speaker. Unlike the Senate President, the Speaker usually serves the entire term of
Congress, although there had been instances when the Speaker left office due to conflict with the president:
examples include Jose de Venecia, Jr.'s resignation as speaker in 2008 when his son Joey de Venecia exposed
alleged corrupt practices by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, and Manny Villar's ouster occurred after he allowed
the impeachment of President Estrada in 2000.

Officers
The members of the House of Representatives who are also its officers are also ex officio members of all of the
committees and has a vote.

Speaker
Main article: Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

The Speaker is the head of the House of Representatives. He presides over the session; decides on all questions
of order, subject to appeal by any member; signs all acts, resolutions, memorials, writs, warrants and subpoenas
issued by or upon order of the House; appoints, suspends, dismisses or disciplines House personnel; and
exercise administrative functions.

The speaker is elected by majority of all the members of the house, including vacant seats. The speaker is
traditionally elected at the convening of each Congress. Before a speaker is elected, the House's sergeant-at-
arms sits as the "Presiding Officer" until a speaker is elected. Compared to the Senate President, the unseating
of an incumbent speaker is rarer.

As of April 2016 The incumbent speaker is Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. (Liberal) of Quezon City's 4th congressional
district.

Deputy Speakers
Main article: Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

There was a position of speaker pro tempore for congresses prior the reorganization of the officers of the House
of Representatives during the 10th Congress in 1995. The speaker pro tempore was the next highest position in
the House after the speaker.

The position was replaced by the deputy speakers in 1995. Originally, there was one Deputy Speaker for each
island group of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Then, in 2001 during the 12th Congress, a Deputy Speaker "at
large" was created. On the next Congress, another "at large" deputy speakership was created, along with a
Deputy Speaker for women. In the 15th Congress starting in 2010, all six deputy speakers are "at large".

The deputy speakers perform the speaker's role when the speaker is absent. Currently in the 16th Congress, the
deputy speakers represent the chamber at-large.

The Deputy Speakers are:

 Henedina Abad (Liberal) of the Lone District of Batanes

 Giorgidi Aggabao (NPC) of the Fourth District of Isabela
 Sergio Apostol (Liberal) of the Second District of Leyte
 Pangalian Balindong (Liberal) of the Second District of Lanao del Sur
 Carlos M. Padilla (Nacionalista) of the Lone District of Nueva Vizcaya
 Roberto Puno (NUP) of the Second District of Antipolo City, Rizal

Majority Floor Leader

Main article: Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

The majority leader, aside from being the spokesman of the majority party, is to direct the deliberations on the
floor. The Majority Leader is also concurrently the Chairman of the Committee on Rules. The majority leader is
elected in a party caucus of the ruling majority party.

The incumbent majority floor leader is Neptali M. Gonzales, Jr. (Liberal) of Mandaluyong's Lone congressional
district.

Minority Floor Leader

Main article: Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

The minority leader is the spokesman of the minority party in the House and is an ex-officio member of all
standing Committees. The minority leader is elected in party caucus of all Members of the House in the
minority party, although by tradition, the losing candidate for speaker is named the minority leader.

The incumbent minority floor leader is Ronaldo Zamora (Magdiwang/UNA) of San Juan's Lone District.

Secretary General

The secretary general enforces orders and decisions of the House; keeps the Journal of each session; notes all
questions of order, among other things. The secretary general presides over the chamber at the first legislative
session after an election, and is elected by a majority of the members.

Marilyn Barua-Yap is the Secretary General of the House of Representatives.

Sergeant-at-Arms

The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for the maintenance of order in the House of Representatives, among other
things. Like the secretary general, the sergeant-at-arms is elected by a majority of the members.

Retired Brigadier General Nicasio J. Radovan, Jr. is the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives.

District representation
Main article: Legislative districts of the Philippines
Congressional districts

There are two types of representatives in the chamber: representatives from congressional districts and party-list
representatives. Eighty percent of representatives shall come from congressional districts, with each district
returning one representative. Although each district should have a population of at least 250,000 people, all
provinces have at least one legislative district, regardless of population, whose residents vote for their own
congressman; several cities have representation of their own, independent of provinces, although they should
have at least a population of 250,000. For provinces that have more than one legislative district, the provincial
districts are identical to the corresponding legislative district, with the exclusion of cities that do not vote for
provincial officials.

The representatives from the districts comprise at most 80% of the members of the House; therefore, for a party
to have a majority of seats in the House, the party needs to win at least 60% of the district seats. No party since
the approval of the 1987 constitution has been able to win a majority of seats, hence coalitions are not
uncommon.

Legislative districts in provinces

Note: Some independent cities are grouped with provinces for purposes of representation to the House of
Representatives.

 Abra (1)  Davao del Norte (2)  Nueva Vizcaya (1)

 Agusan del Norte (2)  Davao Occidental (1)  Occidental Mindoro (1)
 Agusan del Sur (2)  Davao Oriental (2)  Oriental Mindoro (2)
 Aklan (1)  Davao del Sur (1)  Palawan (3)
 Albay (3)  Dinagat Islands (1)  Pampanga (4)
 Antique (1)  Eastern Samar (1)  Pangasinan (6)
 Apayao (1)  Guimaras (1)  Quezon (4)
 Aurora (1)  Ifugao (1)  Quirino (1)
 Basilan (1)  Ilocos Norte (2)  Rizal (2, excluding the city of
 Bataan (2)  Ilocos Sur (2) Antipolo)
 Batanes (1)  Iloilo (5)  Romblon (1)
 Batangas (4, excluding the cities  Isabela (4)  Samar (2)
of Batangas City and Lipa City )  Kalinga (1)  Sarangani (1)
 Benguet (1)  La Union (2)  Siquijor (1)
 Biliran (1)  Laguna (4, excluding the city of  Sorsogon (2)
 Bohol (3) Biñan)  South Cotabato (2)
  Bukidnon (4)  Lanao del Norte (2)  Southern Leyte (1)
 Bulacan (4, excluding the city of  Lanao del Sur (2)  Sultan Kudarat (2)
San Jose del Monte)  Leyte (5)  Sulu (2)
 Cagayan (3)  Maguindanao (2)  Surigao del Norte (2)
 Camarines Norte (2)  Marinduque (1)  Surigao del Sur (2)
 Camarines Sur (5)  Masbate (3)  Tarlac (3)
 Camiguin (1)  Misamis Occidental (2)  Tawi-Tawi (1)
 Capiz (2)  Misamis Oriental (2)  Zambales (2)
 Catanduanes (1)  Mountain Province (1)  Zamboanga del Norte (3)
 Cavite (4, excluding the cities of  Negros Occidental (6)  Zamboanga del Sur (2)
Bacoor, Imus, and Dasmariñas)  Negros Oriental (3)  Zamboanga Sibugay (2)
 Cebu (7)  Northern Samar (2)
 Compostela Valley (2)  Nueva Ecija (4)
 Cotabato (3)

Legislative districts in cities

 Antipolo (2)  Lapu-Lapu City (1)  Pasay (1)
 Bacolod (1)  Las Piñas (1)  Pasig (1)
 Bacoor (1)  Lipa City (1)  Pateros and Taguig (1)
 Baguio (1)  Makati (2)  Quezon City (6)
 Batangas City(1)  Malabon (1)  San Jose del Monte (1)
 Biñan (1)  Mandaluyong (1)  San Juan (1)
 Cagayan de Oro (2)  Manila (6)  Taguig (1)
 Caloocan (2)  Marikina (2)  Valenzuela (2)
 Cebu City (2)  Muntinlupa (1)  Zamboanga City (2)
 Dasmariñas (1)  Navotas (1)
 Davao City (3)  Parañaque (2)
 Iligan (1)
 Iloilo City (1)

Party-list representation
Main article: Party-list representation in the House of Representatives of the Philippines

The party-list system is the name designated for party-list representation. Under the 1987 Constitution, the
electorate can vote for certain party-list organizations in order to give voice to significant minorities of society
that would otherwise not be adequately represented through geographical district. From 1987-1998, party-list
representatives were appointed by the President.

Since 1998, each voter votes for a single party-list organization. Organizations that garner at least 2% of the
total number of votes are awarded one representative for every 2% up to a maximum of three representatives.
Thus, there can be at most 50 party-list representatives in Congress, though usually no more than 20 are elected
because many organizations do not reach the required 2% minimum number of votes.

After the 2007 election, in a controversial decision, the Supreme Court ordered the COMELEC to change how
it allocates the party-list seats. Under the new formula only one party will have the maximum 3 seats. It based
its decision on a formula contained in the VFP vs. COMELEC decision. In 2009, in the BANAT vs. COMELEC
decision, it was changed anew in which parties with less than 2% of the vote were given seats to fulfill the 20%
quota as set forth in the constitution.

Aside from determining which party won and allocating the number of seats won per party, another point of
contention was whether the nominees should be a member of the marginalized group they are supposed to
represent; in the Ang Bagong Bayani vs. COMELEC decision, the Supreme Court not only ruled that the
nominees should be a member of the marginalized sector, but it also disallowed major political parties from
participating in the party-list election. However, on the BANAT decision, the court ruled hat since the law didn't
specify who belongs to a marginalized sector, the court allowed anyone to be a nominee as long as the nominee
as a member of the party (not necessarily the marginalized group the party is supposed to represent).

Redistricting
Congressional district population map, as of August 1, 2007. Note the underrepresentation of areas concentrated
around central and southern Luzon and central Mindanao.

Congress is mandated to reapportion the legislative districts within three years following the return of every
census.[2] Since its restoration in 1987, Congress has not passed any general apportionment law, despite the
publication of five censuses in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2007 and 2010.[3] The increase in the number of representative
districts since 1987 were mostly due to the creation of new provinces, cities, and piecemeal redistricting of
certain provinces and cities.

The apportionment of congressional districts is not dependent upon a specially-mandated independent

government body, but rather through Republic Acts which are drafted by members of Congress. Therefore,
apportionment often can be influenced by political motivations. Incumbent representatives who are not
permitted by law to serve after three consecutive terms sometimes resort to dividing their district, or even
creating a new province which will be guaranteed a seat, just so that they will be able to run and serve terms in a
technically different district. Likewise, politicians whose political fortunes are likely to be jeopardized by any
change in district boundaries may delay or even ignore the need for reapportionment.

Since 1987, the creation of some new congressional districts have been met with controversy, especially due to
incumbent political clans and their allies benefiting from the new district arrangements. Some of these new
congressional districts are tied to the creation of a new province, because such an act necessarily entails the
creation of a new congressional district.

