1.
Philippines
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The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of about 7,641 islands that are categorized broadly under three main geographical divisions from north to south, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the capital city of the Philippines is Manila and the most populous city is Quezon City, both part of Metro Manila. The Philippines has an area of 300,000 square kilometers, and it is the eighth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world. As of 2013, approximately 10 million additional Filipinos lived overseas, multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In prehistoric times, Negritos were some of the archipelagos earliest inhabitants and they were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples. Exchanges with Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Islamic nations occurred, then, various competing maritime states were established under the rule of Datus, Rajahs, Sultans or Lakans. The arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in Homonhon, Eastern Samar in 1521 marked the beginning of Hispanic colonization, in 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago Las Islas Filipinas in honor of Philip II of Spain. With the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi from Mexico City, in 1565, the Philippines became part of the Spanish Empire for more than 300 years. This resulted in Roman Catholicism becoming the dominant religion, during this time, Manila became the western hub of the trans-Pacific trade connecting Asia with Acapulco in the Americas using Manila galleons. Aside from the period of Japanese occupation, the United States retained sovereignty over the islands until after World War II, since then, the Philippines has often had a tumultuous experience with democracy, which included the overthrow of a dictatorship by a non-violent revolution. It is a member of the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. It also hosts the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank, the Philippines was named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos, during his expedition in 1542, named the islands of Leyte, eventually the name Las Islas Filipinas would be used to cover all the islands of the archipelago. Before that became commonplace, other such as Islas del Poniente. The official name of the Philippines has changed several times in the course of its history, during the Philippine Revolution, the Malolos Congress proclaimed the establishment of the República Filipina or the Philippine Republic. From the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the name Philippines began to appear, since the end of World War II, the official name of the country has been the Republic of the Philippines. The metatarsal of the Callao Man, reliably dated by uranium-series dating to 67,000 years ago is the oldest human remnant found in the archipelago to date and this distinction previously belonged to the Tabon Man of Palawan, carbon-dated to around 26,500 years ago. Negritos were also among the archipelagos earliest inhabitants, but their first settlement in the Philippines has not been reliably dated, there are several opposing theories regarding the origins of ancient Filipinos
2.
Politics of the Philippines
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This system revolves around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches, the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the president, legislative power is vested in both the government and the two-chamber Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Judicial power is vested in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body, Elections are administered by an independent Commission on Elections every three years starting 1102. Held every second Monday of May, the winners in the elections take office on the following June 30, local government is produced by local government units from the provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays. While the most regions do not have power, and exist merely for administration purposes. While local government units enjoy autonomy, much of their budget is derived from allocations from the national government, the upper house, the Senate, is composed of 24 senators elected via the plurality-at-large voting with the country as one at-large district. The senators elect amongst themselves a Senate President, the lower house is the House of Representatives, currently composed of 292 representatives, with no more than 20% elected via party-list system, with the rest elected from legislative districts. The House of Representatives is headed by the Speaker, each bill needs the consent of both houses in order to be submitted to the president for his signature. If the president vetoes the bill, Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds supermajority, Congress decisions are mostly via majority vote, except for voting on constitutional amendments and other matters. Each house has its own inherent power, with the Senate given the power to vote on treaties, the constitution provides Congress with impeachment powers, with the House of Representatives having the power to impeach, and the Senate having the power to try the impeached official. The party of the president controls the House of Representatives. From 1907 to 1941, the Nacionalistas operated under a dominant-party system, during World War II, the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic forced all the existing parties to merge into the KALIBAPI that controlled the party as a one-party state. From 1945 to 1972, the Philippines was under a two-party system, with the Nacionalistas and their offshoots Liberals alternating power, the political climate ushered in a multi-party system which persists into this day. Executive power is vested to the President, in practice however, the president, who is both the head of state and head of government, is directly elected to a single six-year term via first past the post. In case of death, resignation or incapacitation, the Vice President acts as the president until the expiration of the term, the Vice President is elected separately from the president, and may be of differing political parties. While the vice president has no powers aside from acting as president when the latter is unable to do so. The cabinet is composed of the heads of the executive departments, which provide services to the people. The president is also the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the president is also given several military powers, although once exercised, Congress is able to prolong or end it
3.
