The Philippines is a democratic democratic and republican republican state. As a republican republican state, sovereignty sovereignty resides in the People and all government authority emanates from them ( Constitution, Art. III, Sec. 1. 1 . !A "epublican "epubl ican form of government rests on the conviction that sovereignty should reside in the people and that all government authority must emanate from them. It abhors the concentration of po#er on one or a fe#, cogni$ant that po#er, #hen absolute, can lead to abuse, but it also shuns a direct and unbridled rule by the people, a veritable %indling to the passionate &res of anarchy.. 'ur people have accepted this notion and decided to delegate the basic state authority anarchy to principally three branches of government the )*ecutive, the +egislative, and the udiciary each branch being supreme in its o#n sphere but #ith constitutional limits and a &rm tripod of chec%s and balances . balances .
The Executive Branch The e*ecutive e*ecutive branch is headed by the the President, #ho is elected by a direct direct vote of the people. people. The term of o/ce o/ce of the President, President, as #ell as the 0icePresident, 0icePresident, is is si* (2 years. As head of the )*ecutive 3epartment, the President is the Chief )*ecutive. 4e represents the government as a #hole and sees to it that all la#s are enforced by the o/cials and employees of his department. 4e has control over the e*ecutive department, bureaus and o/ces. This means that he has the authority to assume directly the functions of the e*ecutiv e*ecutive e department, bureau and o/ce or interfere #ith the discretion of its o/cials. Corollary to the po#er of control, the President also has the duty of supervising the enforcement of la#s for the maintenance of general peace and public order. order. Thus, he is granted administrative po#er over bureaus and o/ces under his control to enable him to discharge his duties e5ectively. The President e*erc e*ercises ises general supervision over all local local government units and is is also the CommanderinChief Commander inChief of the th e Armed 6orces of the Philippines. 7nder the e*isting Presidential form of government, the e*ecutive and legislative branches are entirely separate, sub8ect only to the mechanisms of chec%s and balances. There #ere attempts to amend the Constitution in order to sh ift to a parliamentary system, but these moves #ere struc% do#n by the Supreme Court. The most recent petition that reached the Supreme Court is +ambino vs. C'9)+)C.
The Legislative Branch The legislative branch, branch, #hich has the authority to ma%e, ma%e, alter or repeal la#s (see also the de&nition of !legislative ! legislative po#er!, po#er !, is the Congress. !Congress is vested #ith the tremendous po#er of the purse, traditionally recogni$ed in the constitutional provision that :no money shall be paid out of the Treasury e*cept in pursuance of an appropriation made by la#.; It comprehends both the po#er to generate money by ta*ation (the po#er to ta* and the po#er to spend it (the po#er to appropriate. The po#er to appropriate carries #ith it the po#er to specify the amount that may be spent and the purpose for #hich it may be spent. 7nder a bicameral system, the Congress is composed of the Senate and the 4ouse of "epresentatives. The Senate is composed of t#entyfour (<= Senators, #ho are elected elected at large large by the >uali&ed voters of the Philippines. The term of o/ce of the Senators is si* (2 years. The 4ouse of "epresentatives, "epresentatives, on the other other hand, is composed of not more than t#o hundred hundred and &fty (
organi$ations. The term of o/ce of members of the 4ouse of "epresentatives, also called !Congressmen, is three ( years.
The Judiciary udicial po#er is vested in the Supreme Court and in such lo#er courts as may be established by la#. The 8udiciary has the BDmoderating po#erB to BDdetermine the proper allocation of po#ersB bet#een the branches of government. Ehen the !8udiciary mediates to allocate constitutional boundaries, it does not assert any superiority over the other departmentsF it does not in reality nullify or invalidate an act of the legislature, but only asserts the solemn and sacred obligation assigned to it by the Constitution to determine conGicting claims of authority under the Constitution and to establish for the parties in an actual controversy the rights #hich that instrument secures and guarantees to them. In the #ords of Chief ustice "eynato S. PunoH BDThe udiciary may not have the po#er of the s#ord, may not have the po#er of the purse, but it has the po#er to interpret the Constitution, and the unerring lessons of history tell us that rightly #ielded, that po#er can ma%e a di5erence for good.B Ehile Congress has the po#er to de&ne, prescribe and apportion the 8urisdiction of the various courts, Congress cannot deprive the Supreme Court of its 8urisdiction provided in the Constitution. o la# shall also be passed reorgani$ing the 8udiciary #hen it undermines the security of tenure of its members. The Supreme Court also has administrative supervision over all courts and the personnel thereof, having the po#er to discipline or dismiss 8udges of lo#er courts. The Supreme Court is composed of a Chief ustice and fourteen Associate ustices. It may sit en banc or, in its discretion, in divisions of three, &ve or seven members. A member of the Supreme Court must be a naturalborn citi$en of the Philippines, at least forty (=@ years of age and must have been for &fteen (1? years or more a 8udge of a lo#er court or engaged in the pratice of la# in the Philippines. ustices hold o/ce during good behavior until they reach the age of seventy (J@ years or become incapacitated to discharge the duties of their o/ce. K SourcesH Francisco, Jr. vs. House of Representatives , L.". o. 12@<21, 1@ ovember <@@, main decision and the separate opinions of ustices 0itug and CoronaF Ople vs. Torres , L.". o. 1
What is the basis the power of “inuiry in aid of legislation†! The Congressional po#er of in>uiry is e*pressly recogni$ed in Section <1 of Article 0I of the ConstitutionH S)CTI' <1. The Senate or the 4ouse of "epresentatives or any of its respective committees may conduct in>uiries in aid of legislation in accordance #ith its duly published rules of procedure. The rights of persons appearing in or a5ected by such in>uiries shall be respected. )ven #ithout this e*press Constitutional provision, the po#er of in>uiry is inherent in the po#er to legislate. The po#er of in>uiry, #ith process to enforce it, is grounded on the necessity of information in the legislative process. If the information possessed by e*ecutive o/cials on the operation of their o/ces is necessary for #ise legislation on that sub8ect, by parity of reasoning, Congress has the right to that information and the po#er to compel the disclosure thereof.
