A. What is a Constitution?

A Constitution is a body of fundamental rules and maxims by which the powers of

government are defined by the sovereign and in accordance with which those powers are
habitually exercised. It is the supreme, fundamental law of the land.

The fundamental law that establishes the character of a government by defining the basic
principles to which a society must conform; by describing the organization of the government
and regulation, distribution, and limitations on the functions of different government
departments; and by prescribing the extent and manner of the exercise of its sovereign powers.

B. The Evolution and History of the Philippine Constitution:

The Constitution of the Philippines (In Filipino: Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas) is the
supreme law of the Philippines. The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during
the administration of President Corazon C. Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987
Constitution". Philippine constitutional law experts recognize three other previous constitutions
as having effectively governed the country — the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution, the 1973
Constitution, and the 1986 Freedom Constitution. Constitutions for the Philippines were also
drafted and adopted during the short-lived governments of Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo (1898)
and José P. Laurel (1943).

Historical constitutions

Constitution of Biak-na-Bato (1897)

The Katipunan revolution led to the Tejeros Convention where, at San Francisco de
Malabón, Cavite, on 22 March 1897, the first presidential and vice presidential elections in
Philippine history were held—although only the Katipuneros (members of the Katipunan) were
able to take part, and not the general populace.

A later meeting of the revolutionary government established there, held on 1 November

1897 at Biak-na-Bato in the town of San Miguel de Mayumo in Bulacán, established the
Republic of Biak-na-Bato. The republic had a constitution drafted by Isabelo Artacho and Félix
Ferrer and based on the first Cuban Constitution. It is known as the "Constitución Provisional de
la República de Filipinas", and was originally written in and promulgated in the Spanish and
Tagalog languages.

Malolos Constitution (1899)

The Malolos Constitution was the first republican constitution in Asia. It declared that
sovereignty resides exclusively in the people, stated basic civil rights, separated the church and
state, and called for the creation of an Assembly of Representatives to act as the legislative body.
It also called for a Presidential form of government with the president elected for a term of four
years by a majority of the Assembly.
 It was titled "Constitución política", and was written in Spanish following the declaration
of independence from Spain, proclaimed on January 20, 1899, and was enacted and ratified by
the Malolos Congress, a Congress held in Malolos, Bulacan.

Commonwealth and Third Republic (1935)

The 1935 Constitution was written in 1934, approved and adopted by the Commonwealth
of the Philippines (1935–1946) and later used by the Third Republic of the Philippines (1946–
1972). It was written with an eye to meeting the approval of the United States Government as
well, so as to ensure that the U.S. would live up to its promise to grant the Philippines
independence and not have a premise to hold onto its "possession" on the grounds that it was too
politically immature and hence unready for full, real independence.

The original 1935 Constitution provided for unicameral National Assembly and the
President was elected to a six-year term without re-election. It was amended in 1940 to have a
bicameral Congress composed of a Senate and House of Representatives, as well the creation of
an independent electoral commission. The Constitution now granted the President a four-year
term with a maximum of two consecutive terms in office.

A Constitutional Convention was held in 1971 to rewrite the 1935 Constitution. The
convention was stained with manifest bribery and corruption. Possibly the most controversial
issue was removing the presidential term limit so that Ferdinand E. Marcos could seek election
for a third term, which many felt was the true reason for which the convention was called. In any
case, the 1935 Constitution was suspended in 1972 with Marcos' proclamation of martial law, the
rampant corruption of the constitutional process providing him with one of his major premises
for doing so.

Second Republic (1943)

The 1943 Constitution was drafted by a committee appointed by the Philippine Executive
Commission, the body established by the Japanese to administer the Philippines in lieu of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines which had established a government-in-exile. In mid-1942
Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo had promised the Filipinos "the honor of independence" which
meant that the commission would be supplanted by a formal republic.

The Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence tasked with drafting a new
constitution was composed in large part, of members of the prewar National Assembly and of
individuals with experience as delegates to the convention that had drafted the 1935 Constitution.
Their draft for the republic to be established under the Japanese Occupation, however, would be
limited in duration, provide for indirect, instead of direct, legislative elections, and an even
stronger executive branch.