 Creation of Davao Occidental, 2013: The rival Cagas and Bautista clans dominate politics in the province of
Davao del Sur; their members have been elected as congressional representatives for the first and second
districts of the province since 1987. However, the province's governorship has been in contest between the two
clans in recent years: Claude Bautista, the current governor, was elected in 2013; before that Douglas Cagas
served as governor from 2007 to 2013, after succeeding Benjamin Bautista Jr. who served from 2002 to 2007.[4]
Supporters of both clans have been subjected to political violence, prompting the police to put the province of
Davao del Sur in the election watchlist.[5] The law which created Davao Occidental, Republic Act No. 10360, was
co-authored by House Representatives Marc Douglas Cagas IV and Franklin Bautista as House Bill 4451; the
creation of the new province is seen as a way to halt the "often violent" political rivalry between the clans by
ensuring that the Cagas and Bautista clans have separate domains.[5]
 Reapportionment of Camarines Sur, 2009: A new congressional district was created within Camarines Sur under
Republic Act No. 9716, which resulted in the reduction of the population of the province's first district to below
the Constitutional ideal of 250,000 inhabitants. The move was seen as a form of political accommodation that
would (and ultimately did) prevent two allies of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from running in the
 same district. Rolando Andaya, who was on his third term as congressman for the first district, was appointed
Budget Secretary in 2006; his plans to run as representative of the same district in 2010 put him in direct
competition with Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo, the president's youngest son, who was also seeking re-election.
Then-Senator Noynoy Aquino challenged the constitutionality of the law but the Supreme Court of the
Philippines ultimately ruled that the creation of the new district was constitutional.[6]
 Creation of Dinagat Islands, 2007: The separation of Dinagat Islands from Surigao del Norte has further
solidified the hold of the Ecleo clan over the impoverished and typhoon-prone area, which remains among the
poorest provinces in the country.[7]

Most populous legislative districts

Currently the district with the lowest population is the lone district of Batanes, with only 16,604 inhabitants in
2010. The most populous congressional district, the 1st District of Caloocan City, has around 66 times more
inhabitants. Data below reflects legislative district boundaries for the 2016 elections.

Rank Legislative district Population (2010)

1 1st District of Caloocan City 1,093,424

2 1st District of Rizal 953,080

3 2nd District of Rizal 854,019

4 2nd District of Laguna 795,395

5 1st District of South Cotabato 774,456

6 1st District of Maguindanao 695,622

7 1st District of Bulacan 670,237

8 Lone district of Pasig City 669,773

9 4th District of Bulacan 661,138

10 2nd District of Quezon 646,838

Underrepresentation

Persons per representative per province or city in the House of Representatives: Provinces (blue) and cities (red) are
arranged in descending order of population from Cavite to Batanes (provinces) and from Quezon City to San Juan
(cities).
Persons per representative from 1903 to 2007. The last nationwide apportionment act was the ordinance to the 1987
constitution, which was based on the 1980 census.

Because of the lack of a nationwide reapportionment after the publication of every census since the Constitution
was promulgated in 1987, many populous provinces and cities have become severely underrepresented. Each
legislative district is ideally supposed to encompass a population of 250,000.[8] The following jurisdictions
currently have a deficit in their congressional representations if the constitutional ideal of 250,000 population
count per district is considered:

Number of legislative districts

Population
Province / Maximum possible Deficit in
(2010 Current number
Independent City representation number
census) of
using the 250,000 population of
representatives
count threshold representatives

Cavite (including the cities of Bacoor,

3,090,691 7 12 5
Dasmariñas and Imus)

Bulacan (including the city of San Jose del

2,924,433 4+1 11 6
Monte)

Pangasinan (including the independent city

2,779,862 6a 11 5
of Dagupan)

Quezon City 2,761,720 6 11 5

Laguna (including the city of Biñan) 2,669,847 4+1 10 5

Cebu 2,619,362 7b 10 3

Rizal (including the city of Antipolo) 2,484,840 2+2 9 5

Negros Occidental 2,396,039 6 9 3

Batangas (including the cities of Batangas

2,377,395 6 9 3
and Lipa)

Pampanga 2,014,019 4c 8 4

Quezon (including the independent city of

1,987,030 4d 7 3
Lucena)

Nueva Ecija 1,955,373 4 7 3

Camarines Sur 1,822,371 5e 7 2

Iloilo 1,805,576 5 7 2
Leyte (including the independent cities of
1,789,158 5f 7 2
Ormoc and Tacloban)

Isabela (including the independent city of

1,489,645 4g 5 1
Santiago)

Caloocan City 1,489,040 2 5 3

Davao City 1,449,296 3 5 2

Bukidnon 1,299,192 4 5 1

Negros Oriental 1,286,666 3 5 2

Tarlac 1,273,240 3 5 2

Bohol 1,255,128 3 5 2

Albay 1,233,432 3 4 1

Cotabato 1,226,508 3 4 1

Cagayan 1,124,773 3 4 1

Zamboanga del Sur 959,685 2 3 1

Davao del Norte 945,764 2 3 1

Maguindanao 944,718 2h 3 1

Lanao del Sur 933,260 2 3 1

Cebu City 866,171 2 3 1

South Cotabato 827,200 2i 3 1

Misamis Oriental 813,856 2 3 1

Zamboanga City 807,129 2 3 1

Oriental Mindoro 785,602 2 3 1

Pasig City 669,773 1 2 1

Davao del Sur 574,910 1j 2 1

Antique 546,031 1 2 1

General Santos City 538,086 0i 2 2

Aklan 535,725 1 2 1

Bacolod City 511,820 1 2 1

Mandaue City 331,320 0a 1 1

Angeles City 326,336 0c 1 1

Cotabato City 271,876 0h 1 1

 ^a The independent city of Dagupan (pop. 163,676) remains part of Pangasinan's congressional representation.

^b The independent city of Mandaue (pop. 331,320) remains part of Cebu's congressional representation
despite having already reached the 250,000 population threshold.

^c The independent city of Angeles (pop. 326,336) remains part of Pampanga's congressional representation
despite having already reached the 250,000 population threshold.

^d The independent city of Lucena (pop. 246,392) remains part of Quezon's congressional representation.

^e The independent city of Naga (pop. 174,931) remains part of Camarines Sur's congressional representation.

^f The independent cities of Ormoc (pop. 191,200) and Tacloban (pop. 221,174) remain part of Leyte's
congressional representation.

^g The independent city of Santiago (pop. 132,804) remains part of Isabela's congressional representation.

^h The independent city of Cotabato (pop. 271,786) remains part of Maguindanao's congressional
representation despite having already reached the 250,000 population threshold.

^i The independent city of General Santos (pop. 538,086) remains part of South Cotabato's congressional
representation despite having already reached the 250,000 population threshold.

^j Starting in the 2016 elections, what remains of Davao del Sur following the separation of Davao Occidental
will comprise a lone district, as per Republic Act No. 10360.

Powers
The House of Representatives is modeled after the United States House of Representatives; the two chambers of
Congress have roughly equal powers, and every bill or resolution that has to go through both houses needs the
consent of both chambers before being passed for the president's signature. Once a bill is defeated in the House
of Representatives, it is lost. Once a bill is approved by the House of Representatives on third reading, the bill is
passed to the Senate, unless an identical bill has also been passed by the lower house. When a counterpart bill in
the Senate is different from the one passed by the House of Representatives, either a bicameral conference
committee is created consisting of members from both chambers of Congress to reconcile the differences, or
either chamber may instead approve the other chamber's version.

Just like most lower houses, money bills, originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may still
propose or concur with amendments, same with bills of local application and private bills. The House of
Representatives has the sole power to initiate impeachment proceedings, and may impeach an official by a vote
of one-third of its members. Once an official is impeached, the Senate tries that official.

Seat

William Howard Taft address the 1st Philippine Legislature at the Manila Grand Opera House in 1907.
The 2nd Philippine Legislature convened at the The Mansion in Baguio in 1921.

The Batasang Pambansa Complex (National Legislature) at Quezon City is the seat of the House of
Representatives since its restoration in 1987; it took its name from the Batasang Pambansa, the national
parliament which convened there from 1978 to 1986.

The Philippine Legislature was inaugurated at the Manila Grand Opera House at 1907, then it conducted
business at the Ayuntamiento in Intramuros, Manila, across the University of Santo Tomas. Governor-General
Leonard Wood summoned the 2nd Philippine Legislature at Baguio and convened at the The Mansion in
Baguio for three weeks. The legislature returned to the Ayutamiento, as the Legislative Building was being
constructed; it first convened there on July 26, 1926. The House of Representatives continued to occupy the
second floor until 1945 when the area was shelled during the Battle of Manila. The building was damaged
beyond repair and Congress convened at the Old Japanese Schoolhouse at Manila until the Legislative Building
can be occupied again in 1949. Congress stayed at the Legislative Building, by now called the Congress
Building, until President Marcos shut Congress and ruled by decree starting in 1972.[9]

Marcos then oversaw the construction of the new home of parliament at Quezon City, which convened in 1978.
The parliament, called the Batasang Pambansa continued to sit there until the passage of the 1986 Freedom
Constitution. The House of Representatives inherited the Batasang Pambansa Complex in 1987.

Batasang Pambansa Complex

The Batasang Pambansa Complex, now officially called the House of Representatives Building Complex, is at
the National Government Center, Constitution Hills, Quezon City. Accessible via Commonwealth Avenue, the
complex consists of four buildings. The Main Building hosts the session hall; the North and South wings,
inaugurated on December 1977, are attached to it. The newest building, the Ramon Mitra, Jr. Building, was
completed in 2001. It houses the Legislative Library, the Committee offices, the Reference and Research
Bureau, and the Conference Rooms.[10]

Current composition
Main article: 16th Congress of the Philippines

The members of the House of Representatives, aside from being grouped into political parties, are also grouped
into the "majority bloc," "minority bloc" and "independents" (different from the independent in the sense that
they are not affiliated into a political party). Originally, members who voted for the winning Speaker belong to
the majority and members who voted for the opponent are the minority. The majority and minority bloc are to
elect amongst themselves a floor leader. While members are allowed to switch blocs, they must do so in
writing. Also, the bloc where they intend to transfer shall accept their application through writing. When the
bloc the member ought to transfer refuses to accept the transferring member, or a member does not want to be a
member of either bloc, that member becomes an independent member. A member that transfers to a new bloc
forfeits one's committee chairmanships and memberships, until the bloc the member transfers to elects the
member to committees.

The membership in each committee should be in proportion to the size of each bloc, with each bloc deciding
who amongst them who will go to each committee, upon a motion by the floor leader concerned to the House of
Representatives in plenary. The Speaker, Deputy Speakers, floor leaders, deputy floor leaders and the
chairperson of the Committee on Accounts can vote in committees; the committee chairperson can only vote to
break a tie.
To ensure that the representatives each get their pork barrel, most of them will join the majority bloc, or even to
the president's party, as basis of patronage politics (known as the Padrino System locally); thus, the House of
Representatives always aligns itself with the party of the sitting president.

The majority bloc sits to the right side of the speaker, facing the
House of Representatives.
Party standings

Current party standing.

