APL101 Notes
How A Bill Becomes Law In The
Philippines
Ever wondered how a bill becomes
law in the Philippines?
First things first, we need to
understand what a bill is and the role
of Congress in enacting laws.
The Congress of the Philippines is the
branch of government tasked with
creating laws in the Philippines. It is
made up of two Houses: a) the Lower
House, or the House of
Representatives; and, b) the Upper
House, or the Senate. Its members are
the congressmen and senators you
voted for.
As part of the law-making process,
individual members of Congress
propose bills for approval by the
majority of Congress. If the bill gets
approved, it will constitute part of the
law of the Philippines. In this article,
we will give you a step-by-step guide
as to how a bill becomes law (or more
specifically, a statute) in the
Philippines.
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1. To initiate the law-making
process, the proposed bill is signed
by its author and filed with the
Secretary of the either the Lower
House (for congressmen) or the
Senate (for senators).
2. The bill will go through three
readings. On the First Reading, the
number and title of the bill is read,
followed by its referral to the
appropriate committee for study.
3. On the Second Reading, the bill is
read in full along with amendments
proposed by the committee who
studied it. The bill is then subjected
to debates and discussion by the
members of the House where it was
filed. After extensive discussion, the
bill will be voted on. If approved, it
would go through a third reading.
4. On Third Reading, the bill will be
submitted for a final vote. If approved
again, it shall be transmitted to the
other House for concurrence. The
other House will go through the same
process of having three readings.
5. If the other House introduces
amendments and the House from
which the bill originated does not
approve of the amendments, the
differences will be settled by a
meeting of the Conference
Committees of both Houses, whose
recommendations will have to be
approved by both Houses.
6. Once the bill is approved, it is
transmitted to the President of the
Philippines for signature. The
President may then either sign the bill
to indicate approval, or veto the bill to
indicate disapproval. If approved, the
bill officially becomes a law.
7. If the President decides to
exercise his veto powers, the
Congress may re-pass the vetoed
bill if two-thirds of both Houses,
voting separately, approve its
enactment. In this case, the bill also
officially becomes a law.