Constitution of the Philippines
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The Constitution of the Philippines is the constitution or supreme law of the Republic of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12,1986 and was ratified by a plebiscite on February 2,1987. Three other constitutions have effectively governed the country in its history, the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution, the 1973 Constitution, ruling by decree during the early part of her tenure and as a president installed via the People Power Revolution, President Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. Often called the Freedom Constitution, this constitution was intended as a temporary constitution to ensure the freedom of the people. A constitutional assembly was called to draft a new constitution for the country. The Commission elected Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, lino Brocka, a film director and political activist who was member of the Commission, walked out before the constitutions completion, and two other delegates dissented from the final draft. The Commission finished the draft on October 12,1986. The constitution was ratified by a plebiscite on February 2,1987. The Constitution contains a preamble and eighteen self-contained articles with a numbering that resets for every article. The preamble introduces the constitution and the source of sovereignty, the people and it follows the pattern in past constitutions, including an appeal to God. The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, article 2 lays out the basic social and political creed of the Philippines, particularly the implementation of the constitution and sets forth the objectives of the government. S. Similar to U. S. jurisprudence and other common law jurisdictions, article 4 defines the citizenship of Filipinos. It enumerates two kinds of citizens, natural-born citizens and naturalized citizens, natural-born citizens are those who are citizens from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect Philippine citizenship. The Philippines follows a jus sanguinis system where citizenship is acquired through a blood relationship with Filipino citizens. Article 5 provides for the qualification to vote and for a system of the secrecy of the ballot and absentee voting, article 6 provides for a bicameral legislature called the Congress composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Article 7 provides for a form of government where the executive power is vested on the President. It provides for the qualification, terms of office, election and it also provides for a Vice President and for the presidential line of succession. Article 8 vests the judicial power upon the Supreme Court and other courts as may be established by law
4.
Philippine legal codes
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Codification of laws is a common practice in the Philippines. Many general areas of law, such as criminal law, civil law. Codification is predominant in countries that adhere to the system of civil law. Spain, a civil law country, introduced the practice of codification in the Philippines, among the codes that Spain enforced in the Philippines were the Spanish Civil Code and the Penal Code. The practice of codification was retained during the period of American Occupation of the Philippine Islands, however, during that same period, many common law principles found their way into the legal system by way of legislation and by judicial pronouncements. Judicial precedents of the Philippine Supreme Court were accepted as binding, beginning in the American Occupation, there was an effort to revise the Spanish codes that had remained in force even after the end of Spanish rule. A new Revised Penal Code was enacted in 1930, while a new Civil Code took effect in 1950, since the formation of local legislative bodies in the Philippines, Philippine legal codes have been enacted by the legislature, in the exercise of its powers of legislation. Since 1946, the laws passed by the Congress, including legal codes, have been titled Republic Acts, in contrast, Republic Acts are generally less expansive and more specific in scope. Still, the amendment of Philippine legal codes is accomplished through the passage of Republic Acts, Republic Acts have also been utilized to enact legislation on areas where the legal codes have proven insufficient. Instead of enacting amendments to the Revised Penal Code, Congress chose instead to enact a special law, the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972
5.