Party Total %

Liberal 112 38.7%

NPC 39 13.4%

NUP 26 8.9%

Nacionalista 20 6.8%

Lakas 14 4.8%

UNA 9 3.1%

LDP 2 0.7%

Akbayan 1 0.3%

CDP 1 0.3%

KABAKA 1 0.3%

Kambilan 1 0.3%

KBL 1 0.3%

PPP 1 0.3%

Unang Sigaw 1 0.3%

United Negros Alliance 1 0.3%

 Party Total %

Independents 5 1.7%

Party-list 55 18.8%

Totals 289 99.0%

Latest election
Main article: Philippine House of Representatives elections, 2013

For the party-list result, see Philippine House of Representatives party-list election, 2013.

e•d Summary of the May 13, 2013 Philippine House of Representatives election results for representatives from
congressional districts

Popular vote Breakdown Seats

Party/coalition
+/−[hd
Total % Swing Entered Up Gains Holds Losses Wins Elected %[hd 1] 2]

Liberal (Liberal
10,557,265 38.31% 18.38% 160 93 22 84 9 4 109 37.7% 16
Party)

Bukidnon Paglaum
100,405 0.36% 0.36% 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0.3%
(Hope for Bukidnon)

Kusug Agusanon
(Progressive 71,436 0.26% 0.26% 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0.3%
Agusan)

KKK (Struggle for

[hd 3]
Peace, Progress and 54,425 0.20% 0.16% 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Justice)

Akbayan (Akbayan
Citizens' Action 34,239 0.12% 0.12% 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 0.0% 1
Party)

Liberal Party
10,817,770 39.22% 19.77% 165 95 22 85 9 4 112 38.6% 17
coalition

UNA (United
3,140,381 9.31% 9.31% 55 11 3 5 6 0 8 2.7% 3
Nationalist Alliance)

PDP-Laban
(Philippine [hd 4]
281,320 1.02% 0.29% 13 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Democratic Party –
People's Power)

PMP (Force of the [hd 5]

144,030 0.52% 1.98% 11 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Filipino Masses)

KABAKA (Partner of 94,966 0.34% 0.14% 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0.3%

the Nation for
 Progress)

Magdiwang
23,253 0.08% 0.06% 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.3% 1
(Magdiwang Party)

1-Cebu (One Cebu) 21,936 0.08% 0.08% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%

United Nationalist
3,705,886 11.36% 3.55% 82 12 3 7 6 0 10 3.4% 2
Alliance coalition

Kambilan (Shield
and Fellowship of 96,433 0.35% 0.35% 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.3% 1
Kapampangans)

Unang Sigaw (First

Cry of Nueva Ecija– 94,952 0.35% 0.34% 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.3% 1
Party of Change)

United Negros
91,467 0.34% 0.34% 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0.3%
Alliance

Hugpong sa Tawong
Lungsod (Party of
65,324 0.24% 0.24% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
the People of the
City)

Sulong Zambales
60,280 0.22% 0.22% 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.0% 1
(Forward Zambales)

PPP (Party of
Change for 57,485 0.21% 0.21% 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.3% 1
Palawan)

BALANE (New Force

of Nueva Ecija 39,372 0.14% 0.14% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Party)

Tingog Leytenon
34,025 0.12% 0.13% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
(Positive Leyte)

AZAP (Forward
15,881 0.06% 0.06% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Zamboanga Party)

Ompia (Ompia
1,682 0.01% 0.01% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Party)

Unaffiliated local
556,901 2.02% 1.84% 10 2 3 1 1 0 4 1.4% 2
parties

NPC (Nationalist
4,800,907 17.36% 1.40% 71 40 4 34 6 4 42 14.4% 2
People's Coalition)

NUP (National Unity

2,402,097 8.69% 8.69% 34 30 0 24 6 0 24 8.2% 6
Party)
 Nacionalista
2,364,400 8.55% 2.79% 44 20 5 13 7 0 18 6.2% 2
(Nationalist Party)

Lakas (People
Power-Christian 1,472,464 5.33% 32.09% 24 18 0 13 5 1 14 4.8% 4
Muslim Democrats)

Aksyon (Democratic
97,982 0.35% 0.09% 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Action)

KBL (New Society

94,484 0.34% 0.12% 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0.3%
Movement)

LDP (Struggle of the

Democratic 90,070 0.33% 0.15% 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 0.7% 1
Filipinos)

CDP (Centrist
Democratic Party of 68,281 0.25% 0.25% 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0.3%
the Philippines)

Ang Kapatiran
(Aliance for the 19,019 0.07% 0.06% 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Common Good)

PMM (Workers' and

10,396 0.04% 2.59% 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Farmers' Party)

PLM (Party of the

10,196 0.04% 0.04% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Laboring Masses)

Makabayan
(Patriotic Coalition 3,870 0.01% 0.01% 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
of the People)

DPP (Democratic
Party of the 1,071 0.00% 0.00% 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0%
Philippines)

Independent 1,665,324 6.02% 0.93% 172 4 4 1 3 1 6 2.1% 2

Vacancy — — — — 5 0 0 5 — 0 0.0% 5

Total 27,584,741 100% N/A 628 229 44 180 44 10 234 80.1% 5

Valid votes 27,584,741

About 8.3 million votes are not included as they weren't included in the
Transparency server. It is unknown which of those are valid or invalid votes.
Invalid votes 4,148,957

Turnout 40,144,207 75.77% 1.43

Registered voters
(without overseas 52,014,648 100% 2.54%
voters)
 1. Of all 292 House members, including party-list representatives.
2. From last composition of the 15th Congress.
3. All incumbent KKK representatives are co-nominated by the Liberal Party.
4. All incumbent PDP-Laban representatives are running under the United Nationalist Alliance.
5. All incumbent PMP representatives are running under the United Nationalist Alliance.

The President of the Philippines (Filipino: Pangulo ng Pilipinas) is the head of state and head of government
of the Philippines. The President leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the
commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Filipinos refer to their President as Pangulo or Presidente and the President serves for one, fixed, six-year term
without possibility of re-election.

Local nomenclature
In Filipino, one of the two official languages of the Philippines, the President is referred to as Pangulo. In the
other major languages of the Philippines such as the Visayan languages, Presidente is more common when
Filipinos are not actually code-switching with the English word.

History
Philippines

This article is part of a series on the

politics and government of
the Philippines

Constitution[show]

Legislature[show]

Executive[show]

Judiciary[show]

Constitutional Commissions[show]

Elections[show]

Political parties[show]

Administrative divisions[show]

Related topics[show]

 Other countries
  Atlas

 Philippines portal

 v
 t
 e

Main article: List of Presidents of the Philippines

Further information: List of Unofficial Presidents of the Philippines

Early republics

Bonifacio's Tagalog Republic

Depending on the definition chosen for these terms, a number of persons could alternatively be considered the
inaugural holder of the office. Andrés Bonifacio could be considered the first President of a united Philippines
since he was the third Supreme President (Spanish: Presidente Supremo; Filipino: Kataas-taasang Pangulo) of
the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society. Its Supreme Council, led by the Supreme President, coordinated
provincial and district councils. When the Katipunan started an open revolt against the Spanish colonial
government in August 1896, Bonifacio transformed the society into a revolutionary government with him as its
head. While the term Katipunan remained, Bonifacio's government was also known as the Tagalog Republic
(Spanish: República Tagala; Filipino: Republikang Tagalog). Although the word Tagalog refers to the Tagalog
people, a specific ethno-linguistic group, Bonifacio used it to denote all non-Spanish peoples of the Philippines
in place of Filipinos, which had colonial origins.[9][10][11][12][13] Bonifacio's revolutionary government never
controlled much territory for any significant period. Some historians contend that including Bonifacio as a past
president would imply that Macario Sacay and Miguel Malvar should also be included.[14]

Aguinaldo's government and the First Republic

1899 the Malolos Republic

In March 1897, during the Philippine Revolution against Spain Emilio Aguinaldo was elected president of the
revolutionary government at the Tejeros Convention.[15] The new government was meant to replace the
Katipunan, though the latter was not formally abolished until 1899. Aguinaldo was again elected President at
Biak-na-Bato in November, leading the Republic of Biak-na-Bato. Aguinaldo therefore signed the Pact of Biak-
na-Bato and went into exile in Hong Kong at the end of 1897.

In April 1898, the Spanish–American War broke out, and the Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy sailed
for the Philippines. At the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898 the American Navy decisively defeated the
Spanish Navy effectively ending Spanish rule in the Philippines.[16] Aquinaldo subsequently returned to the
Philippines aboard a U.S. Navy vessel and renewed the revolution. He formed a dictatorial government on May
24, 1898 and issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898. On June 23, 1898, Aguinaldo
transformed his dictatorial government into a revolutionary government. On January 23, 1899, he was then
elected President of the First Philippine Republic, a government constituted by the Malolos Congress under the
Malolos Constitution. Consequently, this government is also called the Malolos Republic.

The First Philippine Republic was short-lived and never internationally recognized. The Philippines was
transferred from Spanish to American control by the Treaty of Paris of 1898, signed in December of that
year.[17] The Philippine–American War broke out between the United States and Aguinaldo's government. His
government effectively ceased to exist on April 1, 1901, after he pledged allegiance to the United States
following his capture by U.S. forces in March.

The current government of the Republic of the Philippines, considers Emilio Aguinaldo to be the first President
of the Philippines.[18]

Other claimants

Miguel Malvar continued Aguinaldo's leadership of the Philippine Republic after the latter's capture until his
own capture in 1902, while Macario Sakay founded a Tagalog Republic in 1902 as a continuing state of
Bonifacio's Katipunan. They are both considered by some scholars as "unofficial presidents", and along with
Bonifacio, are not recognized as Presidents by the government.[19][20]

American occupation

Between 1901 and 1935, executive power in the Philippines was exercised by a succession of four American
military Governors-General and eleven civil Governors-General.

Philippine Commonwealth

In October 1935, Manuel L. Quezon was elected the first President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines,
which had been established, still under United States sovereignty, under a constitution ratified on 14 May of
that year. During its first five years, the President could serve for an unrenewable six-year term. It was later
amended in 1940 to limit a President to serving no more than two four-year terms. When President Quezon
exiled himself to the United States after the Philippines fell to the Empire of Japan in World War II, he
appointed Chief Justice José Abad Santos as Acting President. Abad Santos was subsequently executed by the
Imperial Japanese Army on May 2, 1942.

The Second Republic under the Japanese

On October 14, 1943, José P. Laurel became President under a constitution imposed by the Japanese
occupation. Laurel, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, had been instructed to remain
in the City of Manila by President Quezon, who withdrew to Corregidor and then to the United States to
establish a government in exile in the United States.

After the combined American and Filipino forces liberated the islands in 1945, Laurel officially dissolved the
republic on August 17, 1945.

After World War II

The 1935 Constitution was restored after the Japanese surrender ended World War II, with Vice-President
Sergio Osmeña becoming President due to Quezon's death on August 1, 1944. It remained in effect after the
United States recognized the sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines as a separate self-governing nation
on July 4, 1946.
1973 Constitution

Home provinces of the Presidents.

A new Constitution ratified on January 17, 1973 under the rule of Ferdinand E. Marcos introduced a
parliamentary-style government. Marcos instituted himself as Prime Minister while serving as President in
1978. He later appointed César Virata as Prime Minister in 1981.

This Constitution was in effect until the People Power Revolution of 1986 toppled Marcos's 21-year
authoritarian regime and replaced him with Corazon C. Aquino.

Fifth Republic

Ruling by decree during the early part of her tenure and as a president installed by revolutionary means,
President Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3 on March 25, 1986 which abrogated many of the
provisions of the then 1973 Constitution, including the provisions associated with the Marcos regime which
gave the President legislative powers, as well as the unicameral legislature called the Batasang Pambansa
(literally National Legislature in Filipino). Often called the "Freedom Constitution," the proclamation retained
only parts of the 1973 Constitution that were essential for a return to democratic rule, such as the bill of rights.
This constitution was superseded on February 2, 1987 by the present constitution.

