ANITA SALES FULO

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN SOCIAL WORK

STUDENT NUMBER: 201-1863

READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Development of the Philippine Constitution

Guide Questions:

1. Why is a constitution considered as “the highest expression of the law”?

- The Constitution is considered the highest expression of law because it was the set of
laws that our nation was founded on. So in that sense, the Constitution is the source of
the “law of the land”. It does not tell the people what they are not allowed to do, it
controls the government. It puts a “higher” authority over the government so that it
cannot arbitrarily control the people.

2. How is a constitution made? What processes does it undergo before being ratified?
- Step 1: Two-thirds of both houses of Congress pass a proposed constitutional
amendment. This sends the proposed amendment to the states for ratification. Step 2:
Three-fourths of the states (38 states) ratify the proposed amendment, either by their
legislatures or special ratifying conventions.

3. How important is the Malolos Republic Constitution with regard to the ideas and
provisions that it introduced?
- On January 21, 1899, Aguinaldo promulgated what is now known as the Malolos
Constitution. The Malolos constitution is the first important Filipino document ever
produced by the people's representatives. It is anchored in democratic traditions that
ultimately had their roots in American soil.

4. The separation of Church and State became a topic of debate in the drafting of the
Malolos Republic Constitution. In your opinion, why was this issue controversial at that
time?
- In my own opinion, this was so controversial because the church was exercising too
much power on the government more than they should and it's making the
government lack veto power to carry out some administrative works in some aspects

5. The Bill of Rights is a major article throughout the different constitutions of the country.
Why is it necessary?
- A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list
of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect
those rights against infringement from public officials and private citizens.