Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
BRANCH OF THE
PHILIPPINE
GOVERNMENT
Congress As a Respiratory of
Legislative Power
Article VI, Section 1 of the Constitution states that legislative
power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines, which
shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. This
constitutional provision clearly points to Congress as vested with
legislative power or the power to make, amend or even repeal
laws. The role of Congress is vital considering that laws are
essential in regulating the relations of people among themselves
and the government. Laws are needed in society for the
following reasons: to protect the lives, rights and property of the
people; to impose taxes for the operation of the government; to
define crimes and punishments for crimes; to create and abolish
government offices; and to regulate human conduct and use of
property for the welfare of society.
The Composition of Philippine
Congress
Philippine Congress is a
bicameral legislature. It consists
of two chambers, the Upper
House or Senate and the Lower
House or the House of
Representatives.
The Senate
24 Senators
12 Senators are elected every three years
Each has a term of six years
The term of a senator, as provided for in the
constitution, starts at noon on the 30th day of June
following their election
The Constitution also limits their stay in the to no
more than two consecutive terms.
The House of Representatives
Composed of not more than 250 members, unless otherwise
fixed by the law, who shall be elected from legislative districts
and through a party-list system
Shall have a term of three years
The Representatives of legislative districts are elected from the
provinces, cities and Metropolitan Manila area
Article VI of the Constitution specifically allocates one
representative for every city with a population of at least
250,000
Article VI, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution provides that out of
total number of Members, 20% shall come from Party-List
representatives, one-half of which shall be filled by sectoral
representatives for the first three terms.
Qualifications of the Members of the
Philippine Congress (Article VI, Sec. 4)
The Secretary of the Chamber reads the bill, its number, long
title, and its author(s).
Committee Referral and Action
The presiding officer of the session refers the bill to the
appropriate committee.
The committee schedules and conducts meetings and public
hearings; reports the consolidated bills on the same subject or
the substitute bill; or gives notice to the author(s) if action is
unfavorable.
Second Reading
The bill goes through a second reading after which a
committee report on the subject is read.
On the second reading, the following takes place:
Period of Debate: Sponsorship Speech; Interpellation; Turno
en Contra
Period of Amendments: Committee Amendments; Individual
Amendments
Voting, which may be by viva voce; raising of hands; division
of the house; nominal or roll call.
Third Reading
The bill on the third reading is subjected
to a viva voce vote.
The secretary General signs a
certification and sends the bill to the
Secretary of the chamber. The bill is sent
to the other house (the bill goes through
first, second and third readings in the
second chamber.
Conference Committee
The bill is returned to the chamber of
origin for votes to amendments
recommended by the other chamber.
The bill is sent for consideration to a
conference committee if the changes
recommended by the other chamber are
not accepted by the chamber where the
bill originated.
Presidential Action
The bill is sent for Presidential approval if it passes both
chambers after the reconciliation of differences of the different
versions of the bills in the Conference Committee.
The bill becomes a law after it is signed by the President, or after
30 days from the day of submission for Presidential action and
the President takes no action.
If the President vetoes the bill:
It is returned to the chamber of origin together with his/her
objections.
Objections are entered in the Journal and sent back for
reconsideration.
Two-thirds of the members of the chamber of origin can pass the
bill to the other chamber; if approved by two thirds of the
members of that chamber, the presidential veto is overridden
and the bill becomes a law.
Based on the foregoing discussion, it is clear
that a bill passed by congress can become a law
in three ways:
Expressed Approval. A bill becomes a law the
moment the President stamps her signature of
approval.
Approval Through Inaction. If the President fails to
act on the bill within 30 days from its receipt, the bill
automatically becomes a law.
Overriding the Presidential Veto by Congress. By
two-thirds vote of all members of the Senate and
House of Representatives, Congress can override the
presidential veto of a proposed legislation.
Thank You
Credits to the book about the Philippine Government (I forgot the
name of the book, im sorry)