I. YOUR TARGETS TO HIT!

 Explain the roles of different political institutions: executive, legislative and judicial departments;
decentralization and local governance; and
 Describe the functions of the local government.

II. YOUR TOOLS, TIPS, AND TOOLS!

Watch the video by clicking the link below. Additional reference for this lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vknSpPF20&ab_channel=Jhe-RicoSam https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=w0nbAqi83nE&ab_channel=Jhe-RicoSam

III. YOUR TOPICS TO LEARN!

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF PHILIPPINE DEMOCRATIC POLITICS THE ROLES OF DIFFERENT

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

DESCRIPTION OF PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

The Politics of the Philippines is within an organized framework of a presidential, republican, and democratic
government where the president is both the head of state and the head of government who is elected directly by the
people under an open and multi-party system. This democratic republican system revolves around three separate but
interdependent branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial, whose powers and authority are within the
provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Executive power is exercised by the government under the president who
is referred to as the chief executive. Legislative power is vested in a bicameral Congress: The Senate and the House of
Representatives. Judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body and
including all other lower courts.

Elections are administered by an independent Commission on Elections every three years. Elections are held
every second Monday of May, national and local (except for the barangay), and the declared winners in the elections take
office on June 30 and will end on the same day upon expiration of their term.

Local government is composed of local government units from the provinces, cities, municipalities and
barangays. While most regions do not have political power, and exist merely for administration purposes, autonomous
regions have expanded powers more than the autonomy of other local government units. Being that local government
units enjoy autonomy through the process of decentralization, they are obliged to create their own economy and sources
of budget.

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The Legislative Department:

Legislative power is vested to the Philippine Congress which is a bicameral legislature, meaning, it is composed of
two houses or chambers- the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of 24 senators elected-
atlarge by the people. The senators are limited to a term of 6 years and only up to 2 consecutive terms allowed. The Senate
President is its leader, elected at least by a majority of its members. 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 members are limited to a term of 3 years and only up to 3 consecutive terms allowed The House of Representatives is
headed by the Speaker.

Legislative power means the authority under the constitution to make laws and to alter or repeal them. Bill in
Legislation refers to a proposed law presented by a member or committee to a legislative body for its approval by the
majority and enactment. After it has gone through both houses and received the constitutional sanction of the president,
where such approbation is requisite, it becomes a law. Each bill needs the consent of both houses in order to be submitted
to the president for his signature. 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, while the House of Representatives legislate money bills like appropriations and revenues. The constitution
provides Congress with impeachment powers, with the House of Representatives having the power to create and approve
the Articles of Impeachment and the Senate having the power to put to trial the official for impeachment.

From 1907 to 1941, the Nacionalista party operated under a dominant-party system, with factions within that
party becoming the primary political conflict. 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 the Liberals alternating in power, until
President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. Political rivalry was kept into a minimum during the Martial Law
period and presidential elections were suspended until 1981 when Marcos created the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL),
which dominated elections until 1986 when Marcos was overthrown as a result of the People Power Revolution. The
political climate, as provided in the 1987 Constitution, ushered in a multi-party system which persists into this day.

The Executive Department

Executive power is vested in the President. The president appoints and delegates his power to a cabinet. The
president, who is both the head of state and head of government, is directly elected to a no re-election six-year term. In
case of death, permanent disability, resignation or removal from office, the Vice President becomes president until the
expiration of the term. The Vice President is elected separately from the president and may come from a different political
party. While the vice president has no constitutional powers aside from acting as president when the latter is temporarily
incapacitated, the president may give the Vice President a cabinet office. The cabinet is mostly composed of the heads of
the executive departments and other cabinet-level officials who are all appointed by the President and confirmed by the
Commission on Appointments, except for the Vice President.

The president is also the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, thereby ensuring civilian
supremacy over the military. The president is given military powers that includes the suspension of the privilege the writ
of habeas corpus or the proclamation of martial law either within a specific area or the entire land. However, once
exercised, Congress is able to prolong or end it. The president also proposes a national budget, in which Congress may
adopt in full, with amendments, or a complete revision altogether. With the prior concurrence with the Monetary Board,
the president may contract or guarantee foreign loans in behalf of the republic. The pardoning power is also given to the
President, but in cases amnesty should be granted a majority of the members of Congress must concur. Annually, on the
4th Monday of July, when the Congress convenes, the President shall deliver his State of the Nation Address.