Upon approval of the draft by the Committee, the new charter was ratified in 1943 by an
assembly of appointed, provincial representatives of the Kalibapi, the organization established by
the Japanese to supplant all previous political parties. Upon ratification by the Kalibapi
assembly, the Second Republic was formally proclaimed (1943–1945). José P. Laurel was
appointed as President by the National Assembly and inaugurated into office in October 1943.
Laurel was highly regarded by the Japanese for having openly criticized the US for the way they
ran the Philippines, and because he had a degree from Tokyo International University.

The 1943 Constitution remained in force in Japanese-controlled areas of the Philippines,

but was never recognized as legitimate or binding by the governments of the United States or of
the Commonwealth of the Philippines and guerrilla organizations loyal to them. In late 1944,
President Laurel declared a state of war existed with the United States and the British Empire
and proclaimed martial law, essentially ruling by decree. His government in turn went into exile
in December, 1944, first to Taiwan and then Japan. After the announcement of Japan's surrender,
Laurel formally proclaimed the Second Republic as dissolved.

Until the 1960s, the Second Republic, and its officers, were not viewed as legitimate or as
having any standing, with the exception of the Supreme Court whose decisions, limited to
reviews of criminal and commercial cases as part of a policy of discretion by Chief Justice José
Yulo continued to be part of the official records (this was made easier by the Commonwealth
never constituting a Supreme Court, and the formal vacancy in the chief justice position for the
Commonwealth with the execution of Chief Justice José Abad Santos by the Japanese).

It was only during the Macapagal administration that a partial, political rehabilitation of
the Japanese-era republic took place, with the recognition of Laurel as a former president and the
addition of his cabinet and other officials to the roster of past government officials. However, the
1943 charter was not taught in schools and the laws of the 1943-44 National Assembly never
recognized as valid or relevant.

The New Society and the Fourth Republic (1973)

The 1973 Constitution, promulgated after Marcos' declaration of martial law, was
supposed to introduce a parliamentary-style government. Legislative power was vested in a
National Assembly whose members were elected for six-year terms. The President was ideally
supposed to be elected as the symbolic and purely ceremonial head of state from the Members of
the National Assembly for a six-year term and could be re-elected to an unlimited number of
terms. Upon election, the President ceased to be a member of the National Assembly.

During his term, the President was not allowed to be a member of a political party or hold
any other office. Executive power was meant to be exercised by the Prime Minister who was also
elected from the Members of the National Assembly. The Prime Minister was the head of
government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. This constitution was subsequently
amended four times (arguably five depending on how one considers Proclamation No. 3 of
1986).

On 16–17 October 1976, a majority of barangay voters (Citizen Assemblies) approved

that martial law should be continued and ratified the amendments to the Constitution proposed
by President Marcos.

The 1976 amendments were:

  an Interim Batasang Pambansa (IBP) substituting for the Interim National Assembly
 the President would also become the Prime Minister and he would continue to exercise
legislative powers until martial law should have been lifted.

The Sixth Amendment authorized the President to legislate:

Whenever in the judgment of the President there exists a grave emergency or a threat or
imminence thereof, or whenever the Interim Batasang Pambansa or the regular National
Assembly fails or is unable to act adequately on any matter for any reason that in his judgment
requires immediate action, he may, in order to meet the exigency, issue the necessary decrees,
orders or letters of instructions, which shall form part of the law of the land.

The 1973 Constitution was further amended in 1980 and 1981. In the 1980 amendment,
the retirement age of the members of the Judiciary was extended to 70 years. In the 1981
amendments, the false parliamentary system was formally modified into a French-style semi-
presidential system:

 executive power was restored to the President;

 direct election of the President was restored;
 an Executive Committee composed of the Prime Minister and not more than fourteen
members was created to "assist the President in the exercise of his powers and functions
and in the performance of his duties as he may prescribe;" and the Prime Minister was a
mere head of the Cabinet.
 Further, the amendments instituted electoral reforms and provided that a natural born
citizen of the Philippines who has lost his citizenship may be a transferee of private land
for use by him as his residence.

