Senate of the Philippines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Philippines
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Philippines

Political history Constitution Republic Acts President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Vice-President Noli de Castro Executive departments Congress of the Philippines Senate House of Representatives Supreme Court Ombudsman Political parties Elections in the Philippines Commission on Elections Regions Provinces Foreign relations
Other countries • Politics Portal view • talk • edit

The Senate of the Philippines (Filipino: Senado ng Pilipinas) is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines. Unlike the U.S. Senate, the Philippine Senate is composed of 24 senators who do not represent any particular geographical district.

Senators serve 6-year terms, with half of the senators elected every 3 years. This way, the Senate is a continuous body. When the Senate was restored by 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, while the next 12 served until 1995 only. Thereafter, each senator elected serves the full 6 years.

The Senate is the only body authorized to ratify treaties.

1 History of the Senate
2 Structure of the Senate
3 List of Senate Presidents
4 Famous Senators
5 Latest election
6 Important Senate bills and decisions
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History of the Senate

From 1907-1916, the Philippine Commission headed by the U.S. Governor-General served as the upper chamber of the colonial legislature at the same time exercised executive powers. On August 29, 1916 the United States Congress enacted the "Philippine Autonomy Act" or popularly known as the "Jones Law" which paved the way for the creation of a bicameral Philippine Congress wherein the Senate served as the upper chamber and while the House of Representatives as the lower chamber of it.

This setup continued until 1935, when the "Philippine Independence Act" or the "Tydings-McDuffie Act" was provided by the U.S. Congress which granted the Filipinos the right to frame their own constitution in preparation for their independence, wherein they established a unicameral National Assembly, effectively abolishing the Senate. Not long after the adoption of the 1935 Constitution several amendments were introduced into it, which included restoring the Senate as the upper chamber of Congress. The Senate served as the upper chamber of Congress from thereon until the declaration of martial law of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos in 1972 which shutdown Congress. The Senate was resurrected in 1987 upon the ratification of the 1987 Constitution.

From 1916 to 1935, the Philippines was divided into 12 Senatorial districts, each district grouped several provinces and each elected 2 senators except for "non-Christian" provinces where the U.S. Governor-General appointed the senators for the district, but this was discontinued in 1941 when the Senate was reestablished, wherein all senators were started to be elected nationally.

[edit] Structure of the Senate

Senate President, Senate President Pro-Tempore, Majority Floor Leader, Minority Floor Leader, Senate Secretary

[edit] List of Senate Presidents

[edit] Philippine Legislature

1916-1935 Manuel Luis Quezon (NP, 5th Senatorial District)

[edit] Commonwealth of the Philippines

1945-1946 Manuel Roxas (NP)

[edit] (Third) Republic of the Philippines

First Congress

1946-1949 Jose Avelino (LP)
1949-1949 Mariano Jesus Cuenco (LP)

Second Congress

1949-1951 Mariano Jesus Cuenco (LP)
1952-1952 Quintin Paredes (LP)
1952-1952 Camilo Osias (NP)
1952-1953 Eulogio Rodriguez (NP)
1953-1953 Camilo Osias (NP)
1953-1953 Jose C. Zulueta (NP)
1953-1953 Eulogio Rodriguez (NP)

Third Congress

1953-1957 Eulogio Rodriguez (NP)

Fourth Congress

1957-1963 Eulogio Rodriguez (NP)

Fifth Congress

1957-1963 Eulogio Rodriguez (NP)
1963-1965 Ferdinand E. Marcos (LP)

Sixth Congress

1966-1967 Arturo M. Tolentino (NP)
1967-1969 Gil J. Puyat (NP)

Seventh Congress

1969-1972 Gil J. Puyat (NP)

[edit] (Fifth) Republic of the Philippines

The GSIS Building, which has housed the Senate of the Philippines since 1997

Eighth Congress

1987-1992 Jovito R. Salonga (LP)
1992-1992 Neptali A. Gonzales (LDP)

Ninth Congress

1992-1993 Neptali A. Gonzales (LDP)
1993-1995 Edgardo J. Angara (LDP)

Tenth Congress

1995-1995 Edgardo J. Angara (LDP)
1995-1996 Neptali A. Gonzales (LDP)
1996-1998 Ernesto M. Maceda (NPC)
1998-1998 Neptali A. Gonzales (LDP)

Eleventh Congress

1998-1999 Marcelo B. Fernan (LDP)
1999-2000 Blas F. Ople (LAMP)
2000-2000 Franklin M. Drilon (LAMP)
2000-2001 Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban)

Twelfth Congress

2001-2001 Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban)
2001-2004 Franklin M. Drilon (LP)

Thirteenth Congress

2004-2006 Franklin M. Drilon (LP)
2006-pres Manuel Villar (NP)

[edit] Famous Senators

See List of Senators of the Philippines.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (1992-1998), current Philippine president
Benigno Aquino Jr., Marcos opposition leader and husband of Philippine President Corazon Aquino.
Joseph Estrada, former Philippine president
Raul Manglapus, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former presidential candidate
Ferdinand Marcos, former Philippine president, the last Senator to be elected President
Blas Ople, former Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., activist and current Senator
Gil Puyat, statesman
Jovito Salonga, Three time top elected senator, Marcos opposition leader, former PCGG Chairman.
Lorenzo Tañada, statesman
Arturo Tolentino, former Philippine vice-president
Manuel Villar (2001-present), current senator
Claro M. Recto, former senator
Miriam Defensor-Santiago, former presidential candidate and current Senator.
Fermin Torralba, prominent Visayan senator & current Senate Secretariat during the Early Philippine Republic.
Juan Ponce Enrile, former Minister of National Defense under Marcos and current Senator.
Luisa Ejercito Estrada, the first First Lady to win a seat in the Senate, also a wife of a former Senator.

[edit] Latest election

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 10 May 2004 **Senate of the Philippines** election results**
Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes
1.	Manuel Roxas II	K-4 - Liberal Party	19,372,888
2.	Ramon Revilla, Jr.	K-4 - Lakas CMD	15,801,531
3.	Aquilino Pimentel, Jr.	KNP / PDP-Laban	13,519,998
4.	Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal	KNP	13,253,692
5.	Richard Gordon	K-4 - Lakas CMD	12,707,151
6.	Pilar Juliana Cayetano	K-4 - Lakas CMD	12,542,054
7.	Miriam Defensor-Santiago	K-4 - PRP	12,187,401
8.	Alfredo Lim	KNP	11,286,428
9.	Juan Ponce Enrile	KNP	11,191,162
10.	Jinggoy Estrada	KNP - PMP	11,094,120
11.	Manuel Lapid	K-4 - Lakas CMD	10,970,941
12.	Rodolfo Biazon	K-4 - Liberal Party	10,635,270

13.	Robert Barbers	K-4 - Lakas	10,624,585
14.	Ernesto Maceda	KNP	9,944,328
15.	John Henry Osmeña	K-4 - Independent	9,914,179
Source: Philippine Commission on Elections

[edit] Important Senate bills and decisions

1992 vote to remove U.S. Bases from the Philippines
Visiting Forces Agreement

[edit] See also

List of Senators of the Philippines

[edit] External links

Senators of the 13th Congress of the Philippines
Angara \| Arroyo \| Biazon \| Cayetano \| Drilon \| L. Estrada \| J. Estrada \| Enrile \| Flavier \| Gordon \| Lacson \| Lapid Lim \| Madrigal \| Magsaysay \| Osmeña \| Pangilinan \| Pimentel \| Recto \| Revilla \| Roxas \| Santiago \| Villar