Why is inuiry in aid of legislation i"portant under the separation of powers! 7nder the separation of po#ers, Congress has the right to obtain information from any source B! even from o/cials of departments and agencies in the e*ecutive branch. It is this very
separation that ma%es the congressional right to obtain information from the e*ecutive so essential, if the functions of the Congress as the elected representatives of the people are ade>uately to be carried out. S)CTI' ??. 0eto Po#er of the +ocal Chief )*ecutive. (a The local chief e*ecutive may veto any ordinance of the Sangguniang Panlala#igan, Sangguniang Panlungsod, or Sangguniang bayan on the ground that it is ultra vires or pre8udicial to the public #elfare, stating his reasons therefor in #riting. (b The local chief e*ecutive, e*cept the Punong Oarangay, shall have the po#er to veto any particular item or items of an appropriations ordinance, an ordinance or resolution adopting a local development plan and public investment program, or an ordinance directing the payment of money or creating liability. In such a case, the veto shall not a5ect the item or items #hich are not ob8ected to. The vetoed item or items shall not ta%e e5ect unless the Sanggunian overrides the veto in the manner herein providedF other#ise, the item or items in the appropriations ordinance of the previous year corresponding to those vetoed, if any, shall be deemed reenacted. (c The local chief e*ecutive may veto an ordinance or resolution only once. The Sanggunian may override the veto of the local chief e*ecutive concerned by t#othirds (< vote of all its members, thereby ma%ing the ordinance e5ective even #ithout the approval of the local chief e*ecutive concerned If the 4ouseapproved version is compatible #ith that of the Senate;s, the &nal version;s enrolled form is printed. If there are certain di5erences, a Oicameral Conference Committee is called to reconcile conGicting provisions of both versions of the Senate and of the 4ouse of "epresentatives. Conference committee submits report on the reconciled version of the bill, duly approved by both chambers. The Senate prints the reconciled version in its enrolled form. ")P7O+IC ACT '. J@?? A ACT ST")LT4)IL CI0I+IA S7P")9ACQ '0)" T4) 9I+ITA"Q OQ ")T7"IL T' T4) CI0I+ C'7"TS T4) 7"IS3ICTI' '0)" C)"TAI '66)S)S I0'+0IL 9)9O)"S '6 T4) A"9)3 6'"C)S '6 T4) P4I+IPPI)S, 'T4)" P)"S'S S7O)CT T' 9I+ITA"Q +AE, A3 T4) 9)9O)"S '6 T4) P4I+IPPI) ATI'A+ '66IC), ")P)A+IL 6'" T4) P7"P'S) C)"TAI P")SI3)TIA+ 3)C"))S A #rit of habeas corpus, also %no#n as the great writ, is a summons #ith the force of a court orderF it is addressed to the custodian (a prison o/cial for e*ample and demands that a prisoner be ta%en before the court, and that the custodian present proof of authority, allo#ing the court to determine #hether the custodian has la#ful authority to detain the prisoner. If the custodian is acting beyond his or her authority, then the prisoner must be released. Any prisoner, or another person acting on his or her behalf, may petition the court, or a 8udge, for a #rit of habeas corpus . 'ne reason for the #rit to be sought by a person other than the prisoner is that the detainee might be held incommunicado. 9ost civil la# 8urisdictions provide a similar remedy for those unla#fully detained, but this is not al#ays called habeas corpus.R1 6or e*ample, in some Spanish spea%ing nations, the e>uivalent remedy for unla#ful imprisonment is the amparo de libertad (protection of freedom. The #residential and $ice%#residential elections held on J 6ebruary 1NM2 in the Philippines #ere snap elections, and are popularly %no#n as the &nap Elections, that follo#ed the end of 9artial +a# and brought about the People Po#er "evolution, the do#nfall of President 6erdinand ). 9arcos, and the accession of Cora$on C. A>uino as President. The 1NM2 Snap )lections is one of the most controversial elections in the history of the Philippines. This election is pursuant to the declaration of President 6erdinand ). 9arcos to conduct a Snap )lection #hich he announced through an intervie# by the American Oroadcasting
Company political a5airs program 'This Week with David Brinkley” in ovember 1NM?. President 9arcos believed his early “re-election” #ould solidify 7nited States support, silence his critics in the Philippines and the 7nited States, and perhaps banish the ghost of Oenigno S. A>uino, r. The Snap )lections #as set on 6ebruary J, 1NM2. The results of the election according to the Commission on )lections #hich #as chaired by "amon 6elipe are as follo#sH