The last amendments in 1984 abolished the Executive Committee and restored the
position of Vice-President (which did not exist in the original, unamended 1973 Constitution).

In actual practice, while the 1973 Constitution was ideally supposed to set up a true
parliamentary system, the late President Marcos had made use of subterfuge and manipulation in
order to keep executive power for himself, rather than devolving executive powers to the
Parliament, as headed by the Prime Minister.

The end result was that the 1973 Constitution - due to all amendments and subtle
manipulations - was merely the abolition of the Senate and a series of cosmetic text-changes
where the old American-derived terminologies such House of Representatives became known as
the "Batasang Pambansa" (National Assembly), Departments became known as "Ministries",
cabinet secretaries became known as "cabinet ministers", and the President's assistant - the
Executive Secretary - became known as the "Prime Minister."

Ultimately, Marcos' so-called "Parliamentary System" therefore functioned as an

authoritarian-run Presidential System due to the series of amendments and other modifications
put in place after the 1973 Constitution was ratified.
"The 1986 Freedom Constitution"

Following the EDSA People Power Revolution that removed President Ferdinand E.
Marcos from office, the new President, Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3 as a
provisional constitution. It adopted certain provisions from the 1973 constitution and granted the
President broad powers to reorganize this government and remove officials from office, and
mandated that the president would appoint a commission to draft a new constitution.

Background of the 1987 Constitution

In 1986, following the People Power Revolution which ousted Ferdinand E. Marcos as
president, and following on her own inauguration, Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No.
3, declaring a national policy to implement the reforms mandated by the people, protecting their
basic rights, adopting a provisional constitution, and providing for an orderly translation to a
government under a new constitution. President Aquino later issued Proclamation No. 9, creating
a Constitutional Commission (popularly abbreviated "Con Com" in the Philippines) to frame a
new constitution to replace the 1973 Constitution which took effect during the Marcos martial
law regime. Aquino appointed 50 members to the Commission.

The members of the Commission were drawn from varied backgrounds, including several
former congressmen, a former Supreme Court Chief Justice (Roberto Concepción), a Catholic
bishop (Teodoro Bacani) and film director (Lino Brocka). Aquino also deliberately appointed 5
members, including former Labor Minister Blas Ople, who had been allied with Marcos until the
latter's ouster. After the Commission had convened, it elected as its president Cecilia Muñoz-
Palma, who had emerged as a leading figure in the anti-Marcos opposition following her
retirement as the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Commission finished the draft charter within four months after it was convened.
Several issues were heatedly debated during the sessions, including on the form of government
to adopt, the abolition of the death penalty, the continued retention of the Clark and Subic
American military bases, and the integration of economic policies into the Constitution. Brocka
would walk out of the Commission before its completion and two other delegates would dissent
from the final draft.

The ConCom completed their task on 12 October 1986 and presented the draft
constitution to President Aquino on October 15, 1986. After a period of nationwide information
campaign, a plebiscite for its ratification was held on February 2, 1987. More than three-fourths
of all votes cast, 76.37% (or 17,059,495 voters) favored ratification as against 22.65% (or
5,058,714 voters) who voted against ratification. On 11 February 1987, the new constitution was
proclaimed ratified and took effect. On that same day, Aquino, the other government officials,
and the Armed Forces of the Philippines pledged allegiance to the Constitution.
C. Significant features of the 1987 Constitution

The Constitution establishes the Philippines as a "democratic and republican State",

where "sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them"
(Section 1, Article II).

Consistent with the doctrine of separation of powers, the powers of the national
government are exercised in main by three branches — the Executive branch headed by the
President, the Legislative branch composed of Congress and the Judicial branch with the
Supreme Court occupying the highest tier of the judiciary.

The President and the members of Congress are directly elected by the people, while the
members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President from a list formed by the Judicial
and Bar Council.