Other issues

Both Bonifacio and Aguinaldo might be considered to have been an inaugural president of an insurgent
government. Quezon was the inaugural president of a predecessor state to the current one, while Aquino, mère,
was the inaugural president of the currently-constituted government.

The government considers Aguinaldo to have been the first President of the Philippines, followed by Quezon
and his successors.[18][21] Despite the differences in constitutions and government, the line of presidents is
considered to be continuous. For instance, the current president, Benigno S. Aquino III, is considered to be the
15th president.

While the government may consider Aguinaldo as the first president, the First Republic fell under the United
States' jurisdiction due to the 1898 Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish–American War; the United States
thus does not consider his tenure to have been legitimate.[18][22] Manuel L. Quezon is considered to be the first
president by the United States. He is also the first to win a popular election and a nationwide election.

Laurel's position

As with many other Axis-occupied countries in the Second World War, the Philippines had at one point two
presidents heading two governments. One was Quezon and the Commonwealth government-in-exile in
Washington, D.C., and the other was Manila-based Laurel heading the Japanese-sponsored Second Republic.
Notably, Laurel was himself instructed to remain in Manila by President Quezon.[citation needed] Laurel was not
formally recognized as a President until the rule of Diosdado Macapagal.[citation needed] His inclusion in the official
list coincided with the transfer of the official date of Independence Day from July 4 (the anniversary of the
Philippines' independence from the United States) to June 12 (the anniversary of the 1898 Declaration of
Independence).

The inclusion of Laurel thus causes some problems in determining the order of presidents. It is inaccurate to call
Laurel the successor of Osmeña or vice-versa, since Laurel's Second Republic was formally repudiated after
World War II, its actions not considered legal or binding. Quezon, Osmeña, and Roxas were seen as being in a
contiguous line according to the 1935 Constitution, while Laurel was the only president of the Second Republic,
which had a separate charter. Thus, Laurel had neither predecessor nor successor, while Osmeña succeeded
Quezon after the latter's death, and was in turn succeeded by Roxas as President of the Third Republic.

Timeline

Powers and duties

Chief Executive

The President of the Philippines, being the chief executive, serves as both the head of state and head of
government of the Philippines. The Constitution vests the executive power upon the President who thus heads
the government's executive branch, which includes the Cabinet and all executive departments.[23]

The President also has the power to grant pardons[24] to enter into foreign loans with the prior concurrence of
the Monetary Board.[25]

The President also exercises general supervision over local government units.[26]

Commander-in-Chief

The President also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.[27] This includes
the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus and to declare martial law.[27]

Power of appointment

With the consent of the Commission on Appointments, the President also appoints the heads of the executive
departments, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, high-ranking officers of the armed forces, and
other officials.[28] The members of the Supreme Court and lower courts are also appointed by the President, but
only from the list of nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council. Such appointments do not need the
approval of the Commission on Appointments.[29]

Government agencies

Some government agencies report to no specific department but are instead under the Office of the President.
These include important agencies such as the National Security Council, the Office of The Presidential Adviser
on the Peace Process, the Commission on Human Rights, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Anti-
Money Laundering Council, the Presidential Commission on Good Government , the Professional Regulation
Commission , the Commission on Higher Education, the Climate Change Commission, the National
Commission on Indigenous Peoples, the Commission on Population, the Housing and Land Use Regulatory
Board, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.[30]

Selection process
Eligibility

Article 7, Section 2 of the Constitution states that no person may be elected President unless he is:

 a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;

 a registered voter;
 able to read and write;
 at least forty years of age on the day of election;
 and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election."[31]

The Constitution also provides term limits where the President is ineligible for reelection and a person who has
succeeded as President and has served as such for more than four years will be ineligible to be elected for a
second term. However, with the case of Joseph Ejercito Estrada who was elected president in 1998, served until
2001, and again ran for the presidency in 2010, the Constitution's wording where "[the] President shall not be
eligible for any re-election"[32] remains unclear as his case was never brought to the Supreme Court. It remains
unclear whether the term limit of no re-election applies only to the incumbent President or for any person who
has been elected as President.

Election
Main article: Philippine presidential election

The President is elected by direct vote every six years, usually on the second Monday of May.[32]

The returns of every election for President and Vice-President, duly certified by the board of canvassers of each
province or city, shall be transmitted to Congress, directed to the President of the Senate. Upon receipt of the
certificates of canvass, the President of the Senate shall open all the certificates in the presence of a joint public
session of Congress not later than 30 days after election day. Congress then canvasses the votes upon
determining that the polls are authenticity and were done in the manner provided by law.

The person with the highest number of votes is declared the winner, but in case two or more have the highest
number of votes, the President is elected by a majority of all members of both Houses, voting separately on
each.

Inauguration
Main article: Philippine presidential inauguration

Further information: List of Philippine presidential inaugurations

Current president Benigno S. Aquino III during his inauguration

The President of the Philippines usually takes the Oath of Office at noon of June 30 following the Presidential
election

Traditionally, the Vice-President takes the Oath first, a little before noon. This is for two reasons: first,
according to protocol, no one follows the President (who is last due to his supremacy), and second, to establish
a constitutionally valid successor before the President-elect accedes. During the Quezon inauguration, however,
the Vice-President and the Legislature were sworn in after the President, to symbolise a new start.
As soon as the President takes the Oath of Office, a 21-gun salute is fired to salute the new head of state, and
the Presidential Anthem Mabuhay is played. The President delivers his inaugural address, and then proceeds to
Malacañang Palace to climb the Grand Staircase, a ritual which symbolises the formal possession of the Palace.
The President then inducts the newly formed cabinet into office in one of the state rooms.

Custom has enshrined three places as the traditional venue for the inauguration ceremony: Barasoain Church in
Malolos City, Bulacan; in front of the old Legislative Building (now part of the National Museum) in Manila; or
at Quirino Grandstand, where most have been held. In 2004, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivered her pre-
inaugural address at Quirino Grandstand, took the Oath of Office in Cebu City before Chief Justice Hilario
Davide Jr., and the next day held the first cabinet meeting in Butuan City. She broke with precedent, reasoning
that she wanted to celebrate her inauguration in each of the three main island groups of the Philippines: Luzon,
Visayas, and Mindanao. Her first inauguration also broke precedent as she was sworn in at the EDSA Shrine on
January 20, 2001, during the EDSA Revolution of 2001 that removed Joseph Ejercito Estrada from office.

In the past, elections were held in November and the President's inauguration was held on December 30 (Rizal
Day). This ensured that when the inauguration was usually held at Quirino Grandstand, the new President could
see the Rizal Monument on the anniversary of his death. Ferdinand E. Marcos transferred the dates of both the
elections and the inauguration to May and June, respectively, and it remains so to this day.

The dress code at the modern inaugural ceremony is traditional, formal Filipino clothing, which is otherwise
loosely termed Filipiniana. Ladies must wear terno, baro't saya (the formal wear of other indigenous groups is
permissible), while men don the Barong Tagalog. Non-Filipinos at the ceremony may wear their respective
versions of formal dress, but foreign diplomats have often been seen donning Filipiniana as a mark of cultural
respect.

Oath of Office

The Constitution provides the following oath or affirmation for the President and Vice President-elect which
must be taken before they enter into office:[33]

I, [name], do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President
[or Vice-President or Acting President] of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its
laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God. [In case of
affirmation, last sentence will be omitted.]

— Constitution of the Philippines, art. 7, sec. 5

The Filipino text of the oath as was used for the inaugurations of Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, and
Benigno S. Aquino III reads:[34]

Matimtim kong pinanunumpaan (o pinatotohanan) na tutuparin ko nang buong katapatan at sigasig ang aking
mga tungkulin bilang Pangulo (o Pangalawang Pangulo o Nanunungkulang Pangulo) ng Pilipinas,
pangangalagaan at ipagtatanggol ang kanyang Konstitusyon, ipatutupad ang mga batas nito, magiging
makatarungan sa bawat tao, at itatalaga ang aking sarili sa paglilingkod sa Bansa. Kasihan nawa ako ng Diyos.
(Kapag pagpapatotoo, ang huling pangungusap ay kakaltasin.)

Impeachment
Impeachment in the Philippines follows procedures similar to the United States. The House of Representatives,
one of the houses of the bicameral Congress, has the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment
against the President, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, members of the Constitutional
Commissions and the Ombudsman.[35] When a third of its membership has endorsed the impeachment articles,
it is then transmitted to the Senate of the Philippines which tries and decide, as impeachment tribunal, the
impeachment case.[36] A main difference from US proceedings however is that only a third of House members
are required to approve the motion to impeach the President (as opposed as opposed to the majority required in
the United States). In the Senate, selected members of the House of Representatives act as the prosecutors and
the Senators act as judges with the Senate President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court jointly presiding
over the proceedings. Like the United States, to convict the official in question requires that a minimum of two-
thirds (i.e., 16 of 24 members) of the senate vote in favour of conviction. If an impeachment attempt is
unsuccessful or the official is acquitted, no new cases can be filed against that impeachable official for at least
one full year.
Impeachable offenses

The Constitution enumerates the culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption,
other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust as grounds for the impeachment of the President.[37] The same
also applies for the Vice President, the Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the Constitutional
Commissions, and the Ombudsman.

Impeachment attempts and proceedings

Joseph Ejercito Estrada

Joseph Ejercito Estrada was the first President to undergo impeachment when the House of Representatives
voted to raise the impeachment proceedings to the Senate in 2000. However, the trial ended prematurely where
anti-Estrada senators walked out of the impeachment sessions when Estrada's allies in the Senate voted
narrowly to block the opening of an envelope which allegedly contained critical evidence on Estrada's wealth.
Estrada was later ousted from office when the 2001 EDSA Revolution forced him out of the presidential palace
and when the Supreme Court confirmed that his leaving the palace was his de facto resignation from office.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Several impeachment complaints were filed against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but none reached the required
endorsement of a third of the House of Representatives.

Title
The official title of the head of state and government is "President of the Philippines."[6] The title in Filipino is
"Pangulo" (cognate of Malay penghulu "leader", "chieftain"). The honorific for the President is "Your
Excellency" or "His/Her Excellency", adopted from the title of the Governor-General of the Philippines during
Spanish and American occupation.[citation needed]

Historical titles

The term "President of the Republic of the Philippines", used under Japanese occupation of the Philippines
distinguished the government of then-President José P. Laurel from the Commonwealth government-in-exile
under President Manuel L. Quezon.[38] The restoration of the Commonwealth in 1945 and the subsequent
independence of the Philippines title "President of the Philippines" sanctioned in the 1935 constitution.[39] The
1973 constitution, though generally referring to the president as "President of the Philippines" did, in Article
XVII, Section 12, once used the term, "President of the Republic."[40] In the text of Proclamation No. 1081 that
announced martial law in September 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos consistently referred to himself as
"President of the Philippines."[41]

State of the nation address

President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his 2nd State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa

Main article: State of the Nation Address (Philippines)

The State of the Nation Address (abbreviated SONA) is an annual event in the Philippines, in which the
President of the Philippines reports on the status of the nation, normally to the resumption of a joint session of
the Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). This is a duty of the President as stated in Article
VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution:[6]
 The President shall address Congress at the opening of its regular session. He/She may also appear anytime.
“ ”
Tenure and term limits

Ferdinand E. Marcos was the only three-term Philippine President (1965–1969, 1969–1981, 1981–1986).

