Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
It is the ultimate law; the law other laws must abide by.
KINDS OF CONSTITUTION:
C. According to form:
1. Written – one which has been given a definitive written form at a particular time,
usually by a specially constituted authority called “Constitutional Convention”.
2. Unwritten – one which is entirely a product of political evolution, consisting
largely of a mass of customs, usages and judicial decisions together with a
smaller body of statutory enactments of fundamental character. Usually
bearing different dates.
Interpretation:
A doubtful provision shall be examined in the light of the history of the times and the
conditions and circumstances under which the Constitution was framed.
In case of doubt, the provisions should be considered self-executing,
mandatory rather than directory and prospective rather than retroactive
People - inhabitants of the State, the number of which is capable for self-sufficiency and
self-defense of others for perpetuity.
Sovereignty
Territory
Characteristics:
a. permanent
b. exclusive
c. comprehensive
d. absolute
e. indivisible
f. inalienable
g. imprescriptible
Regardless of their breadth and dimensions form part of the INTERNAL WATERS of the
Philippines
Definition of Archipelago
The Philippine archipelago is that body of water studded with islands which is delineated
in the Treaty of Paris (1898), as amended by the Treaty of Washington (1900) and the
Treaty of Great Britain (1930).
Definition of “all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty
or jurisdiction”
It includes any territory that presently belongs or might in the future belong to the
Philippines through any of the internationally accepted modes of acquiring territory.
Archipelagic principle
Two elements
Principles are binding rules which must be observed in the conduct of the government.
Definition of “People”
1. A community of persons;
2. Sufficient in Number;
3. Capable of maintaining the continued existence of the community; and
4. Held together by a common bond of law.
1. LEGAL sovereignty
a. The supreme power to make law.
b. It is lodged in the people.
2. POLITICAL sovereignty
a. The sum total of all the influences in a state,
b. Legal and non-legal,
c. Which determine the course of law.
Classification of governments
1. De jure
- one established by the authority of the legitimate sovereign
2. De facto
- one established in defiance of the legitimate sovereign
Classification of de facto governments
1. De facto proper
Republican State
It is one wherein all government authority emanates from the people and is
exercised by representatives chosen by the people.
Democratic State
This merely emphasizes that the Philippines has some aspects of direct
democracy such as initiative and referendum.
SEC. 2. The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the
generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and
adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all
nations.
This does not mean automatic diplomatic recognition of all nations. Diplomatic recognition
remains a matter of executive discretion.
Doctrine of Incorporation - Every state is, by reason of its membership in the family of
nations, bound by the generally accepted principles of international law, which are
considered to be automatically part of its own laws.
SEC 3. Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of
the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the
sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.
1. Civilian authority simply means the supremacy of the law because authority, under
our constitutional system, can only come from law.
2. Under this clause, the soldier renounces political ambition.
1. Positively, this clause singles out the military as the guardian of the people and of
the integrity of the national territory and therefore ultimately of the majesty of the
law.
2. Negatively, it is an expression of disapproval of military abuses.
SEC 4. The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The
Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof,
all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal,
military, or civil service.
SEC. 5. The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property,
and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people
of the blessings of democracy.
Exceptions:
1. Churches, parsonages, etc. actually, directly and exclusively used for religious
purposes shall be exempt from taxation. (Article VI, Section 28(3))
2. When priest, preacher, minister or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or any
penal institution or government orphanage or leprosarium, public money may be
paid to them. (Article VI, Section 29(2))
3. Optional religious instruction for public elementary and high school students.
(Article XIV, Section 3(3)).
4. Filipino ownership requirement for education institutions, except those established
by religious groups and mission boards. (Article XIV, Section 4(2)).
SEC. 7. The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other
states, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity,
national interest, and the right to self-determination.
The word “relations” covers the whole gamut of treaties and international
agreements and other kinds of intercourse.
SEC. 8. The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues policy
of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.
The policy includes the prohibition not only of the possession, control, and
manufacture of nuclear weapons but also nuclear arms tests.
2. The policy does NOT prohibit the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
SECTION 9. The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the
prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through
policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a raising
standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all.
SECTION 10. The State shall promote social justice in all phases of national
development.
Social Justice is neither communism, nor despotism, nor atomism, nor anarchy,
but the humanization of the laws and the equalization of the social and economic
forces by the State so that justice in its rational and objectively secular conception
may at least be approximated.
Social justice simply means the equalization of economic, political, and social
opportunities with special emphasis on the duty of the state to tilt the balance of
social forces by favoring the disadvantaged in life.
SEC. 12. The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen
the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the
mother and the life of the unborn from conception, etc.
Parens Patriae – the State has the authority and duty to step in where parents fail
to or are unable to cope with their duties to their children.
SC. 16. The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and
healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.
1. While the right to a balanced and healthful ecology is found under the declaration
of Principle and State Policies and not under the Bill of Rights, it does not follow
that it is less important than any of the civil and political rights enumerated in the
latter. (Oposa v. Factoran)
2. The right to a balanced and healthful ecology carries with it the correlative duty to
refrain from impairing the environment. (Oposa v. Factoran)
SEC. 26. The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and
prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.