(erdinand E) *arcos+ ,-. /-0. ,10 votes 234)5678 9ora:on 9) ;uino+
1. 61,. 05, votes 2<5),-78
The results sho#ed that 6erdinand 9arcos #on the elections against Cora$on C. A>uino #ith a margin of ,. 3,3. <45 votes. This !massive election fraud by the 9arcos Lovernment #hich #as condemned by the ma8ority of the 6ilipino populace caused the mass #al%out of computer analysts and tabulators from the PICC. The tabulation of votes #as not &nished because of this incident. The o/cial tabulator of votes and has the po#er to proclaim the #inners of the Snap )lections is the Oatasan Pambansa #hich is also dominated by 9arcos loyalists. They declared 9arcos and Tolentino as the victors of the elections. This has caused massive uproar from all sides of the political and social spectrum since the election results are very >uestionable. httpHmanilastan7nicameralism vs. Oicameralism in 1NM2 Constitutional Commission (Philippines 7nicameral Oicameral U 9ore economical V U ually heard in the legislature #ithout any domination of either party. Secondly, #ith the e*istence of t#o houses, both of them can have the e5ect of chec% and balance against each other. This can form an e5ective selfmonitoring system #ithin the legislature, any mista%e or false is easily to be discovered and e*posed to the %no#ledge of the public. Such system helps the prevention of the passage of Ga#ed or unfair legislation that favours any groups of people in the community. Thirdly, a legislature formed by t#o houses can act as a stronger and more e5ective monitor over the e*ecutive branch of the government. As a duty of the legislature, the legislators representing the public should help the people to chec% the e*ecutive branch of the government in order to prevent abuse of po#er #ithin the government. Eith t#o legislative bodies, the chec% and balance of the e*ecutive...
The seven deadly sins, also %no#n as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a classi&cation of vices (part of Christian ethics that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanitys tendency to sin. In the currently recogni$ed version, the sins are usually given as #rath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. )ach is a form of IdolatryofSelf #herein the sub8ective reigns over the ob8ective. The Catholic Church divides sin into t#o categoriesH venial sins, in #hich guilt is relatively minor, and the more severe mortal sins. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a mortal or deadly sin is believed to destroy the life of grace and charity #ithin a person and thus creates the threat of eternal damnation. X9ortal sin, by attac%ing the vital principle #ithin us - that is, charity - necessitates a ne# initiative of Lods mercy and a conversion of heart #hich is normally accomplished #ithin the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation.XR1 According to Catholic moral thought, the seven deadly sins are not discrete from other sins, but are instead the origin (XcapitalX comes from the +atin caput , head of the others. 0ices can be either venial or mortal, depending on the situation, but Xare called capital because they engender other sins, other vicesX. R< The 9o""onwealth of the #hilippines ( TagalogH Komonelt n! "ilipinasF SpanishH #ancomunidad de Filipinas R1 #as the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1N? to 1N=2, aside from a period of e*ile in the Second Eorld Ear from 1N=< to 1N=? #hen apan occupied the country. It replaced the Insular Lovernment, a 7nited States territorial government, and #as established by the Tydings-9c3u/e Act. The Common#ealth #as designed as a transitional administration in preparation for the countrys full achievement of independence. R1@ 3uring its more than a decade of e*istence, the Common#ealth had a strong e*ecutive and a Supreme Court. Its legislature, dominated by the acionalista Party, #as at &rst unicameral, but later bicameral. In 1NJ, the government selected Tagalog-the language of 9anila and its surrounding provinces-as the basis of the national language, although it #ould be many years before its usage became general. Eomens su5rage #as adopted and the economy recovered to its pre3epression level before the apanese occupation in 1N=<. The Common#ealth government #ent into e*ile from 1N=< to 1N=?, #hen the Philippines #as under apanese occupation. In 1N=2, the Common#ealth ended and the Philippines reclaimed full sovereignty as provided for in Article Y0III of the 1N? Constitution.