As with the American system of government, it is Congress which enacts the laws,
subject to the veto power of the President which may nonetheless be overturned by a two-thirds
vote of Congress (Section 27(1), Article VI).

The President has the constitutional duty to ensure the faithful execution of the laws
(Section 17, Article VII), while the courts are expressly granted the power of judicial review
(Section 1, Article VIII), including the power to nullify or interpret laws. The President is also
recognized as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces (Section 18, Article VII).

The Constitution also establishes limited political autonomy to the local government units
that act as the municipal governments for provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays.
(Section 1, Article X) Local governments are generally considered as falling under the executive
branch, yet local legislation requires enactment by duly elected local legislative bodies. The
Constitution (Section 3, Article X) mandated that the Congress would enact a Local Government
Code. The Congress duly enacted Republic Act No. 7160, The Local Government Code of 1991,
which became effective on 1 January 1992.

The Supreme Court has noted that the Bill of Rights "occupies a position of primacy in
the fundamental law". The Bill of Rights, contained in Article III, enumerates the specific
protections against State power. Many of these guarantees are similar to those provided in the
American constitution and other democratic constitutions, including the due process and equal
protection clause, the right against unwarranted searches and seizures, the right to free speech
and the free exercise of religion, the right against self-incrimination, and the right to habeas
corpus. The scope and limitations to these rights have largely been determined by Philippine
Supreme Court decisions.

Outside of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution also contains several other provisions
enumerating various state policies including, i.e., the affirmation of labor "as a primary social
economic force" (Section 14, Article II); the equal protection of "the life of the mother and the
life of the unborn from conception" (Section 12, Article II); the "Filipino family as the
foundation of the nation" (Article XV, Section 1); the recognition of Filipino as "the national
language of the Philippines" (Section 6, Article XVI), and even a requirement that "all
educational institutions shall undertake regular sports activities throughout the country in
cooperation with athletic clubs and other sectors." (Section 19.1, Article XIV)

Whether these provisions may, by themselves, be the source of enforceable rights without
accompanying legislation has been the subject of considerable debate in the legal sphere and
within the Supreme Court. The Court, for example, has ruled that a provision requiring that the
State "guarantee equal access to opportunities to public service" could not be enforced without
accompanying legislation, and thus could not bar the disallowance of so-called "nuisance
candidates" in presidential elections.

But in another case, the Court held that a provision requiring that the State "protect and
advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology" did not require
implementing legislation to become the source of operative rights.

D. Parts of the 1987 Constitution

The Constitution is divided into 18 parts, excluding the Preamble, which are called Articles.
The Articles are as follows:

 Article I - National Territory

 Article II - Declaration of Principles and State Policies
 Article III - Bill of Rights
 Article IV - Citizenship
 Article V - Suffrage
 Article VI - Legislative Department
 Article VII - Executive Department
 Article VIII - Judicial Department
 Article IX - Constitutional Commission
 Article X - Local Government
 Article XI - Accountability of Public Officers
 Article XII - National Economy and Patrimony
 Article XIII - Social Justice and Human Rights
 Article XIV - Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports
 Article XV - The Family
 Article XVI - General Provisions
 Article XVII - Amendments or Revisions
 Article XVIII - Transitory Provisions

E. Preamble of the 1987 Constitution

The “We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order
Preambl to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall
e reads: embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and
 develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings
of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth,
justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this
Constitution.”

Meaning of Preamble

The term preamble is derived from the Latin term preambulare, which
means, “to walk before.” It is an invocation or the opening prayer in any activity
or the prologue of the constitution, invoking the highest sovereign God Almighty
to bless this instrument. If we looked deeper into the preamble, this is not an
integral part of the constitution and could not enforced, however its significance
is that studies made showed that almost all of the constitution made to contain a
preamble.