The Judicial Department

The branch of government that is endowed with the authority to interpret and apply the law, adjudicate legal dis
putes, andotherwise administer justice is the Judiciary.

The judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court and other lower courts. The Supreme Court is the court of last
resort, and decides on constitutionality of laws and state matters through review. The president selects justices and judges

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from nominees given by the Judicial and Bar Council. The Court of Appeals is the second highest appellate court, the
Court of Tax Appeals rules on tax matters, and the Sandiganbayan is a special court to put to trial graft cases of
government officials and employees. The Regional Trial Courts (RTC) are the main trial courts. The Regional Trial Courts
are based on judicial regions, which almost correspond to the administrative regions. Each RTC has at least one branch in
each province and handles most of the criminal and civil cases; several branches of an RTC may be designated as family
courts and environmental courts. Metropolitan Trial Courts try lesser offenses.

The Ombudsman investigates and prosecutes government officials on crimes while in dispensing powers given by
the government. The Office of the Solicitor General represents the government in legal cases.

Elections in the Philippines

Elections are administered by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). The elected officials are the president,
vice president, members of Congress, regional governors and assemblymen, provincial governors, vice governors and
board members, city and municipal mayors, vice mayors and councilors, and barangay (village) chairmen and councilors.
Elections are for fixed terms. All elected officials have three-year terms, except for the president, vice president and
senators, which are six years. All terms begin and end on June 30 of the election year.

Elections above the barangay level are held every three years since 1992 on the second Monday of May, all
positions are disputed except for president and vice president; presidential and vice presidential elections are held every
six years since 1992. Single-winner elections are done via the plurality voting system: the candidate with the highest
number of votes is elected. Multiple-winner elections, except for representatives elected the party-list system, are done via
plurality-at-large voting. Each voter has x votes, with the x candidates with the highest number of votes being elected. For
representatives elected the party-list system, a party that won at least 2% of the national vote wins one seat, with
additional seats, but not exceeding three seats, depends on the number of votes it received. If the number of sectoral
representatives does not reach 20% of the membership of the House of Representatives, parties with less than 2% of the
vote are given a seat each until the 20% membership is filled.

Composition of the Local Government

The Philippines is divided into provinces, which are grouped into several regions.
The constitution mandates that local governments must have local autonomy. The smallest local government unit, the
barangay or village, is descended from the balangay of the Maragtas legend, where the first Austronesian people reached
the Philippines via the boat. The prehistoric barangays were headed by datus. Currently, barangays are grouped into
municipalities or cities, while municipalities and cities may be further grouped into provinces. Each barangay,
municipality or city, and province is headed by a barangay chairman, mayor, or governor, respectively, with its
legislatures being the Sangguniang Barangay (village council), Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) or Sangguniang
Panlungsod (city council), and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board).

Regions are the highest administrative divisions but do not have powers possessed under them; however,
autonomous regions are given wider powers than other local government units. While the constitution allows
autonomous regions in the Cordilleras and in Muslim Mindanao, only the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) exists, with the proposed autonomous region in Cordillera being defeated after two plebiscites. The ARMM has
a regional governor and a regional assembly.

While local government units have autonomy, most of their budget is derived from the Internal Revenue
Allotment, a disbursement from the national government which is ultimately derived from taxes. This makes most local
government units ultimately dependent on the national government, unless they have other sources of income, such as
property taxes. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_history_of_the_Philippines

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Sebastian
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IV. YOUR TERMINAL KEYPOI NTS
Things to remember:

DESCRIPTION OF PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Executive power
Legislative power
Judicial power
Local government
The Legislative Department: Legislative
power
The Executive Department
Executive power
The Judicial Department
The judiciary
Elections in the Philippines
Composition of the Local Government

This learning material is produced for the exclusive use

Sebastian
of St. International School only.
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V.
PHIL. POL .&GOV. LS 8 Work

Name: Grade Level & Section:

Date: Score: Parent/Guardian’s Signature:

DIRECTION: Draw a Diagram on the Passage of a Bil l until it Becomes a Law in the Philippines.
You can surf the net for answers. You can use another sheet if necessary.

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Sebastian
of St. International School only.
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