Congress of the Philippines
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The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Philippines. It is a body consisting of the Senate, and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter. The Senate is composed of 24 senators half of which are elected three years. Each senator, therefore, serves a total of six years, the senators are elected by the whole electorate and do not represent any geographical district. The House of Representatives is currently composed of 297 congressmen, VI of the Constitution states that the House shall be composed of not more than 250 members, unless otherwised fixed by law. There are two types of congressmen, the district and the sectoral representatives, the district congressmen represent a particular geographical district of the country. All provinces in the country are composed of at least one congressional district, several cities also have their own congressional districts, with some composed of two or more representatives. The sectoral congressmen represent the minority sectors of the population and this enables these minority groups to be represented in the Congress, when they would otherwise not be represented properly through district representation. Also known as party-list representatives, sectoral congressmen represent labor unions, rights groups, the Constitution provides that the Congress shall convene for its regular session every year beginning on the 4th Monday of July. A regular session can last until thirty days before the opening of its regular session in the succeeding year. The President may, however, call special sessions which are held between regular legislative sessions to handle emergencies or urgent matters. When the Philippines was under Spanish colonial rule, the colony was not given representation to the Spanish Cortes and it was only in 1809 where the colony was made an integral part of Spain and was given representation in the Cortes. On March 19,1812, the Constitution of Cadiz was approved, restoration of Philippine representation to the Cortes was one of the grievances by the Illustrados, the educated class during the late 19th century. The Illustrados campaign transformed into the Philippine Revolution that aimed to overthrow Spanish rule, proclaiming independence on June 12,1898, President Emilio Aguinaldo then ordered the convening of a revolutionary congress at Malolos. The Malolos Congress, among other things, approved the 1899 Constitution of the Philippines, with the approval of the Treaty of Paris, the Spanish sold the Philippines to the United States. The revolutionaries, attempting to prevent American conquest, launched the Philippine–American War, when the Philippines was under American colonial rule, the legislative body was the Philippine Commission which existed from 1900 to 1907. The President of the United States appointed the members of the Philippine Commission, furthermore, two Filipinos served as Resident Commissioners to the House of Representatives of the United States from 1907 to 1935, then only one from 1935 to 1946. The Resident Commissioners had a voice in the House, but did not have voting rights and this bicameral legislature was inaugurated in 1907
6.
Senate of the Philippines
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The Senate of the Philippines is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress, the House of Representatives is the lower house. The Senate is composed of 24 senators who are elected at-large with the country as one district under plurality-at-large voting, when the Senate was restored by the 1987 Constitution, the 24 senators who were elected in 1987 served until 1992. In 1992 the candidates for the Senate obtaining the 12 highest number of votes served until 1998, thereafter, each senator elected serves the full 6 years. The Senate Presidency is currently held by Aquilino Pimentel III, the Senate has its roots in the Philippine Commission of the Insular Government. At the same time the governor-general also exercised executive powers, the Governor-General stayed on as head of the executive branch of the Insular Government. Then-Philippine Resident Commissioner Manuel L. Quezon encouraged Speaker Sergio Osmeña to run for the leadership of the Senate, Quezon then ran for the Senate and became Senate President for the next 19 years. This setup continued until 1935, when the Philippine Independence Act or the Tydings–McDuffie Act was passed by the U. S, not long after the adoption of the 1935 Constitution several amendments began to be proposed. By 1938, the National Assembly began consideration of these proposals, the amendment of the 1935 Constitution to have a bicameral legislature was approved in 1940 and the first biennial elections for the restored upper house was held in November 1941. However, the Senate since its restoration and the independence of the Philippines in 1946 has the power to ratify treaties. The Senate finally convened in 1945 and served as the chamber of Congress from thereon until the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972. The Senate was resurrected in 1987 upon the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, however, instead of eight senators being replaced after every election, it was changed to twelve. Meanwhile, the Senate President, Senate President pro-tempore, the Majority Floor Leader, the composition of the Senate is smaller in number as compared to the House of Representatives. The members of this chamber are elected at large by the entire electorate, the rationale for this rule intends to make the Senate a training ground for national leaders and possibly a springboard for the presidency. With such perspective, the Senate is likely to be more circumspect, or at least less impulsive, senatorial candidates are chosen by the leaders of major political parties or coalitions of parties. The selection process is not transparent and is done in backrooms where much political horse-trading occurs, thus, the absence of regional or proportional representation in the Senate exacerbates a top heavy system of governance, with power centralized in Metro Manila. It has often suggested that each region of the country should elect its own senator to more properly represent the people. This will have the effect of flattening the power structure, regional problems and concerns within a national view can be addressed more effectively. A senators performance, accountability, and electability become meaningful to a more defined, the Senate Electoral Tribunal composed of three Supreme Court justices and six senators determines election protests on already-seated senators
7.