Objectives of the Preamble

It is generally considered that a preamble is not a necessary part of a

constitution, but as an introductory part, it is needed in the Philippine
constitution. The preamble of the Philippine constitution shows its framers and to
whom it is addressed to and also the general purposes and basic principles of the
charter. As interpreted, the preamble has a value in the interpretation of vague or
not clear provisions of the constitution like the promotions of the constitution like
that of the general welfare and not for private purposes.

F. The National Territory

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.”

Philippine Archipelago. – (1) Treaty of Paris, December 10 1898 – cessation of the Philippine
Islands by Spain to the United States; (2) Treaty of Washington November 7 1900 – clarifying
territories to the US by Spain, particularly the islands of Cagayan Sulu and Sibutu; (3)
Convention between US and Great Britain 1930– delimiting the boundary between North Borneo
and Philippine Archipelago.

What comprises the National Territory?

1. The Philippine Archipelago with all the islands embraced therein -

Under the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), it is a group of
islands, interconnecting waters and other natural features which are so closely inter-related that
such islands, waters and natural features from an intrinsic geographical, economic and political
entity, or which historically regarded as such.

2 Elements of Archipelagic Principle. - A. Definition of internal waters; B. Straight

baseline method of delineating the territorial sea. Straight Baseline Method - allows a country
with offshore islands and/or very jagged coastlines to calculate its territorial seas from straight
lines drawn from a point on the coast to the islands, or from island to island. One then “connects
the dots” literally, and the water behind the lines is designated internal waters, while waters away
from the line and toward open waters are considered territorial seas.

2. All other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction -

Includes any territory that presently belongs or might in the future belong to the
Philippines through any of the accepted international modes of acquiring territory.

Batanes (1935 Constitution); Other territories belonging to the Philippines by historic or

legal title (1973 Constitution); Claim to Sabah; Spratly Islands (PD 1596 of June 11 1968)

Components of National Territory:

I. Terrestrial – refers to the land mass, which may be integrate or dismembered, or partly bound
by water or consists of one whole island. It includes all the resources attached to the land.

II. Fluvial
a. Internal waters - the waters around, between and connecting the islands of the archipelago,
regardless of their breadth and dimensions.
b. Archipelagic waters – waters enclosed by the archipelagic baselines, regardless of their
depth or distance from the coast.

Archipelagic State – state made up of one or two archipelagos

Straight Archipelagic Baseline – determine the archipelagic waters, the state shall draw
straight baselines connecting the outermost points of the outermost islands and drying reef
provided that within such baselines are included the main islands and an area in which the ratio
of the water to the area of land, including atolls, is between 1:1 and 9:1. The length of such
baselines shall not exceed 100 nautical miles, except that up to 3 per cent of the total number of
baselines enclosing any archipelago may exceed that length, up to a maximum length of 125
nautical miles. The drawing of such baselines shall not depart to any appreciable extent from the
general configuration of the archipelago.
c. Territorial sea - belt of the sea located between the coast and internal waters of the coastal
state on the one hand, and the high seas on the other, extending up to 12 nautical miles from the
low water mark
d. Contiguous zone - Extends up to 12 nautical miles from the territorial sea. Although not part
of the territory, the coastal State may exercise jurisdiction to prevent infringement of customs,
fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws.

Principle of Innocent Passage – guarantees that all vessels, whatever flag that they are
flying, can freely cross all territorial seas.

e. Exclusive economic zone - Body of water extending up to 200 nautical miles, within
which the state may exercise sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage the
natural resources.
f. Continental shelf – the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas extending beyond the
Philippine territorial sea.
g. High seas – res communes; not territory of any particular State. They are beyond the
jurisdiction and sovereign rights of the State.

III. Aerial – Rules governing the high seas also apply to outer space, which is considered as res
communes.
Kármán Line – lies an altitude of 100 km (62 mi) above the Earth's sea level and is
commonly define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

The need for a Constitutional provisions on National Territory

There is no rule in International Law that delimits a state’s territorial boundaries in the
Constitution. The reason is, with or without its provision, the state, under International Law, has
the unquestioned right of jurisdiction over the extent of its territory. Likewise, it will not prevent
other states from claiming territories which they think belong to them in accordance with the
modes of acquiring territory.

