Congress of the Philippines
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The Congress of the Philippines (Filipino: Kongreso ng Pilipinas) is the national legislature of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the upper chamber, the Senate, and the lower chamber, the House of Representatives.
The Senate is composed of 24 senators half of which are elected every 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 composed of a maximum of 250 congressmen. 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. 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, and other organizations.
Contents |
[edit] Congresses of the Philippines
[edit] Commonwealth
[edit] Republic
- First Congress: 1946–1949
- Second Congress: 1949–1953
- Third Congress: 1953–1957
- Fourth Congress: 1957–1961
- Fifth Congress: 1961–1965
- Sixth Congress: 1965–1969
- Seventh Congress: 1969–1972¹
- Eighth Congress: 1987–1992
- Ninth Congress: 1992–1995
- Tenth Congress: 1995–1998
- Eleventh Congress: 1998–2001
- Twelfth Congress: 2001–2004
- Thirteenth Congress: 2004–present
¹ Congress abolished by the declaration of Martial Law.
[edit] Lawmaking
- Any of the two houses may initiate a bill that will be signed into law.
- Three hearings.
- Pass to other house.
- Another three hearings.
- Pass to president for approval or veto.
- Bill is now a law.
- Signed bills can still be elevated to the Supreme Court to repeal it for unconstitutionality.
Congress also approves the national budget, part of which is their pork barrel, which ideally serves as funding for projects that interest individual members of the legisltive particularly those that will be implemented in their individual districts.
