The Philippines is a republic with a presidential form of government wherein power is equally

divided among its three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

One basic corollary in a presidential system of government is the principle of separation of

powers wherein legislation belongs to Congress, execution to the Executive, and settlement of
legal controversies to the Judiciary.

Tripartite system

Our Constitution mandates that we follow a tripartite system of governance where the powers of
government are distributed among three major branches, namely, the Executive Department
headed by the President; the Legislative Department which has two houses, the House of
Representatives and the Senate, and the Judiciary on top of which is the Supreme Court.

The three branches are supposed to be co-equal. And they are supposed to check one another
so that official abuses are curbed and the rights and liberties of the people are protected.

The Legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them through the power
vested in the Philippine Congress. This institution is divided into the Senate and the House of
Representatives.

The Executive branch is composed of the President and the Vice President who are elected by
direct popular vote and serve a term of six years. The Constitution grants the President authority
to appoint his Cabinet. These departments form a large portion of the country’s bureaucracy.

The Judicial branch holds the power to settle controversies involving rights that are legally
demandable and enforceable. This branch determines whether or not there has been a grave
abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part and instrumentality of
the government. It is made up of a Supreme Court and lower courts.

The Constitution expressly grants the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review as the power
to declare a treaty, international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree, proclamation,
order, instruction, ordinance or regulation unconstitutional.