THE PHILIPPINES CONSTITUTION Constitution refers to that body of rules and maxims in accordance with which the powers

rs of sovereignty are habitually exercised. Constitution of the Philippines may be defined as that written instrument by which the fundamental powers of the government are established limited, and defined by which these powers are distributed among the several departments or branches for this safe and usefulness exercise for the benefit of the people. Section 1 the Philippines Constitution provides that the following are the citizens of the Philippines : 1. Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution; 2. Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines; 3. Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, elect Philippine Citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; 4. Those who are naturalized in accordance with law. We have to realize that for every right we are enjoying as enumerated in the Bill of Right of the Philippines Constitution, it is coupled with corresponding obligation. There will be no chaos in our society if only everybody will perform his or her duties and obligation. 1. To be loyal to the republic This means that we have faith and confidence in the republic and devotion to the country. We have to be proud being a Filipino; respect our customs, traditions, language and institution.. Our country considered our home, the home of our forefathers who fought for our country against the invaders, the home of our children and the grand children, the seat of our affections, and the source of our happiness and well being . 2. To defend the state Considering the fact that our country is our home, it is our prime duty to love and defend the state at all cost regardless of our creed, religious beliefs, and wisdom. Loving ones country can be shown not by words but by deeds. It should be continuous flame of love considering the fact that we receive benefits protection from the state of which we area part. In return, it is our primary duty and honor to defend it against any peril whether from within or from without. (Art. II, Sec. 3) 3. To contribute to the development and welfare of the state -- we are a part of the state and we directly receive the benefits from the government in the form of the infrastructure, peace and order, etc. In return, how can we contribute to the

development and welfare of the state? We can do this in the form of paying our taxes willingly and promptly, by helping maintain peace and order, of the natural resources and the promotion of social justice by suggesting or supporting measures beneficial to the people as a whole, by patronizing local products and trades and by engaging in productivity work. 4. To uphold the constitution and obey the laws It is our prime obligation to uphold the constitution and obey the laws. If the people would disregard them, our country would collapse and we will not have peace and order. 5. To cooperate with duly constituted authorities -- In every organization, there is always a leader to manage the affairs of all constituents. If the member will not cooperate, we can expect to become successful in all the undertaking that our government would like to do for the good of its citizens. 6. To exercise rights and responsibly and with the due regard for the rights of others.- No man is an island and we have to live with others. In the exercise of our rights, we have to see to it that we also respects the rights of other people. If we do this, we can expect harmonious relationship between members of the society. 7. To engage the gainful work- It is stated in the Bible that if we want to eat, we have to work. It is our obligation as a citizen of our country to become productive by engaging in a gainful work so that we can provide the basic needs of our family and our selves as well. As cited by de Leon (1989) The essence of life is work. Every citizen should bear in mind that only by hard and sustained work can men and nations live and survive. National greatness never springs from the cult of grim struggle and patient industry. 8. To register and vote- It is our prime duty as a citizen of the Philippines to register and vote. Suffrage is both a privilege and a duty, which every qualified citizen must perform. It is not sufficient to just register and vote; it must be coupled with intellectual judgment during election. We have to consider the different political issues by different candidates, so that at least we can chose the right person to manage government affairs How can we become a Good Citizens? We can become a good citizen by living in the accordance with good citizenship values we can derive from the preamble of the Constitution such as: Faith in Good, Unity, Patriotism, Work, Respect for life, Respect for Law and Government , Truth, Justice, Freedom, Love, Equality, Peace, Promotion of the Common Good,

Concern for the Family and Future Generations, Concerns for Environment, and Order Preamble of the 1987 Philippine Constitution We the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody of 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. The Basic Values of the Filipino People The Filipino people posses certain values, shared perceptions on what we hold dear, what we regard as important to us. These sixteen values are enshrined in the above Preamble of our 1987 Philippine Constitution. These are unity, patriotism, faith in Almighty God, respect for life. respect for the law and Government, work, truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, peace, promotion of common, concern for the environment, and order. These values of the Filipino people serve as the guiding principles in our life as a nation and provide the under lying framework for all the provision of the Constitution. For adults this basic values can be seen in his outward manifestations as well as in decision making. There is always a consistency on what he thinks, what he feels and what he says. Every Filipino child needs to be helped to form his own values consistent with basic Filipino values, if he is to grow into a citizen who is maka Diyos, maka tao, maka bayan, and maka kalikasan. Hereunder are the different Good Citizenship values together with the different verses from the Bible as well as quotations from notable persons.