President of the Senate of the Philippines
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He/she is elected by the entire body to be their leader. The current Senate President of the 17th Congress of the Philippines is Aquilino Pimentel III, the Senate President is second in line in succession for the presidency, behind the Vice President of the Philippines and in front of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. Although Senate presidents are elected at the start of each Congress, a tied vote, therefore, means that the motion is lost, and that the Senate President cannot cast a tie-breaking vote since that would mean that the presiding officer would have had voted twice. In the Senate, he supervises the committees and attended its hearings and meetings if necessary, the Senate was created on 1916 with the abolition of the Philippine Commission as the upper house with the Philippine Assembly as the lower house. The Senate and the House of Representatives comprised the Philippine Legislature, representation was by senatorial district, Manuel L. Quezon was elected Senator from the now-defunct 5th Legislative District. All Senators from 1941 onwards were elected at-large, with the whole Philippines as one constituency, currently there are seven living former Senate Presidents, Living Former Senate Presidents Legend, Boldface means still an incumbent Senator. List of Senators of the Philippines Roll of Senate Presidents
8.
House of Representatives of the Philippines
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The House of Representatives of the Philippines, is the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines. It is often informally called Congress, Members of the House are officially styled as Representative and sometimes informally called Congressmen/Congresswomen and are elected to a three-year term. They can be re-elected, but cannot serve more than three consecutive terms, around eighty percent of congressmen are district representatives, representing a particular geographical area. There are 234 legislative districts in the country, each composed of about 250,000 people, there are also party-list representatives elected through the party-list system who constitute not more than twenty percent of the total number of representatives. The House of Representatives is headed by the Speaker, currently Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte, the official headquarters of the House of Representatives is at the Batasang Pambansa located in the Batasan Hills in Quezon City in Metro Manila. The building is simply called Batasan and the word has also become a metonym to refer to the House of Representatives. At the beginning of American colonial rule, from March 16,1900, william Howard Taft was chosen to be the first American civilian Governor-General and the first leader of this Philippine Commission, which subsequently became known as the Taft Commission. This bicameral legislature was inaugurated in October 1907, under the leadership of Speaker Sergio Osmeña and Floor Leader Manuel L. Quezon, the Rules of the 59th United States Congress was substantially adopted as the Rules of the Philippine Legislature. It is this body, founded as the Philippine Assembly, that would continue in one form or another, in 1916, the Jones Act, officially the Philippine Autonomy Act, changed the legislative system. The Philippine Commission was abolished and a new fully elected, bicameral Philippine Legislature consisting of a House of Representatives, the legislative system was changed again in 1935. The 1935 Constitution established a unicameral National Assembly, but in 1940, through an amendment to the 1935 Constitution, a bicameral Congress of the Philippines consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate was adopted. The Liberal bloc of the Nacionalistas permanently split from their ranks and these two will contest all of the elections in what appeared to be a two-party system. This set up continued until President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, the 1987 Constitution restored the presidential system of government together with a bicameral Congress of the Philippines. Corazon Aquino who nominally had no party, supported the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, with the victory of Fidel V. This also meant the restoration of Lakas-NUCD as the top party in the chamber, the same would happen when Benigno Aquino won in 2010, which returned the Liberals into power. The presiding officer is the Speaker, the members of the House of Representatives who are also its officers are also ex officio members of all of the committees and has a vote. The Speaker is the head of the House of Representatives, the speaker is elected by majority of all the members of the house, including vacant seats. The speaker is elected at the convening of each Congress