The 1935 Constitution originally provided for a single six-year term for a president without re-election.[42] In
1940, however, the 1935 Constitution was amended and the term of the President (and Vice-President) was
shortened to four years but allowed one re-election. Since the amendment was done, only Presidents Manuel L.
Quezon (1941) and Ferdinand E. Marcos (1969) were re-elected. Presidents Sergio Osmeña (1946), Elpidio
Quirino (1953), Carlos P. Garcia (1961) and Diosdado Macapagal (1965) all failed in seeking a new term.

However, in 1973, a new Constitution was promulgated and allowed then-incumbent President Ferdinand E.
Marcos to seek a new term. In 1981, Marcos was again elected as President against Alejo Santos – making him
the only President to be elected to a third term.[43]

Today, under Article 7, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, the term of the President shall
begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the
same date, six years thereafter. The incumbent President shall not be eligible for any re-election. No person who
has been President and has served as such for more than four years shall be qualified for election to the
presidency at any time.[44]

Vacancy
At the start of the term

Under Article 7, Section 7 of the Constitution of the Philippines, In case the president-elect fails to qualify, the
Vice President-elect shall act as President until the President-elect shall have qualified.[6]

If at the beginning of the term of the President, the President-elect shall have died or shall have become
permanently disabled, the Vice President-elect shall become President.[6]

Where no President and Vice President shall have been chosen or shall have qualified, or where both shall have
died or become permanently disabled, the President of the Senate or, in case of his inability, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, shall act as President until a President or a Vice President shall have been chosen and
qualified.[6]
During the term

Sergio Osmeña was the first Vice President to succeed to the presidency upon the death of a chief executive who was
Manuel Quezon in 1944.

Article 7, Sections 8 and 11 of the Constitution of the Philippines provide rules of succession to the presidency.
In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation of the President, the Vice President
will become the President to serve the unexpired term. In case of death, permanent disability, removal from
office, or resignation of both the President and Vice President; the President of the Senate or, in case of his
inability, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall then act as President until the President or Vice-
President shall have been elected and qualified.

The Congress shall, by law, provide who shall serve as President in case of death, permanent disability, or
resignation of the Acting President. He shall serve until the President or the Vice President shall have been
elected and qualified, and be subject to the same restrictions of powers and disqualifications as the Acting
President.

The line of presidential succession as specified by Article 7, Section 10 of the Constitution of the Philippines
are the Vice President, Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The current Presidential line of succession is:

# Name Position

1 Jejomar C. Binay Vice President

2 Franklin Drilon President of the Senate

3 Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. Speaker of the House

Notes:

 Contrary to popular belief, the Constitution does not name the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the
Philippines in the line of succession.
 If the offices of both the President and the Vice President become vacant at the same time, Congress shall enact
a law calling for special election. However, if the presidential election is 18 months away, no special election
shall be called.

Privileges of office
Official residence
Main article: Malacañang Palace
Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines.

Before the Macalanang Palace was designated as the official residence of the President, various establishments
served as residence of the chief executive. The Spanish Governor-General, the highest-ranking official in the
Philippines during the Spanish Era, resided in the Palacio del Gobernador inside the walled city of Intramuros.
However, after an earthquake in 1863, the Palacio del Gobernador was destroyed, and the residence and office
of the Governor-General transferred to Malacañang Palace. During the Philippine Revolution, President
Aguinaldo resided in his own home in Kawit, Cavite. After his defeat in the Philippine–American War,
Aguinaldo transferred the Capital of the Philippines to different areas while he struggled in the pursuit of
American Forces. When the Americans occupied the Philippines, they also used the Palace as an official
residence. During the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines, the governmental offices and the presidential
residence transferred to Baguio, and the Mansion House was used as the official residence. Meanwhile,
President Quezon of the Philippine Commonwealth resided in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C.
After the restoration of independence, plans were made for the construction of a new capital city. However, the
plans did not push through and Manila remained as the capital city, and Malacañang Palace as the President's
official residence.[45][46]

Malacañang Palace serves as the official residence of the President of the Philippines, a privilege entitled to
him/her under Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution.[6] The Palace is located along the north bank of the
Pasig River, along JP Laurel Street in the district of San Miguel, Manila.

The Filipino name is derived from the Tagalog phrase "may lakán diyán", ("there is a nobleman there"), and this
was eventually shortened to Malakanyáng. There are two variant of the name in official use: "Malacañang
Palace" refers to the structure of the Palace, while "Malacañang" identifies the office of the President. The
latter, along with the term "the Palace" ("ang Palasyo") are interchangeable, metonyms for the President and his
household in colloquial speech and in the media.

Malacañang Palace is depicted on the reverse side of the 20-peso bill in both the New Design and the present
New Generation series.

Other residences

Bahay Pangarap

The actual residence of President Benigno S. Aquino III is Bahay Pangarap (English: House of Dreams),[2] a
smaller structure located across the Pasig River from Malacañang Palace in Malacañang Park,[47] which is itself
part of the Presidential Security Group Complex.[1][2] Aquino is the first President to live in Bahay Pangarap his
official residence.[48][49]

Malacañang Park was originally built by former President Manuel L. Quezon as a rest house and venue for
informal activities and social functions for the First Family.[2][49] The house was built and designed by architect
Juan Arellano in the 1930s,[2][49] and underwent a number of renovations.[2] In 2008, the house was demolished
and rebuilt in contemporary style by architect Conrad Onglao,[2][49] and a new swimming pool was built,
replacing the Commonwealth Era one.[48][49] The house originally had one bedroom,[2] however, it was
renovated for Aquino to have four bedrooms,[48] a guest room, a room for his household staff, and a room for
his close-in security.[47] Malacañang Park was refurbished through the efforts of First Lady Eva Macapagal, the
second wife of President Diosdado Macapagal, in the early 1960s.[49] Mrs. Macapagal renamed the rest house as
Bahay Pangarap.[49]

Under Fidel V. Ramos, Bahay Pangarap was transformed into a clubhouse for the Malacañang Golf Club.[2]
The house was subsequently used by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to welcome special guests.[2] Aquino
made it clear before he assumed office that he refused to live in the main Palace, or in the nearby Arlegui
Mansion (where he once lived during his mother's rule and where Ramos later stayed), stating that both were
too big.[2] He lived in the Aquino family residence along Times Street, Quezon City in the first few days of his
rule, although he transferred to Bahay Panagarap because it was deemed a security concern for his neighbours
if he stayed in their small, 1970s home.[1]

Other homes

The President also has other complexes nationwide for official use:

 Malacañang sa Sugbo – Cebu City

 The Mansion – Baguio City

Air transport
Main article: Air transports of heads of state and government § Philippines

An Aérospatiale SA-330 Puma carrying President Corazon C. Aquino at Subic Bay Naval Base.

The 250th (Presidential) Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force has the mandate of providing safe and
efficient air transport for the President of the Philippines and the First Family. On occasion, the wing has also
been tasked to provide transportation for other members of government, visiting heads of state, and other state
guests.

The fleet includes: 1 Fokker F28, which is primarily used for the President's domestic trips and it is also called
"Kalayaan One" when the President is on board, 4 Bell 412 helicopters, 3 Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, 1 Sikorsky
S-70-5 Black Hawk, a number of Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys, as well as Fokker F-27 Friendships. For trips
outside of the Philippines, the Air Force employs a Bombardier Global Express or charters appropriate aircraft
from the country's flag carrier, Philippine Airlines. In 1962, the Air Force chartered aircraft from Pan American
World Airways as the international services of Philippine Airlines were suspended. Pan Am later went defunct
in 1991. For short-haul flights, PAL uses Airbus A320 or Airbus A321 aircraft. For medium to long-haul
flights, the airline's Airbus A340-300, Airbus A330-300 or Boeing 777-300ER are used. Any PAL aircraft with
the callsign PR 001 is a special plane operated by Philippine Airlines to transport the President of the
Philippines.

A Presidential Helicopter Bell 412 crashed on April 7, 2009, in the mountainous Ifugao Province north of
Manila. On board were eight people, including two Cabinet undersecretaries and several servicemen. The flight
was en route to Ifugao from Baguio City as an advance party of President Macapagal-Arroyo, when the control
tower at the now-defunct Loakan Airport lost communication with the craft several minutes after takeoff.

The Arroyo administration planned to buy another aircraft worth of about 1.2 Billion pesos before her term
ended in June 2010,[50] but cancelled the purchase due to other issues.[51]

Water transport
Main article: BRP Ang Pangulo (AT-25)

BRP Ang Pangulo (BRP stands for Barkó ng Repúblika ng Pilipinas, "Ship of the Republic of the Philippines";
"Ang Pangulo" is Filipino for "The President") was commissioned by the Philippine Navy on March 7, 1959. It
was built in and by Japan during the administration of President García as part of Japanese reparations to the
Philippines for World War II.[52] It is primarily used in entertaining guests of the incumbent President.
Land transport

Presidential car with plate number 1 and Presidential Standard

The Presidential car used by Manuel L. Quezon during his term

The President of the Philippines uses two black and heavily armored Mercedes-Benz W221 S600 Guard,
whereas one is a decoy vehicle. In convoys, the President is escorted by the Presidential Security Group using
primarily Nissan Patrol SUVs with the combination of the following vehicles: Audi A6, BMW 7 Series,
Chevrolet Suburban, Hyundai Equus, Hyundai Starex, Toyota Camry, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Land Cruiser,
Philippine National Police 400cc motorcycles, Philippine National Police Toyota Altis (Police car variant),
other government-owned vehicles, and ambulances at the tail of the convoy; the number depends on the
destination. The presidential cars are designated and registered a plate number of 1 or the word PANGULO
(President). The limousine bears the Flag of the Philippines and, occasionally, the Presidential Standard.[53]

For regional trips, the President boards a Toyota Coaster or Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa or other vehicles owned by
government-owned and controlled corporations or government agencies. In this case, the PSG escorts the
President using local police cars with an ambulance at the tail of the convoy.

The incumbent President, Benigno S. Aquino III, prefers to use his personal vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser 200
or his relative's Lexus LX-570 over the black Presidential limousines after their electronic mechanisms were
damaged by floodwater. The Palace has announced its interest to acquire a new Presidential limousine.[54]

The Office of the President has also owned various cars over the decades, including a 1937 Chrysler Airflow
that served as the country's very first Presidential limousine for Manuel L. Quezon.

Security
Main article: Presidential Security Group

The Presidential Security Group (abbreviated PSG), is the lead agency tasked with providing security for the
President, Vice-President, and their immediate families. They also provide protective service for visiting heads
of state and diplomats.

Unlike similar groups around the world who protect other political figures, the PSG is not required to handle
presidential candidates. However, former Presidents and their immediate families are entitled to a small security
detail from the PSG. Currently, the PSG uses Nissan Patrol SUVs as its primary security vehicles.
Post-presidencies

Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo and Manuel L. Quezón during the 1935 campaign.