G. Declaration of Principles and State Policies – In Article II, its nature of the constitution is
considered as the political creed of the nation as: (1) it summarizes the principles and policies,
especially pertaining to the legislative and executive departments as the source of policy decision
makers; (2) the role of the executive and the legislative departments of the system is the
enforcement of laws.

Declaration of Principles and State Policies - statement of the basic ideological principles
and policies that underlie the Constitution. The provisions shed light on the meaning of the other
provisions of the Constitution and they are a guide for all departments of the government in the
implementation of the Constitution.
Principles - binding rules which must be observed in the conduct of government
(Sections 1-6). Policies - guidelines for the orientation of the state (Sections 7-28)
Article II – DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND STATE POLICIES
 PRINCIPLES
Section 1. The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the
people and all government authority emanates from them.
The Philippines, a democratic and republican state.
A republican government is a democratic government by representatives chosen by the
people at large. The essence therefore, of a republican state is indirect rule.
It embodies some features of a pure or direct democracy such as initiative, referendum,
and recall.
Manifestations of a democratic and republican state:
The existence of a bill of right;
The observance of the rule of majority;
The observance of the principle that ours is a government of laws, and not of men;
The presence of election through popular will;
The observance of the principle of separation of powers and the system of checks and
balances;
The observance of the principle that the legislation cannot pass irrepealable laws;
The observance of the law on public officers;
The observance of the principle that the State cannot be sued without its consent.
Sovereignty implies the supreme authority to govern, thus the Filipino people, being
sovereign people have the right to constitute their own government, to change it, and define its
jurisdiction and powers. Exercised indirectly through public officials. Exercised directly through
suffrage.
Section 1 above impliedly recognizes that the people, as the ultimate judges of their
destiny, can resort to revolution as a matter of right. A provision in the Constitution, however,
expressly recognizing the people’s right to revolt against an oppressive or tyrannical government
is not necessary and proper.
Section 2. The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the
generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres
to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations.
Case Analysis. - With the conflict in the claim of Spratleys intensifying, China decided
to launch an all out attack to the Philippines. Can the Philippines engage in war? The declaration
refers only to the renunciation by the Philippines of aggressive war, not a war in defense of her
national honor and integrity. Thus, when provoked and attacked the Philippines can retaliate and
engage into war.
 Renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy. Adoption of the generally
accepted principles of international law as part of our law. International law refers to the body of
rules and principles which governs the relations of nations and their respective peoples in their
intercourse with one another.
The doctrine of incorporation is the automatic adoption of international law as part of the
law of the Philippines.
The Philippines seeks only peace and friendship with her neighbors and all countries of
the world, regardless of race, creed, ideology, and political system, on the basis of mutual trust,
respect, and cooperation. Adherence to the policy of peace, etc., with all nations.
Section 3. Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces
of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the
sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.
Supremacy of civilian authority over the military is -
1. Inherent in a republican system. As a republican government, it is that civilian
authority is above the military and is internationally recognized. This is a traditionally
accepted principle as one of the separation of powers which is significant during
periods of martial law or suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. (Article III, Sec. 15;
Art. VII, Sec. 18)

2. It is a safeguard against military dictatorship. To safeguard the abuses of the military

civilian government like the republican and democratic government has the authority
to appoint and control the military, like the President who is the Commander-In-Chief
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Section 4. The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The
Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all
citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal, military or
civil service.
“… the foremost duty of the government is to serve and protect the people. The government
exist for the people and not the people for the government.”
Prime duty of the Government
Defense of the State by the people against foreign aggression …the government may call
upon the people to defend the State. For self-preservation and to defend its territorial honor and
integrity, the Philippines can engage in a defensive war. The defense of the State is one of the
duties of a citizen.
Military and civil service by the people
1. Defense of State performed through an army. The joint obligations of the government and
the people cannot be performed without an army. It is apparently clear that an army
should be organized, thus, military and civil service. Military services here means the
 armed forces involvement while civil service means employment of the citizens to
munitions plants or related employment of the Armed forces of the Philippines.
2. Compulsory. Compulsory is the compilation of citizens to render military, or civil
service. Any citizen recruits cannot refuse to render military or civil service according to
law.
3. Personal. Personal means rendering of service through another.
4. By Law. This point to preventive arbitrariness on the part of public officials to render
military or civil service.

