1. PPG
The Philippine President (executive)
Roles and power of the Philippine president:
1) emergency, budgetary, and other powers
2) constant media and public attention
3) ability to define the government’s policy direction and priorities
4) cultural value as a symbolic national figure
The President’s role
1) head of state - involves acting as a ceremonial and living national symbol
- example: leading national ceremonies and welcoming foreign diplomats
2) head of government - involves providing the government its policy direction and
priorities which are primarily expressed through his or her electoral campaign
platform.
● Stewardship theory
president as maximal, active leader
● Whig theory
president as minimal, passive implementer
3) Chief executive - involves leading the executive branch and orchestrating how it would
implement laws
4) Commander-in-chief - involves being the supreme commander of the armed forces and its
branches as a way to ensure civilian authority over the military
- allows him or her to declare martial law and suspend the writ of habeas corpus, but subject
to checks and balances by other branches
5) chief diplomat - involves crafting and executing the country’s foreign policy towards other
countries
- examples: entering agreements and representing the state in global commitments
key powers of the president:
● power of appointment: appointing government workers and officials
● ordinance power: issuing pieces of legislation directing the executive branch’s
operations
2. ● power of general supervision over local governments: supervising and coordinating
with local governments
● power over aliens: deciding immigration issues
● power of eminent domain and escheat: seizing private property for public use
● power over ill-gotten wealth: sequester and freeze assets ill-gotten by corrupt leaders
during the Marcos dictatorship
Qualifications:
1. a natural born Filipino citizen
2. a registered voter
3. able to read and write
4. at least 40 years of age on the election day
5. a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding the
election
The president’s term:
● The president must be directly elected by the people.
● His or her term lasts for six years which will begin at noon of June 30 after the election
and will end at noon of the same date after six years.
● The president is banned for reelection.
● In case of death, permanent disability, removal from office, or resignation, the vice
president (VP) would succeed the president. If a VP succeeds a president for four years,
the VP will not be qualified for the presidency again. The VP cannot serve for more than
two consecutive terms.
● Line of succession: President → VP → Senate President → Speaker of the House.
Special elections will start if the first two are unavailable. The president or the vice
president may be removed from office by impeachment (i.e., the Congress impeaches
him or her based on the charges).
● The grounds for impeachment are “culpable violation of the Constitution, treason,
bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust.” (Section 2,
Article 11, 1987 Constitution)
3. The Philippine senate
The Philippine congress
● upholds the separation of powers
● takes part in a system of checks and balances
Roles:
1) legislative body
2) representative institution
3) check-and-balance mechanism
Legislative body - to propose, deliberate, and pass laws. To provide the public an avenue for
participation through consultations
Representative Institution – to act as trustees. To make decisions on behalf of the constituents
they represent.
- Parliaments and national assemblies were established in 17th–19th century Europe to
limit the absolute power of monarchs.
Function
1) Lawmaking
2) Oversight and legitimation
3) Tribunal impeachment
4) Constituent power
1) Lawmaking - Enact laws that go through three readings in each of both chambers. Laws
are submitted to the president for final approval.
First reading – committee hearings to study provisions of the bill. Inviting resource speakers
from agencies, NGOs, political movements.
Second reading – approved bills to be presented in the plenary, speeches, debates, interpellation,
acceptance of amendments.
Third reading – done in plenary sessions, no more changes or amendments, final vote for
chamber’s approval.
4. 2) Oversight and legitimation – part of the limited executive functions, the executive
branch is scrutinized (oversight) supported (legitimation).
“power of the purse” - Executive agencies are not allowed to spend over and beyond the
items approved by Congress.
Congressional inquiry – investigates how laws are implemented. Department officials may be
summoned subject to consent of the president.
Confirmation of the presidential appointees – department secretaries, ambassadors, officers of
the armed forces, regular members of judicial and bar council.
Constrain the powers of commander in chief – declaration of martial law suspension of the
writ of habeas corpus, emergency powers, declaration of state of war.
Limited diplomatic powers - approve treaties with other countries entered into by the
president
3) Tribunal impeachment - part of the limited judicial functions of the Congress
Serves as court for: electoral complaints against its members, impeachment
Impeachment
HOR – approves the article pf impeachment
Senate – decides on the case as “senator-judges”
4) Constituent power - Power to initiate and propose amendments to the constitution, submit said
amendments to the electorate for ratification through a plebiscite.
Composition of the senate - 24 senators with six-year terms up to two consecutive terms
Election of senators - 12 senators are elected every three years.
Qualifications:
1) Natural born citizen of the Philippines
2) Atleast 35 years old on the day of the election
3) Able to read and write
4) Registered voter
5) Philippine resident for not less than 2 years before elections
- The COMELEC has the power to declare certain senatorial aspirants as “nuisance”
and disqualify them from the race.
Senate president – most powerful figure in the senate, presiding officer, third in the line of
presidential succession.
Senate president pro tempore – usually the most senior, discharges the duties of the senate
president in latter’s absence.
Majority leader – elected by the members of majority bloc, promotes the program of the
majority
Minority – elected by the members of minority bloc, constructively criticizes the programs of
the majority
Committees - The efficiency in lawmaking and oversight function relies on the committee system.
5. ● committees: conduct rigid thorough discussions
● plenary: acts on the report of the committee
House of Representative
Specific roles and functions:
Indictment of officials
● receives complaints and initiates impeachment proceedings
● deliberates on whether the offense constitutes grounds for impeachment
● approves the Articles of Impeachment
● requires a 1/3 vote of the entire assembly
● submits it to the Senate for trial
some officials impeached by the house
- president Joseph Estrada (2000)
- chief justice Renato corona (2011)
2) Exclusive initiative on bills
- revenue and tarrifs
- local applications
- appropriation and public debt
- private bills
Partylist representative (20%)
District representatives (80)
Members – 3 year term, maximum of 3 consecutive term
Qualifications:
1) natural born Filipino citizen
2) atleast 25 years old on the day of election
3) able to read and write
4) registered voter
5) resident for not less than 1 year in the district he or she aims to represent
District representative
6. - elected from legislative district
- proportion based on population
- atleast 250,000
- whole province with a population of less than 250,000 gets one seat
- The Congress may change and reassign legislative districts within three years after a
national census of population.
Partylist representatives - provide sectoral representation for the marginalized and underrepresented
(intent of the 1987 constiution), provide proportional representation for national, regional, and sectoral
parties (partylist system of 1995)
House speaker – chamber’s leader, presiding officer, fourth in presidential line of succession
Deputy house speakers – assume speakership when the house speaker is unable, membership in various
congressional committees. 2020, 32 deputy house speaker
Committees – the house currently has 63, each members is entitled to atleast 10 committees.
ISSUES SURROUNDING THE LOWER HOUSE
- Socioeconomic profile of members - This affects how they perceive and respond to issues
of Filipino masses.
- Party dynamics and contest for leadership
Issue: Political parties are for convenience rather than principle.
● Politicians are quick to change parties.
● People vote to receive patronage rather than to uphold a principle.
Party dynamics and contest for leadership - Issue: Partisan struggles, rather than merit or experience,
decide the organization and leadership.
- Corruption, patronage, and “pork-barrel” politics - Pork-barrel politics: allocation of
public funds by the president to his or her allies
● These are lump sum funds usually connected to projects with dubious contracts.
● Pork barrel is used to “buy” the loyalty of House members.
Mass demonstrations in 2013 prompted the suspension of “pork barrel,” but new forms of pork
barrel resurfaced.
The supreme court of the Philippines
7. ● The Supreme Court is considered as the highest tribunal in a state.
● Article VIII, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates one Supreme
Court and lower courts.