After leaving office, a number of presidents held various public positions and made an effort to remain in the
limelight. Among other honors, former Presidents and their immediate families are entitled to three soldiers as
security detail.[55]

 José P. Laurel, who was the only President of the Second Philippine Republic, was elected to the Senate in 1951
and would serve in the upper house until 1957, making him the country's first head of state to seek lower office
following his presidency. During his tenure, the Nacionalista Party urged him to run for president in 1953. He
declined, working instead for the successful election of Ramon Magsaysay, who subsequently appointed Laurel
to head a diplomatic mission that was tasked with negotiating trade and other issues with United States officials,
resulting in the Laurel-Langley Agreement. Laurel was also the chairman of the Economic Mission to the United
States (1954) and the founder of Lyceum of the Philippines University.[56][57]
 Sergio Osmeña became a member of the Council of State under Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, and García. He was
also a member of the National Security Council in the García administration.[57][58]
 Elpidio Quirino also became a Councillor of State under President Magsaysay.[59]
 Carlos P. Garcia was a delegate, later elected, president of the Constitutional Convention on July 11, 1971.[60]
 Diosdado Macapagal was also a delegate and then succeeded Carlos P. García as president of the 1971
Constitutional Convention. He also lectured in universities and was later a Councillor of State under Presidents
Aquino mère and Ramos.
 Corazon C. Aquino was a member of the National Security Council under Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo. She was
also a member of the Council of State under President Arroyo.
 Fidel V. Ramos founded the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation. He was a senior advisor and member of
the National Security Council under President Estrada. Ramos was a member of the Council of State and an
Ambassador-at-Large under President Arroyo.
 Joseph Ejercito Estrada returned to film in November 2009, starring in Ang Tanging Pamilya: A Marry Go Round
as part of a promotional attempt to run for a second term as president in 2010 amid much controversy on the
legality of his intent (he was allowed to run anyway by COMELEC since the Supreme Court never weighed in on
the matter) with many questioning why such a constitutional violation was ever allowed. His release from prison
in 2007 by his successor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, questionably restored his political privileges and allowed him
to run again. Estrada eventually became a member of the National Security Council under Arroyo.[61][62][63]
Following his loss to Noynoy Aquino in 2010, he geared up for a run against Alfredo Lim for control of the City of
Manila in 2013, which he won and as a result, Estrada is now the incumbent Mayor of the city of Manila, thus
making him the third head of state to run for lower office following his presidency.
 Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives of the Philippines as the
Representative for the 2nd District of Pampanga in the 2010 elections, making her the second head of state
after Laurel to seek lower office following her presidency.[64]

As of June 30, 2010, there are three living former Presidents:

 Living former presidents

Fidel V. Ramos
(Lakas-NUCD)
1992–1998

Joseph Ejercito Estrada

(LAMP),
1998–2001

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
(Lakas-Kampi-CMD)
2001–2010

The executive departments of the Philippines are the largest component of the national executive branch of
the government of the Philippines. There are a total of nineteen executive departments. The departments
comprise the largest part of the country's bureaucracy. The heads of these departments are referred to as the
Cabinet of the Philippines.
During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, upon the mandate of the then 1973 Constitution, he changed the
departments into ministries from 1978 to the end of his government. For example, the Department of Education
became Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.

List of current executive departments (as of May 2016)

All departments are listed by their present-day name with their English names on top and Filipino names at the
bottom. Department heads are listed at the Cabinet of the Philippines article.

Seal Department Acronym Date Established

Department of Agrarian Reform

Link to image DAR (KRP) September 1, 1971
Kagawaran ng Repormang Pansakahan

Department of Agriculture
DA (KPS) June 23, 1898
Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka

Department of Budget and Management

Link to image DBM (KPP) April 25, 1936
Kagawaran ng Pagbabadyet at Pamamahala

Department of Education
DepEd (KEd) January 21, 1901
Kagawaran ng Edukasyon

Department of Energy
DOE (KEn) December 9, 1992
Kagawaran ng Enerhiya

Department of Environment and Natural Resources

DENR (KKLK) January 1, 1917
Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na Kayamanan

Department of Finance
DOF (KNPN) March 17, 1897
Kagawaran ng Pananalapi

Department of Foreign Affairs

DFA (KUP) June 23, 1898
Kagawaran ng Ugnayang Panlabas

Department of Health
DOH (KNKL) September 29, 1898
Kagawaran ng Kalusugan

Department of Information and Communications Technology

DICT 2016
Kagawaran ng Teknolohiyang Pang-Impormasyon at Komunikasyon

Department of the Interior and Local Government

Link to image DILG (KIPL) March 22, 1897
Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal

Department of Justice
DOJ (KNKT) September 26, 1898
Kagawaran ng Katarungan
 Seal Department Acronym Date Established

Department of Labor and Employment

Link to image DOLE (KNPE) December 8, 1933
Kagawaran ng Paggawa at Empleyo

Department of National Defense

DND (KTP) December 21, 1935
Kagawaran ng Tanggulang Pambansa

Department of Public Works and Highways

Link to image DPWH (KPBL) January 30, 1987
Kagawaran ng Pagawaing Bayan at Lansangan

Department of Science and Technology

DOST (KNAT) January 30, 1987
Kagawaran ng Agham at Teknolohiya

Department of Social Welfare and Development

DSWD (KKPP) November 1, 1939
Kagawaran ng Kalingang Panlipunan at Pagpapaunlad

Department of Tourism
Link to image DOT (KNT) May 11, 1973
Kagawaran ng Turismo

Department of Trade and Industry

DTI (KKI) June 23, 1898
Kagawaran ng Kalakalan at Industriya

Department of Transportation and Communications

DOTC (KNTK) January 23, 1899
Kagawaran ng Transportasyon at Komunikasyon

List of former executive departments

The departments listed below are defunct agencies which have been abolished, integrated, reorganised or
renamed into the existing executive departments of the Philippines.

First Republic

 Department of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce

 Department of Communications and Public Works
 Department of Interior
 Department of Foreign Relations
 Department of Public Education
 Department of Wars and Marine

Commonwealth Period

 Department of Agriculture and Commerce

 Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
 Department of Commerce and Police
 Department of Health and Public Welfare
 Department of Finance and Justice
 Department of Instruction
 Department of Labor
 Department of Public Instruction
 Department of National Defense
Third Republic

 Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources

 Department of Commerce and Industry
 Department of General Services
 Department of Social Welfare

Martial Law Era (Fourth Republic)

 Ministry of Agriculture and Food

 Ministry of Education and Culture
 Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports
 Ministry of Human Settlements
 Ministry of Industry
 Ministry of Local Government and Community Development
 Ministry of National Defense
 Ministry of Natural Resources
 Ministry of Public Highways
 Ministry of Public Information
 Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications
 Ministry of Social Services and Development
 Ministry of Trade and Tourism
 Ministry of Youth and Sports Development

Fifth Republic

 Department of Education, Culture and Sports

 Department of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources
 Department of Land Reform
 Department of Local Nations

Other agencies elevated to Department rank

 Budget Commission to Department of Budget and Management

 National Science and Technology Authority to Department of Science and Technology
 Office of Energy Affairs to Department of Energy

Administrative divisions of the Philippines

The Philippines has four main classes of elected administrative divisions, often lumped together as local
government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to the lowest division:

1. Autonomous regions
2. Provinces (lalawigan, probinsiya) and independent cities (lungsod, siyudad/ciudad, dakbayan,
lakanbalen)
3. Municipalities (bayan, balen, bungto, banwa) and component cities (lungsod, siyudad/ciudad,
dakbayan, dakbanwa, lakanbalen)
4. Barangays (also known as barrio)

Beyond the above divisions, there other divisions that are frequently mentioned but differ in significant ways.
Specifically, they do not have separate governments or independent budgets. The national government groups
provinces and independent cities into national government regions, e.g. Metro Manila or Region VI. Also. a
barangay may be informally or formally sub-divided into sitios and puroks. Neither the national government's
regions nor a barangay's sitios or puroks have elected leaders or government branches.

Other divisions exist for specific narrower purposes:

1. Legislative districts for the House of Representatives, Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial boards),
several Sangguniang Panlungsod (city councils) and the Pateros Municipal Council.
2. Judicial regions for the Regional Trial Courts.
 3. Districts for specific government agencies such as "Revenue Districts" for the Bureau of Internal
Revenue, "School Districts" for the Department of Education, and "Engineering Districts" for the
Department of Public Works and Highways.

Local government units

Further information: Local government in the Philippines and List of primary local government units of the Philippines

Local government hierarchy. The dashed lines emanating from the president means that the President only exercises
general supervision on local government.

The Philippines is divided into provinces and independent cities. Provinces in turn are divided into component
cities and municipalities. All independent cities, component cities and municipalities are divided into
barangays.[1]

All these (provinces, cities and municipalities, and barangays) elect their own legislatures and executives and
are called collectively "local government units" or LGUs.[1] There is also a single autonomous region, the
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which is composed of provinces and independent cities
and has its own elected government.

Administrative Regions Autonomous Region

 Ilocos Region (Region I)  Autonomous Region
 Cagayan Valley (Region II) in Muslim Mindanao
 Central Luzon (Region III) (ARMM)
 Calabarzon (Region IV-A)
 Mimaropa (Region IV-B)
 Bicol Region (Region V)
 Western Visayas (Region VI)
 Central Visayas (Region VII)
 Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)
 Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX)
 Northern Mindanao (Region X)
 Davao Region (Region XI)
 Soccsksargen (Region XII)
 Caraga (Region XIII)
 Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
 National Capital Region (NCR)
 Negros Island Region (NIR/Region XVIII)

Provinces
 Abra
 Agusan del Norte
 Agusan del Sur
 Aklan
 Albay
 Antique
 Apayao
 Aurora
 Basilan
 Bataan
 Batanes
 Batangas
 Benguet
 Biliran
 Bohol
 Bukidnon
 Bulacan
 Cagayan
 Camarines Norte
 Camarines Sur
 Camiguin
 Capiz
 Catanduanes
 Cavite
 Cebu
 Compostela Valley
 Cotabato
 Davao del Norte
 Davao del Sur
 Davao Occidental
 Davao Oriental
 Dinagat Islands
 Eastern Samar
 Guimaras
 Ifugao
 Ilocos Norte
 Ilocos Sur
 Iloilo
 Isabela
 Kalinga
 La Union
 Laguna
 Lanao del Norte
 Lanao del Sur
 Leyte
 Maguindanao
 Marinduque
 Masbate
 Misamis Occidental
 Misamis Oriental
 Mountain Province
 Negros Occidental
 Negros Oriental
 Northern Samar
 Nueva Ecija
 Nueva Vizcaya
 Occidental Mindoro
 Oriental Mindoro
 Palawan
 Pampanga
 Pangasinan
 Quezon
 Quirino
 Rizal
 Romblon
 Samar
 Sarangani
 Siquijor
 Sorsogon
 South Cotabato
 Southern Leyte
 Sultan Kudarat
 Sulu
 Surigao del Norte
  Surigao del Sur
 Tarlac
 Tawi-Tawi
 Zambales
 Zamboanga del Norte
 Zamboanga del Sur
 Zamboanga Sibugay

Cities and Municipalities

See: List of cities in the Philippines and List of cities and municipalities in the Philippines
Barangays
See: Lists of barangays in Philippine provinces

A map of provinces with national government regions

Autonomous region

The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is an autonomous region. Unlike other administrative
regions, autonomous regions have additional political power, and have a regional governor and assembly. In
addition, the constitution allows for the creation of autonomous region in the Cordillera Central. However, only
the ARMM has been approved by voters in a plebiscite. Voters in the Cordilleras have rejected autonomy in
1990 and 1998; hence the Cordillera Administrative Region remains as a regular administrative region with no
added powers or officials.

