ARTICLE I: NATIONAL TERRITORY

The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands
and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has
sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including
its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas.
The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of
their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.

Section 1. The National Territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with the
islands and waters embraced therein, and all the other territories belonging to the Philippines
by historic right or legal title, including the territorial sea, the air space, the subsoil the
seabed, the insular shelves, and the other submarine areas over which the Philippines has
sovereignty or Jurisdiction. The waters around between, and connecting the islands of the
archipelago, irrespective of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of
the Philippines.

ARTICLE II: DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND STATE POLICIES

PRINCIPLES
The Philippines as a democratic and republican State.

Section 1. The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty

resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.

The foregoing provision is taken from Section 1 of Article II of the 1973

Constitution which in turn was taken from the 1935 Constitution with the world
“democratic” added to the original provision. So that now under the New Constitution
the Philippines is presently described as a democratic and republican State.

Political scientists would qualify a democratic state as one having a government

whose affairs are run or managed by the people. If directly administered by the people, it is
called a direct democracy. If administered by the representatives of the people, it is called
a representative democracy.

What makes the Philippines a Republican State?

The framers of the 1986 Constitution in declaring that the Philippines is a

Republican State must be fully conversant with the various characteristics and
manifestations of a Republican State prevailing in the Philippines.