The Legislative Branch of

Government

The Philippine Senate and The

House of Representatives
Essential Features of the Legislative Branch of Philippine
Government

As of July 15, 2020, the webpage of

The Official Gazette of the Philippine
Government mentioned the following
essential features of the Legislative Branch
or Philippine Congress as indicated in
Article VI of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution:
Essential Features of the Legislative Branch of Philippine
Government

- Legislative power shall be vested in Philippine

Congress.

- It is a bicameral legislature consisting of two

chambers or houses-the Upper House known
as the Senate and the Lower House which is
also called the House of Representatives.
Essential Features of the Legislative Branch of Philippine
Government

- By a vote of two-thirds of both Houses in joint session

assembled, voting separately, Philippine Congress shall
have the sole power to declare the existence of a state
of war.
-
- The Senate shall elect its President and the House of
Representatives its Speaker, by a majority vote of all its
respective Members.
Essential Features of the Legislative Branch of Philippine
Government

- The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each

have an Electoral Tribunal which shall be the sole judge
of all contests relating to the election, returns, and
qualifications of their respective Members.

- The Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its

respective committees may conduct inquiries in aid of
legislation in accordance with its duly published rules of
procedure.
Essential Features of the Legislative Branch of Philippine
Government

- Philippine Congress confirms or rejects Presidential

appointments
 Composition of the Philippine Senate

As of July 15, 2020, according to

the webpage of The Official Gazette
of the Philippine Government, the
following pertain to the
composition of the Philippine
Senate as indicated in Article VI of
the 1987 Philippine Constitution:
 Composition of the Philippine Senate

- Lawmakers in the Senate are called Senators.

- The Senate shall be composed of twenty-four

(24) Senators who shall be elected at large or
nationwide through popular election by the
qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be
provided by law.
 Composition of the Philippine Senate

- Through synchronized elections, 12 senators are

elected every three (3) years.
 Terms of Office of Philippine Senators

- The term of office of the Senators shall be six

years and shall commence, unless otherwise
provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of
June next following their election.

- No Senator shall serve for more than two

consecutive terms.
 Terms of Office of Philippine Senators
- The regular election of the Senators shall be held on the
second Monday of May.

- In case of vacancy in the Senate, a special election may be

called to fill such vacancy in the manner prescribed by law,
but the Senator thus elected shall serve only for the
unexpired terms.
 Qualification of a Senators

1. a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;

2. at least thirty-five years old;
3. is able to read and write
4. a registered voter; and
5. a resident of the Philippines for not less than
two years before election day.
 Composition of the House of Representatives

As of July 15, 2020, according to the webpage

of The Official Gazette of the Philippine
Government, the following pertain to the
composition of the House of Representatives as
indicated in Article VI of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution:
 Composition of the House of Representatives

- Lawmakers composing the House of Representatives

are called Representatives or
Congressmen/Congresswomen.
 Composition of the House of Representatives

The House of Representatives shall be composed of

not more than two hundred and fifty members, unless
otherwise fixed by law, who shall be elected from
legislative districts apportioned among the provinces,
cities, and the Metropolitan Manila area in accordance
with the number of their respective inhabitants. The party-
list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum of
the total number of representatives including those under
the party list.
House of Representatives
Terms of Office of Members of House of Representatives

- A Representative can serve for not more than three

consecutive terms.

- The Members of the House of Representatives shall be

elected for a term of three years which shall begin,
unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the
thirtieth day of June next following their election.
Terms of Office of Members of House of Representatives

- No Member of the House of Representatives

shall serve for more than three consecutive
terms.

- The regular election of the Members of the

House of Representatives shall be held on the
second Monday of May.
Terms of Office of Members of House of Representatives

- In case of vacancy in the House of

Representatives, a special election may
be called to fill such vacancy in the
manner prescribed by law, but the
Member of the House of Representatives
thus elected shall serve only for the
unexpired term.
Qualification of Members of the House of Representatives

1. a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;

2. at least twenty-five years old;
3. is able to read and write; and
4. except the party-list representatives, a
registered voter and a resident for at least
one year in the district where s/he shall be
elected.
 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
According to The Official Gazette of the
Philippine Government as of July 15, 2020, the
Philippine Congress is responsible for making
enabling laws. This role is important to ensure that
the spirit of the constitution is upheld in the
country and laws are essential in regulating the
interactions of people among themselves and with
the government. The legislative body comes out
with two main documents in order to craft laws:
bills and resolutions.
 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

Resolutions convey principles and

sentiments of the Senate or the House of
Representatives. These resolutions can
further be divided into three different
elements:
 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

Joint Resolutions — require the approval of both

chambers of Congress and the signature of the President,
and have the force and effect of a law if approved.

Concurrent Resolutions — used for matters affecting

the operations of both chambers of Congress and must be
approved in the same form by both houses, but are not
transmitted to the President for his signature and
therefore have no force and effect of a law.
 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

Simple Resolutions — deal with matters entirely within

the prerogative of one chamber of Congress, are not
referred to the President for his signature, and therefore
have no force and effect of a law.
 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

Bills are laws in the making. They pass into law

when they are approved by both houses and the
President of the Philippines. A bill may be vetoed by
the President, but the House of Representatives may
overturn a presidential veto by garnering a 2/3rds
vote. If the President does not act on a proposed law
submitted by Congress, it will lapse into law after 30
days of receipt.
EXCLUSIVE ROLE OF PHILIPPINE CONGRESS

The Philippine Congress has an exclusive and a

very important role concerning the accountability of
public officers as indicated in Article XI of the 1987
Philippine Constitution which can be found at the
webpage of The Official Gazette of the Philippine
Government.
EXCLUSIVE ROLE OF PHILIPPINE CONGRESS

Specifically, the role pertains to the process of

removing the President, the Vice-President, the
Members of the Supreme Court, the Members of the
Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman in
their respective positions. This process is called
impeachment and shall be grounded on the culpable
violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and
corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public
trust by the above-mentioned public officials
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