Provinces
Main article: Provinces of the Philippines

Each province is headed by a governor. Its legislative body is the Sangguniang Panlalawigan composed of the
different members from Sanggunian districts, which in most cases are contiguous to the congressional
districts.[1]

Cities and municipalities

Main articles: Cities of the Philippines and Municipalities of the Philippines
Regions, aside from having provinces may also have independent cities. Independent cities, classified either as
highly urbanized or independent component cities, are cities which are not under the jurisdiction of a province.
These cities are not administered by their mother provinces, do not share their tax revenues with the province,
and in most cases their residents are not eligible to elect or be elected to provincial offices.[1]

Cities that are politically a part of a province are called component cities. The voters in these cities are allowed
to vote and run for positions in the provincial government.[1]

Municipalities are always components of a province, except Pateros, Metro Manila, which is independent.[1]

Cities and municipalities are headed by a mayor. The legislative arm of these units are the Sangguniang
Panlungsod for cities and Sangguniang Bayan for municipalities, which are composed of councilors elected at-
large or in some cases, by Sanggunian district.[1]

Barangays
Main article: Barangay

All cities and municipalities are further divided into barangays. The barangay is the smallest Local Government
Unit in the Philippines.[1] "Barangay" is sometimes translated into English as "village". Each barangay is headed
by a Barangay Captain (Filipino: Punong Barangay).[1]

Gated communities may either form part of a barangay or constitute an entire barangay by itself. An example of
a barangay coterminous with a gated community is Forbes Park, Makati City.

Other divisions

The non-administrative regions of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao

 A map of judicial regions

Legislative districts for the 16th Congress of the Philippines

Island groups
Main article: Island groups of the Philippines

The Philippines is broadly divided into three regions according to their specific island group: Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao. These regions are reflected in the name of the national government's formal regions (e.g.
Western Visayas) but they have no administrative bodies, either elected or appointed.

Administrative regions
Main article: Regions of the Philippines

Administrative regions are administrative groupings of provinces; these don't have political power of any sort.

All but one region is divided into provinces. Metro Manila (the National Capital Region) is not divided into
provinces, but instead is divided directly into cities and municipalities. The cities and municipalities of Metro
Manila are grouped together into non-functional districts for administrative purposes.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a region must be composed of more than one province.[2]

Judicial regions
Main article: Regional Trial Court
The Philippines is divided into thirteen judicial regions, for the purpose of organizing the judiciary. The judicial
regions still reflect the original regional configuration introduced by President Ferdinand Marcos during his
rule, except for the transfer of Aurora to the third judicial region from the fourth. These judicial regions are used
for the appointment of judges of the different Regional Trial Courts.

Legislative districts
Main article: Legislative districts of the Philippines

For the purpose of electing representatives to the Philippine House of Representatives, the country is divided
into legislative districts. Each province or independent city has at least one representative. If the population is
more than 250,000 people, they may have two or more. The borders of the district are redrawn, known as
redistricting, by the passage of an act of Congress, and signed by the president, a process that only happens
rarely and only for a limited area.

If a province or a city is composed of only one legislative district, it said to be the lone district (for example, the
"Lone district of Muntinlupa City").

For purposes of representation in the local assemblies, legislative districts are also used. In cases where a
province or city has two or more House of Representative districts, their regional assembly (for provinces under
the ARMM) and provincial board districts are coextensive with those congressional districts. In cases of
independent cities included in a province's congressional district, they are not included in these provincial board
districts. For provinces, certain cities and municipalities (Pateros) composed of a single congressional district,
they are also divided into provincial board or city/municipal council districts. Other cities and municipalities
and all barangays are composed of an "at-large" district in electing members of their respective assemblies.

Zones

In Caloocan, Manila and Pasay, barangays are grouped into zones. These zones are for administrative purposes
only and do not have elected officials. Other barangays in other places may have "zone" as part of their name
but are fully functioning barangays.

Sitios and puroks

Some barangays are divided into sitios and puroks. Sitios are most common in rural barangays where human
settlement is polycentric, with multiple communities spread across a wide area, separated by farmland,
mountains, or water (e.g. a barangay encompassing different islands). Puroks are often found in densely
populated areas of barangays categorized as urban, but outside of a major metropolis, and in population-dense
areas of barangays of rural municipalities. Puroks and sitio boundaries are rarely defined precisely, and may use
natural landmarks such as roads, rivers or other natural features to unofficially delineate divisions. They are not
a Local Government Unit and their officials are not elected in regular general elections. The selection process
for sitio and purok leaders may vary from one barangay to another. There are cases where a barangay council
member is officially designated as a purok leader, while sitio leaders may be appointed and drawn from the
hamlet's own residents.

Other governmental bodies

The various executive departments has also divided the country into their own respective districts. The
Department of Public Works and Highways and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, for example, divide the
country into several "engineering" or "revenue" districts.

The Supreme Court of the Philippines (Filipino: Kataás-taasang Hukuman ng Pilipinas; colloquially referred
to by the Spanish: Corte Suprema), is the highest court in the Philippines. It is presided over by a Chief Justice
and is composed of fifteen (15) Justices, including the Chief Justice. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Supreme
Court has "administrative supervision over all courts and the personnel thereof".[1]

The Supreme Court Complex, which was formerly the part of the University of the Philippines Manila
campus,[2] occupies the corner of Padre Faura Street and Taft Avenue in Manila, with the main building directly
fronting the Philippine General Hospital. Until 1945, the Court met in Cavite.
Composition[edit]

The Members of the Court (2012 Annual Report)

A person must meet the following requirements in order to be appointed to the Supreme Court: (1) natural-born
citizenship; (2) at least 40 years old; and (3) must have been for fifteen years or more a judge of a lower court or
engaged in the practice of law in the Philippines.[3] An additional constitutional requirement, though less precise
in nature, is that a judge "must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence."[4]
Upon a vacancy in the Court, whether for the position of Chief Justice or Associate Justice, the President fills
the vacancy by appointing a person from a list of at least 3 nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar
Council.[5]

Beginning with the 1935 Constitution, Supreme Court Justices are obliged to retire upon reaching the
mandatory retirement age of 70.[6] Some Justices had opted to retire before reaching the age of 70, such as
Florentino Feliciano, who retired at 67 to accept appointment to the Appellate Body of the World Trade
Organization and Ma. Alicia Austria-Martinez who retired at 68 due to health reasons.[7] The 1987 Constitution
of the Philippines provides that: "Section 11, Article VIII. The Members of the Supreme Court xxx shall hold
office during good behavior until they reach the age of seventy years or become incapacitated to discharge the
duties of their office."[1] Since, 1901, it was only incumbent Associate Justice Alicia Austria-Martinez who
resigned for health reasons. Thus, on September, 2008, Austria-Martinez, citing health reasons, filed a letter to
the Court through Reynato Puno, tendering her resignation effective April 30, 2009, or 15 months before her
compulsory retirement on December 19, 2010. In the October 1 Judicial and Bar Council's en banc
deliberations, Reynato Puno ruled: “The court merely noted it. We don’t have to approve it... it is her right.”[8]
During the JBC hearing, a JBC member said "Austria-Martinez had wanted to retire earlier because of health
reasons. We were told she had health problems even when she was in the CA.”[9] Retired Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the Philippines Artemio Panganiban stated: "I am saddened that Justice Ma. Alicia Austria-
Martinez has opted to retire early from the Supreme Court due to 'health reasons.' She is not bedridden. Neither
is she physically or mentally incapacitated, but she has chosen to retire on April 30, 2009 because she felt she
could no longer cope with the heavy caseload."[10] This was followed in 2016 however, by Justice Martin
Villarama, who resigned in January of 2016, due to health reasons.

Adjudication[edit]
See also: Judicial review in the Philippines

The powers of the Supreme Court are defined in Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution. These functions may be
generally divided into two – judicial functions and administrative functions. The administrative functions of the
Court pertain to the supervision and control over the Philippine judiciary and its employees, as well as over
members of the Philippine bar. Pursuant to these functions, the Court is empowered to order a change of venue
of trial in order to avoid a miscarriage of justice and to appoint all officials and employees of the judiciary.[11]
The Court is further authorized to promulgate the rules for admission to the practice of law, for legal assistance
to the underprivileged, and the procedural rules to be observed in all courts.[12]

The more prominent role of the Court is located in the exercise of its judicial functions. Section 1 of Article
VIII contains definition of judicial power that had not been found in previous constitutions. The judicial power
is vested in “one Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.” [13] This judicial power
is exercised through the judiciary’s primary role of adjudication, which includes the “duty of the courts of
justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, and to
determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction
on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the government.” [13]

The definition reaffirms the power of the Supreme Court to engage in judicial review, a power that had
traditionally belonged to the Court even before this provision was enacted. Still, this new provision effectively
dissuades from the easy resort to the political question doctrine as a means of declining to review a law or state
action, as was often done by the Court during the rule of President Ferdinand Marcos.[14] As a result, the
existence of “grave abuse of discretion” on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the government is
sufficient basis to nullify state action.

Cases[edit]
The Court is authorized to sit either en banc or in divisions of 3, 5 or 7 members. Since the 1970s, the Court has
constituted itself in 3 divisions with 5 members each. A majority of the cases are heard and decided by the
divisions, rather than the court en banc. However, the Constitution requires that the Court hear en banc “[a]ll
cases involving the constitutionality of a treaty, international or executive agreement, as well as “those
involving the constitutionality, application, or operation of presidential decrees, proclamations, orders,
instructions, ordinances, and other regulations”.[5] The Court en banc also decides cases originally heard by a
division when a majority vote cannot be reached within the division. The Court also has the discretion to hear a
case en banc even if no constitutional issue is involved, as it typically does if the decision would reverse
precedent or presents novel or important questions.

Appellate review[edit]

Far and away the most common mode by which a case reaches the Supreme Court is through an appeal from a
decision rendered by a lower court. Appealed cases generally originate from lawsuits or criminal indictments
filed and tried before the trial courts. These decisions of the trial courts may then be elevated on appeal to the
Court of Appeals, or more rarely, directly to the Supreme Court if only “questions of law” are involved. Apart
from decisions of the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court may also directly review on appeal decisions
rendered by the Sandiganbayan and the Court of Tax Appeals. Decisions rendered by administrative agencies
are not directly appealable to the Supreme Court, they must be first challenged before the Court of Appeals.
However, decisions of the Commission on Elections may be elevated directly for review to the Supreme Court,
although the procedure is not, strictly speaking, in the nature of an appeal.

Review on appeal is not as a matter of right, but "of sound judicial discretion and will be granted only when
there are special and important reasons therefor".[15] In the exercise of appellate review, the Supreme Court may
reverse the decision of lower courts upon a finding of an "error of law". The Court generally declines to engage
in review the findings of fact made by the lower courts, although there are notable exceptions to this rule. The
Court also refuses to entertain cases originally filed before it that should have been filed first with the trial
courts.

