PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

Angeline G. HelleraBSIT – 41A

THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

ARTICLE VI :

The Philippine Congress is divided into two chambers :

1. Senate  - The Upper House

2. House of Representatives  - The Lower

House

The Senate

► consists of 24 Senators elected at large.

► 12 Senators are elected every three (3) years.

► Each has a term of six years.

Qualifications :

► No person shall be a Senator unless he is a

natural-born citizen of the Philippines, and on

the day of the election, is at least 35 years of

age, able to read and write, a registered voter,

and a resident of the Philippines for not less than

two years immediately preceding the day of the

election.

► The age is fixed at 35 and must be possessed on

the day of the elections, that is, when the polls

are opened and the votes cast, and not on the

day of the proclamation of the winners by the

board of canvassers.

► With regard to the residence requirements, it

was ruled in the case of Lim v. Pelaez that it

must be the place where one habitually resides

and to which he, after absence, has the intention

of returning.

► The enumeration laid down by the 1987

Philippine Constitution is exclusive under the

Latin principle of expressio unius est exclusio

alterius. This means that Congress cannot

anymore add additional qualifications other than

those provided by the 1987 Philippine

Constitution.

Organizations :◙The Senate shall elect its President and

the House of Representatives its Speaker by a

vote of all its respective members.

◙Each House shall choose such other officers as it

may deem necessary.

◙Each House may determine the rules of its

proceedings

The 15th Congress Senators :

The list of standing committee chairmanships for the 15th Congress:

*more popularly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee.

[edit]Congressional ad hoc and oversight committees

Committee Party Chair PartyMinority

leader

Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations*

Liberal Teofisto Guingona III Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Accounts Independent Panfilo Lacson

Agrarian Reform Independent Gregorio Honasan Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Agriculture and Food Liberal Francis Pangilinan Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies

Independent Sergio Osmeña III Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Civil Service and Government Reorganization

Independent Antonio Trillanes IV Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Climate Change NPC Loren Legarda

Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws

PRPMiriam Defensor Santiago

Cooperatives Lakas-Kampi Juan Miguel Zubiri Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Cultural Communities NPC Loren Legarda

Economic Affairs Nacionalista Manny Villar Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Education, Arts and Culture LDP Edgardo Angara Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Energy Independent Sergio Osmeña III Lakas-Kampi Joker ArroyoEnvironment and Natural Resources

Lakas-Kampi Juan Miguel Zubiri Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Ethics and Privileges Nacionalista Alan Peter Cayetano Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Finance Liberal Franklin Drilon Lakas-Kampi Joker ArroyoForeign Relations NPC Loren Legarda

Games, Amusement and Sports Lakas-Kampi Lito Lapid

Government Corporations and Public Enterprises

Liberal Franklin Drilon Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Health and Demography Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Justice and Human Rights Independent Francis Escudero Lakas-Kampi Joker Arroyo

Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development

PMP Jinggoy Estrada Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

Local Government Nacionalista Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Nacionalista Pia Cayetano

National Defense and Security Independent Francis Escudero

The salaries of members of the Senate is governed by Article VI of the Constitution as follows:

◙Sec. 10. The salaries of Senators and Members of

the House of Representatives shall be determined

by law. No increase in said compensation shall

take effect until after the expiration of the full

term of all the members of the Senate and the

House of Representatives approving such

increase.

◙Sec. 20. The records and books of accounts of

Congress shall be preserved and be open to the

public in accordance with law, and such books

shall be audited by the Commission on Audit

which shall publish annually an itemized list of

amounts paid to and expenses incurred for each

Member.

◙Until the Congress provides otherwise, the President

shall receive an annual salary of three hundred thousand

pesos; the Vice-President, the President of the Senate,

the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, two hundred forty

thousand pesos each; the Senators, the members of the

House of Representatives, the Associate Justices of the

Supreme Court, and the Chairmen of the Constitutional

Commissions, two hundred four thousand pesos each;

and the Members of the Constitutional Commissions, one

hundred eighty thousand pesos each.

The house of the Representatives :

† shall be composed of not more than 250

members, unless otherwise fixed by law.

† shall have a term of three years commencing at

noon of the 30th day of June following their

election.

† limited to serving a maximum of three (3)

consecutive terms.

Legislative Powers and Functions ► Propose, review and adopt bills for enactment into

law

► Conduct studies and inquiries in aid of legislation

and investigations necessary in the lawmaking

process and in the oversight of the execution of

laws by the executive

► Propose appropriations, revenue or tariff bills; bills

authorizing increase of the public sector debt; bills

of local application and private bills

►Concur in all treaties and international agreements

► Exercise the constitutional right and responsibility of

advice and consent on certain presidential nominations

through the Commission on Appointments

► Judge the election, returns and qualifications of its

members, determine the rules of its proceedings, and

punish its members by suspension or expulsion for

disorderly behavior

► Authorize the President to exercise emergency power in

times of war or national emergency

Non-legislative Functions:

☻Non-legislative functions are powers and

responsibilities not related to passing laws

☻Include impeachment power, confirmation

power, investigative power

☻Congress has important electoral powers, but they are only

used if the regular electoral practices fail to produce clear

results.

☻Congress also has the power of impeachment

☻power to confirm or deny all major appointments made by

the president.

The Constitution also requires that the president seek the Senate's

"advice and consent" on all international treaties, demanding a

two-thirds vote of the Senate for any treaty to acquire the force of

law.