Section 5. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property,
and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of
the blessings of democracy.
Only when peace and order, security, and a life of dignity are established and maintained,
will political stability and economic prosperity become attainable and the people truly enjoy the
“blessings of independence and democracy.”
Section 6. The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.
Principle of separation of the Church and State. - The principle simply means that the
Church is not to interfere in purely political matters or temporal aspects of man’s life and the
State, in purely matters of religion and morals, which are the exclusive concerns of the other.
The State shall have no official religion; The State cannot set up a church, whether or not
supported with funds; Nor aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another;
Every person is free to profess belief or disbelief in any religion;
Meaning of “establishment of religion clause. - Every religious minister is free to
practice his calling; and the State cannot punish a person for entertaining or professing religious
beliefs or disbeliefs. Preamble – The command that Church and State be separate is not to be
interpreted to mean hostility to religion.
Respect of religion. - Our Constitution and laws exempt from taxation, properties
devoted exclusively to religious purposes; No hostility towards religion.
The use of public money or property is not prohibited when a priest, preacher, minister,
or dignitary as such is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution, or government
orphanage or leprosarium; Optional religious instruction in public elementary and high school is
by constitutional mandate allowed; Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, Christmas Day and
Sundays are made legal holidays because of the idea that their observance is conducive to
beneficial moral results; and the law punishes polygamy and bigamy, and certain crimes against
worship are considered crimes against the fundamental laws of the State.
Reason underlying the principle. - It is significant that the separation of the State and
the Church is to protect Philippine society from using each other for their self-interest.
STATE POLICIES
Section 7. The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other
states the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity,
national interest, and the right to self- determination.
Foreign policy is a set of guideline followed by a government of a country in order to
promote its national interest through the conduct of its relations with other countries.
Foreign Policy of the Philippines. - Foreign policy is the interaction of states with each
other. States could not exist without the other since trade and exchange of culture and technology
is the basis of its development. It is the objective of a State to promote international relationships
for national interest.
Foreign policy therefore is an instrument of domestic policy. As constituted in our
constitution, the State has to pursue an independent foreign policy, but limits its dependency
from another.
Formulation and conduct of foreign policy. - The president formulates our foreign
policy principally with the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Pursuit of an independent foreign policy. - An independent foreign policy means one
that is not subordinate or subject to nor dependent upon the support of another government. An
independent foreign policy, however, it is not one that completely rejects advice or assistance
from without. In general , our basic foreign policy objective is to establish friendly relations with
all countries of the world regardless of race, religion, ideology and social system and to promote
as much beneficial relationship with them particularly in economic and trade activities.
Paramount consideration. - In its relations with other states, the paramount
consideration of the Philippines shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national
interest, and the right to self-determination.
Section 8. The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a
policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.
Section 9. The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the
prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through
policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising standard
of living, and an improved quality of life for all.
Policies necessary to be pursued. – Adequate social services, promote full
employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all.
Just and dynamic social order. Solving the problem of mass poverty; The goal is to
reduce that political and economic power of privileged few by equalizing widely differing
standards and opportunities for advancement and raise the masses of our people from a life of
misery and deprivation to a qualitative life worthy of human dignity and respect.
Section 10. The State shall promote social justice in all phases of national development.
In the fulfillment of this duty, the State must give preferential attention to the welfare of
the less fortunate members of the community, those who have less in life.
Section 11. The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect
for human rights.
…the individual enjoy certain rights which cannot be modified or taken away by the
lawmaking body.”
These rights are protected or guaranteed because of the belief in the inherent dignity and
basic moral worth of every human person.
..the human person is the end of every social organization…
The value accorded to human dignity is measured by the extent of respect for human
rights, principally the rights to life, liberty and property.
Section 12. The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen
the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the
mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary right and
duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral
character shall receive the support of the Government.
Right to life of unborn from conception. - According to the Catholic Moral Code, the
unborn child is already considered a human being and subject to human rights. It is the
obligation of the State to protect the unborn child.
This provision of the Constitution is a preventive measure of the possibility of abortion
being legalized by future legislation. The youth’s participation in nation building must be
maintained as a joint action by the State and family.
Section 13. The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall
promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It
shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in
public and civic affairs.
The youth as future leaders. - The youth are the backbones of the Philippine society and
comprise the great majority of our people and therefore is the concern of the State to promote
and protect their well-being. It could not be denied that today’s youth are more informed and
articulate and politically informed. It is for this reason that more youth today are involved in
radicalism and in policy-making decisions of the country.
Section 14. The State recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall ensure the
fundamental equality before the law of women and men.
Women participation in nation-building. - It is generally accepted that the role of
women both in business and politics cannot be over-emphasized. It must be recalled that Filipino
women during the past decades especially during the colonization days took active part in nation-
building, much more the current events that women played an important role in politics. Men
compared to women are more susceptible to graft and corruption, the reason that confidence on
women had evolved.
 It is on this aspect that the Constitution gives recognition of the role of women not only
in the management of the homes but also in nation-building.
Section 15. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and
instill health consciousness among them.
Right to health. - Since people are the basic social unit of government, it is the
obligation of the State to promote and protect the right of the people to health. Healthy people
means productivity and consciousness to their participation in nation-building. (Article XIII,
Secs. 11-13)
Section 16. The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and
healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.
It is the constitutional right of the people to have a balance and healthful ecology. -
Ecology refers to the branch of science that deals with the study of the relationships of living
things (organisms, plants and animals) and their environments. (Article XII. Sec. 3)
Section 17. The State shall give priority to education, science and technology, arts, culture,
and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote
total human liberation and development.
Section 18. The State affirms labor as a primary social economic force. It shall protect the
rights of workers and promote their welfare.
Section 19. The State shall develop a self-reliant and independent national economy
effectively controlled by Filipinos.
Economic development is the ultimate goal of the State. - In the declaration, Section
19 outlines the constitutional guidelines in the development of the economy as a policy in order
to achieve economic self-reliance, independent national economy and effective Filipino control
of the economy. (Article XII, National Economy and Patrimony, Sec. 1)
Section 20. The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private sector, encourages
private enterprise, and provides incentives to needed investments.
Section 21. The State shall promote comprehensive rural development and agrarian
reform.
Section 22. The State recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural
communities within the framework of national unity and development.
“Cultural minorities” refers to that groups of Filipinos with cultural inferiority. This is
so because these groups had swayed away from civilization of Philippine society.
Section 23. The State shall encourage non-governmental, community-based, or sectoral
organizations that promote the welfare of the nation.
Section 24. The State recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation-
building.
Section 25. The State shall ensure the autonomy of local governments.
Section 26. The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and
prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.
Citizen has all the opportunities to public service (Article VI, Secs. 4, 5 and 7 and
Article X, Sec. 8). - In a democratic system of government, it is a constitutional policy that
prohibits political dynasties. This is so because when political dynasties exist there is no equal
access to opportunities for public service.
Section 27. The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take
positive and effective measures against graft and corruption.
Section 28. Subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law, the State adopts and
implements a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.
The essence of democratic system of government that the people have the right to
examine all government transactions. In a society like ours, where democratic principles are
adhered to all transactions by the government which involve public interest must be publicly
presented and discussed to the Filipino people.

The Filipino people have all the rights to know such public transactions, especially
involving expenditures of public funds. However, for reasons of government systems
management, limitations are made like records involving the security of the State or those which
are classified as confidential. (Article II, Section 7).