How a Bill Becomes Law in the Philippines

How A Bill Becomes Law In The Philippines

The Congress of the Philippines is the branch of government tasked with creating laws in the Philippines. It is made up of two Houses: a) the Lower House or the House of !epresentatives" and b) the #pper #pper House or the $enate. Its members are the the congressmen and senators %ou voted for. &s part of the law'making process individual members of Congress propose bills for approval b% the ma(orit% of Congress. If the bill gets approved it will constitute part of the law of the Philippines. In this article we will give %ou a step'b%'step guide as to how a bill becomes law or more specificall% a statute) in the Philippines. Filing/Calendaring for First Reading

& bill is filed in the *ffice of the $ecretar% where it is given a corresponding number  and calendared for +irst !eading. First Reading

Its title bill number and author,s name are read on the floor after which it is referred to the proper committee. Committee Hearings/Report

Committee conducts hearings and consultation meetings. It then either approves the  proposed bill without an amendment approves it with changes or recommends substitution or consolidation with similar bills filed. Calendaring for Second Reading

The Committee !eport with its approved bill version is submitted to the Committee on !ules for calendaring for $econd !eading. Second Reading

-ill -ill author author delive delivers rs sponso sponsors rship hip speech speech on the floor floor.. $enato $enators rs engage engage in debate debate interpellation turno en contra and rebuttal to highlight the pros and cons of the bill. &  period of amendments incorporates necessar% changes in the bill proposed b% the committee or introduced b% the $enators themselves on the floor. Voting on Second Reading

$enators vote on the second reading version of the bill. If approved the bill is calendared for third reading. Voting Voting on Third Reading

Printed copies of the bill,s final version are distributed to the $enators. This time onl% the title of the bill is read on the floor. ominal voting is held. If passed the approved $enate bill is referred to the House of !epresentatives for concurrence. At the Hose of Representati!es

The Lower Chamber follows the same procedures +irst !eading $econd !eading and Third !eading). Bac" to the Senate

If the House'approved version is compatible with that of the $enate,s the final version,s enrolled form is printed. If there are certain differences a -icameral Conference Committee is called to reconcile conflicting provisions of both versions of the $enate and of the House of !epresentatives. Conference committee submits report on the reconciled version of the bill dul% approved b% both chambers. The $enate prints the reconciled version in its enrolled form. S#mission to $alaca%ang

+inal enrolled form is submitted to /alaca0ang. The President either signs it into law or vetoes and sends it back to the $enate with veto message.

Section &' (&) Art* VI + ,-. Constittion

 o bill passed b% either House shall become a law unless it has passed three readings on separate da%s and printed copies thereof in its final form have been distributed to its /embers three da%s before its passage e1cept when the President certifies to the necessit% of its immediate enactment to meet a public cala mit% or emergenc%. #pon the last reading of a bill no amendment thereto shall be allowed and the vote thereon shall  be taken immediatel% thereafter and the %eas and na%s entered in the 2ournal. Conference Committee Conference Committee Action Calling a Conference

3ither chamber can re4uest a conference once both have considered the same legislation. 5enerall% the chamber that approved the legislation first will disagree to the amendments made b% the second bod% and will make a re4uest that a conference be convened. $ometimes however the second bod% will ask for a conference immediatel% after it has passed the legislation assuming that the other chamber will not accept its amendments.

Selection of Conferees

#nder the !ules of the $enate !ule 6II $ection 78) the $enate President shall designate the members of the $enate panel in the conference committee with the approval of the $enate. The $enate delegation to a conference can range in si9e from three to a larger number depending on the length and comple1it% of the legislation involved. Athorit0 of Conferees

The authorit% given to the $enate conferees theoreticall% is limited to matters in disagreement between the two chambers. The% are not authori9ed to delete provisions or  language agreed to b% both the House and the $enate as to draft entirel% new provisions. In practice however the conferees have wide latitude e1cept where the matters in disagreement are ver% specific. /oreover conferees attempt to reconcile their  differences but generall% the% tr% to grant concession onl% insofar as the% remain confident that the chamber the% represent will accept the compromise. The Conference Report

hen the conferees have reached agreement on a bill the conference committee staff  writes a conference report indicating changes made in the bill and e1plaining each side,s actions. *nce a conference committee completes its works it can now be submitted to the floor for its approval. ;ebate on conference reports is highl% privileged and can interrupt most other business. &pproval of the conference report b% both houses along with an% amendments on disagreement constitutes final approval of the bill.

1octrine of enrolled #ill The enrolled #ill  rule is a principle of (udicial interpretation of rules of procedure in legislative bodies. #nder the doctrine  once a #ill passes a legislative bod% and is signed into law the courts assume that all rules of procedure in the enactment process were  properl% followed. Athentication of #ills President2s appro!al or !eto

Final Legislati!e Action

&fter both houses have given final approval to a bill a final cop% of the bill known as

the da%s from receipt in his office. & bill ma% also become a law without the President,s signature if Congress overrides a presidential veto b% two'thirds vote. How a Bill #ecomes a law in 3 wa0s

?st reading '' !eferral to committee) ''@ And reading ''' ;ebate)'''@ 7rd reading

PARTS 4F STAT5T6S 4ne title7one s#8ect rle The single7s#8ect rle  is a rule in the constitutional law of some (urisdictions that stipulates that some or all t%pes of legislation ma% deal with onl% one main issue. *ne  purpose is to avoid comple1it% in laws to avoid an% hidden conse4uences that legislators or voters ma% miss when reading the proposed law. ¬her is to prevent legislators attaching an unpopular provision Brider B) to an unrelated popular one whether in the hope of sneaking the unpopular one through or in the hope of causing the popular one to  be re(ected a t%pe of wrecking amendment). Sec* &' (,)+ Article VI+ ,-. Constittion $3CTI* A. ?) 3ver% bill passed b% the Congress shall embrace onl% one sub(ect which shall be e1pressed in the title thereof. Logrolling Purposes of constitutional re4uirement: ?. To prevent hodge'podge or log'rolling legislation. A. To prevent surprise or fraud upon the legislature. 7. To inform the people through such  publications. 9hat is hodge7podge or log7rolling legislation:  !efers to an% legislation that have several sub(ects on unrelated matters combined together. 6ffect if insfficienc0 of title a statute whose title does not conform to the constitutional re4uirement or is not related in an% manner to its sub(ect is #LL &; D*I;. here however the sub(ect matter of a statute is not sufficientl% e1pressed in its title onl% so much of the sub(ect matter as is not e1pressed therein is void leaving the rest in force unless the invalid provisions are inseparable from the others in which case the nullit% of the former vitiates the latter.