Original jurisdiction[edit]

The other mode by which a case reaches the Supreme Court is through an original petition filed directly with
the Supreme Court, in cases where the Constitution establishes “original jurisdiction” with the Supreme Court.
Under Section 5(1), Article VIII of the Constitution, these are “cases affecting ambassadors, other public
ministers and consuls, and over petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and corpus”.
Resort to certiorari, prohibition and mandamus may be availed of only if "there is no appeal, or any plain,
speedy, and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law".[16]

However,‡ notwithstanding this grant of original jurisdiction, the Court has, through the years, assigned to
lower courts such as the Court of Appeals the power to hear petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo
warranto and habeas corpus. As a result, the Court has considerable discretion to refuse to hear these petitions
filed directly before it on the ground that such should have been filed instead with the Court of Appeals or the
appropriate lower court. Nonetheless, cases that have attracted wide public interest, or where a speedy
resolution is of the essence, have been accepted for decision by the Supreme Court without hesitation.

In cases involving the original jurisdiction of the Court, there must be a finding of "grave abuse of discretion"
on the part of the respondents to the suit to justify favorable action on the petition. The standard of "grave abuse
of discretion", a markedly higher standard than "error of law", has been defined as "a capricious and whimsical
exercise of judgment amounting to lack of jurisdiction"[17]

History[edit]
Supreme Court Building, Manila

Pre-Hispanic and Hispanic periods[edit]

In the years prior to the official establishment of the Supreme Court, institutions exercising judicial power were
already in existence. Before the Spaniards came, judicial authority “in its primitive form” was in the hands of
barangay chiefs. During the early years of the Spanish government, these powers were vested upon Miguel
López de Legazpi, the first Governor-General of the Philippines. He administered civil and criminal justice
under the Royal Order of August 14, 1569.

The present Supreme Court was preceded by the Real Audiencia, a collegial body established on May 5, 1583
and composed, of a president, four oidores (justices), and a fiscal, among others. The Chief Judge of the Real
Audiencia was the Governor-General of the Philippines. It was the highest tribunal in the Philippines, below
only the Council of the Indies of Spain. However, this body also exercised administrative functions, not just
judicial functions.

The Audiencia’s functions and structure underwent substantial modifications in 1815 when its president was
replaced by a chief justice and the number of justices was increased. It then came to be known as the Audiencia
Territorial de Manila with two branches, civil and criminal, later renamed sala de lo civil and sala de lo
criminal. The Audiencia was converted to a purely judicial body by a Royal Decree issued on July 4, 1861, but
its decisions were appealable to the Supreme Court of Spain sitting in Madrid.

On February 26, 1886, a territorial Audiencia was organized in Cebu, followed by an Audiencia for criminal
cases in Vigan. However, the pre-eminence of the Supreme Court as the sole interpreter of the law was
unknown during the Spanish regime.[18]

American period[edit]

From 1898 to 1901 there was no Supreme Court as the new American Governor-General of the Philippines
abolished the colonial Real Audiencia of Manila as the Philippines was under US military law under military
rule.

The Supreme Court of the Philippines was officially established on June 11, 1901 through the passage of Act
No. 136, otherwise known as the Judiciary Law of the Second Philippine Commission. By virtue of that law,
judicial power in the Philippine Islands was vested in the Supreme Court, Courts of First Instance and Justice of
the Peace courts. Other courts were subsequently established.

The judicial structure introduced by Act No. 136 was reaffirmed by the US Congress with the passage of the
Philippine Bill of 1902. The Administrative Code of 1917 ordained the Supreme Court as the highest tribunal of
the Philippines with nine members: a chief justice and eight associate justices. Its decisions could be further
appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.[18]

Commonwealth and independence[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2012)

From 1901 to 1935, although a Filipino was always appointed chief justice, the majority of the members of the
Supreme Court were Americans. Complete Filipinization was achieved only with the establishment of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935. Claro M. Recto and Jose P. Laurel were among the first appointees
to replace the American justices. With the ratification of the 1935 Constitution in a plebiscite held on May 14,
1935, the membership in the Supreme Court increased to 11: a chief justice and ten associate justices, who sat
en banc or in two divisions of five members each.

Article V of the Treaty of Manila (1946) abolished the U.S. Supreme Court's appellate authority over the
Supreme Court of the Philippines, but provided that Philippine appeals pending before the U.S. Supreme Court
would be allowed to run to completion.[18]

Under the 1973 Constitution, the membership of the Supreme Court was increased to 15. The justices sat en
banc or in divisions. The 1973 Constitution also vested in the Supreme Court administrative supervision over all
lower courts which heretofore was under the Department of Justice.

After the overthrow of President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, President Corazon C. Aquino, using her emergency
powers, promulgated a transitory charter known as the “Freedom Constitution” which did not affect the
composition and powers of the Supreme Court. The Freedom Charter was replaced by the 1987 Constitution
which is the fundamental charter in force in the Philippines at present. Section 1 Article VIII of the Constitution
vests the judicial power “in one Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.”

Writ of Amparo[edit]
Main article: Writ of Amparo and Habeas Data (Philippines)

The Supreme Court approved the Writ of Amparo on September 25, 2007.[19] The writ of amparo (Spanish for
protection) strips the military of the defense of simple denial. Under the writ, families of victims have the right
to access information on their cases—a constitutional right called the "habeas data" common in several Latin
American countries. The rule is enforced retroactively. Chief Justice Puno stated that "If you have this right, it
would be very, very difficult for State agents, State authorities to be able to escape from their culpability."[20][21]

The Resolution and the Rule on the Writ of Amparo gave legal birth to Puno's brainchild.[22][23][24] No filing or
legal fees is required for Amparo which takes effect on October 24. Puno also stated that the court will soon
issue rules on the writ of Habeas Data and the implementing guidelines for Habeas Corpus. The petition for the
writ of amparo may be filed "on any day and at any time" with the Regional Trial Court, or with the
Sandiganbayan, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. The interim reliefs under amparo are: temporary
protection order (TPO), inspection order (IO), production order (PO), and witness protection order (WPO, RA
6981).[25]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has criticized the Writ of Amparo and Habeas Data for being
insufficient, saying further action must be taken, including enacting laws for protection against torture, enforced
disappearance, and laws to provide legal remedies to victims. AHRC said the writ failed to protect non-
witnesses, even if they too face threats.[26]

Habeas Data[edit]

On August 30, 2007, Puno vowed to institute the writ of habeas data as a new legal remedy to the extrajudicial
killings and enforced disappearances. Puno explained that the writ of amparo denies to authorities defense of
simple denial, and habeas data can find out what information is held by the officer, rectify or even the destroy
erroneous data gathered.[27]

On January 22, 2008, the Supreme Court En Banc approved the rules for the writ of Habeas Data ("to protect a
person’s right to privacy and allow a person to control any information concerning them"), effective on
February 2, the Philippines’ Constitution Day.[28]

Language[edit]

Since the courts' creation, English had been used in court proceedings. But for the first time in Philippine
judicial history, or on August 22, 2007, three Malolos City regional trial courts in Bulacan will use Filipino, to
promote the national language. Twelve stenographers from Branches 6, 80 and 81, as model courts, had
undergone training at Marcelo H. del Pilar College of Law of Bulacan State University College of Law
following a directive from the Supreme Court of the Philippines. De la Rama said it was the dream of Chief
Justice Reynato Puno to implement the program in other areas such as Laguna, Cavite, Quezon, Nueva Ecija,
Batangas, Rizal and Metro Manila.[29]
Judicial corruption[edit]

On January 25, 2005, and on December 10, 2006, Philippines Social Weather Stations released the results of its
two surveys on corruption in the judiciary; it published that: a) like 1995, 1/4 of lawyers said many/very many
judges are corrupt. But (49%) stated that a judges received bribes, just 8% of lawyers admitted they reported the
bribery, because they could not prove it. [Tables 8-9]; judges, however, said, just 7% call many/very many
judges as corrupt[Tables 10-11];b) "Judges see some corruption; proportions who said - many/very many
corrupt judges or justices: 17% in reference to RTC judges, 14% to MTC judges, 12% to Court of Appeals
justices, 4% i to Shari'a Court judges, 4% to Sandiganbayan justices and 2% in reference to Supreme Court
justices [Table 15].[30][31]

The September 14, 2008, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) survey, ranked the Philippines 6th
(6.10) among corrupt Asian judicial systems. PERC stated that "despite India and the Philippines being
democracies, expatriates did not look favourably on their judicial systems because of corruption." PERC
reported Hong Kong and Singapore have the best judicial systems in Asia, with Indonesia and Vietnam the
worst: Hong Kong's judicial system scored 1.45 on the scale (zero representing the best performance and 10 the
worst); Singapore with a grade of 1.92, followed by Japan (3.50), South Korea (4.62), Taiwan (4.93), the
Philippines (6.10), Malaysia (6.47), India (6.50), Thailand (7.00), China (7.25), Vietnam's (8.10) and Indonesia
(8.26).[32]<[33]

In 2014, Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (global survey ranking countries in terms of
perceived corruption), the Philippines ranked 85th out of 175 countries surveyed, an improvement from placing
94th in 2013. It scored 38 on a scale of 1 to 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).[34]

The Philippines jumped nine places in the recently published World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index
2015, making it one of the most improved countries in terms of global rankings. It ranked 51st out of 102
countries on the ROLI, a significant jump from last year when the country ranked 60th out of 99 countries. This
makes the Philippines the most improved among ASEAN member nations. "Results showed that the country
ranked high in terms of constraints on government powers (39th); absence of corruption (47th), and open
government (50th)."

"The Philippines, however, fell to the bottom half of the global rankings in terms of regulatory enforcement
(52nd); order and security (58th); criminal justice (66th); fundamental rights (67th), and civil justice (75th)." [35]

“Bantay Korte Suprema”[edit]

"Watch the Supreme Court" coalition was launched at the Training Center, Ground Floor, Supreme Court
Centennial Bldg on November 17, 2008, "to ensure the fair and honest selection of the 7 Associate Justices of
the Supreme Court on 2009." Members of “Bantay Korte Suprema” include retired Philippine presidents, retired
Supreme Court justices, legislators, legal practitioners, the academe, the business community and the media.
former Senate President Jovito Salonga, UP Law Dean Marvic Leonen, Senate Majority Leader and Judicial
and Bar Council member Kiko Pangilinan, the Philippine Bar Association, Artemio Panganiban, and Rodolfo
Urbiztondo, of the 48,000-strong Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), and the chambers of commerce,
witnessed the landmark event. BKS will neither select nor endorse a candidate, “but if it receive information
that makes a candidate incompetent, it will divulge this to the public and inform the JBC." At the BKS
launching, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the public monitoring of the selection of justices to
the SC was signed.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Appointments Watch (SCAW) coalition of law groups and civil society to
monitor the appointment of persons to judicial positions was also re-launched. The SCAW consortium,
composed of the Alternative Law Groups, Libertas, Philippine Association of law Schools and the Transparency
and Accountability Network, together with the online news magazine Newsbreak, reactivated itself for the JBC
selection process of candidates.