SEC. 27. The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take
positive and effective measures against graft and corruption.
SEC. 28. Subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law, the State adopts and
implements a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.
Section 1. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of
law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.
BILL OF RIGHTS
The Bill of rights is a guarantee that there are certain areas of a person’s life, liberty
and property which governmental power may not touch.
2) Under (1) (b), if the facts could have been discovered by the prosecution but were not
discovered because of the prosecution’s incompetence, it would not be considered
supervening event.
If the accused appeals his conviction, he WAIVES his right to plead double jeopardy. The
whole case will be open to review by the appellate court. Such court may even increase
the penalties imposed on the accused by the trial court.
1) One which makes an action done before the passing of the law, and which was
innocent when done, criminal, and punishes such action.
2) One which aggravates the crime or makes it greater than when it was committed.
3) One which changes the punishment and inflicts a greater punishment than that
which the law annexed to the crime when it was committed.
4) One which alters the legal rules of evidence and receives less testimony than the
law required at the time of the commission of the offense in order to convict the
accused.
5) One which assumes to regulate civil rights and remedies only BUT, in effect,
imposes a penalty or deprivation of a right, which, when done, was lawful.
6) One which deprives a person accused of a crime of some lawful protection to which
he has become entitled such as the protection of a former conviction or acquittal,
or a proclamation of amnesty.
Note:
The prohibition on ex post facto laws only applies to retrospective PENAL laws.
ARTICLE IV – CITIZENSHIP
1) Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of the
1987Constitution
2) Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines.
3) Those born before January 17, 1973 of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine
citizenship upon reaching the age of majority.
4) Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.
Note:
Prior to the 1973 Constitution, if a Filipina married an alien, she lost her Filipino
citizenship. Hence, her child would have to elect Filipino citizenship upon reaching
the age of majority. Under the 1973 Constitution, however, children born of Filipino
mothers were already considered Filipinos. Therefore, the provision on election of
citizenship under the 1987 Constitution only applies to those persons who were
born under the1935 Constitution. In order for the children to elect Filipino
citizenship, the mothers must have been Filipinos at the time of their marriage. So,
if your mother was a Filipina who married an alien under the 1935 constitution and
you were born before January 17, 1973, you can elect Filipino citizenship upon
reaching the age of majority.
The election must be made within a reasonable period after reaching the age of
majority.
Effects of naturalization:
1) The legitimate minor children of the naturalized father become Filipinos as well.
2) The wife also becomes a Filipino citizen, provided that she does not have any
disqualification which would bar her from being naturalized.
Natural-born citizens:
1) Citizens of the Philippines from birth who do not need to perform any act to acquire
or perfect their Philippine citizenship.
2) Those who elect Philippine citizenship under Art. IV, Sec. 1(3) of 1987 Constitution.
Re-acquisition of citizenship
Natural-born Filipinos who are deemed to have lost their citizenship may re-acquire
the same via repatriation proceedings. This involves taking an oath of allegiance
and filing the same with the civil registry.
ARTICLE V – SUFFRAGE
Qualifications:
Note:
Residency requirement
Disqualifications:
1) Any person sentenced by final judgment to imprisonment of not less than 1 year,
which disability has not been removed by plenary pardon.
2) Any person adjudged by final judgment of having violated his allegiance to the
Republic of the Philippines.
3) Insane or feeble-minded persons.
Note
Under the 2nd disqualification, the right to vote is automatically re-acquired upon the
expiration of 5 years after the service of sentence.
SEC. 1. The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines, which
shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved
to the people by the provision on initiative and referendum.
Legislative power is vested in Congress except to the extent reserved to the people
by the provision on initiative and referendum.
Note:
The original legislative power of the people is exercised via initiative and
referendum. In this manner, people can directly propose and enact laws, or
approve or reject any act or law passed by Congress or a local government unit.
Congress may legislate on any subject matter. (Vera v. Avelino) In other words,
the legislative power of Congress is plenary.
a. Express Limitations
i. Bill of Rights
ii. On Appropriations
iii. On Taxation
iv. On Constitutional Appellate jurisdiction of SC
v. No law granting a title of royalty or nobility shall be enacted
b. Implied limitations
i. Congress cannot legislate irrepealable laws
ii. Congress cannot delegate legislative powers
iii. Non-encroachment on powers of other departments
2. Procedural limitations:
a. Only one subject
b. Three readings on separate days
c. Printed copies in its final form 3 days before passage of the bill.
Exceptions:
Composition of Congress
The Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of
Representatives.
Bicameralism v. Unicameralism
Advantages of Unicameralism.
Advantages of Bicameralism.
Composition of Senate
Section 2. The Senate shall be composed of twenty-four senators who shall be elected
at large by the qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law.
Qualifications of a Senator
Qualifications of a senator
Term
Section 4. The term of office of the Senators shall be six years and shall commence,
unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following their
election. No Senator shall serve for more than two consecutive terms. Voluntary
renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption
in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected.
Limitation: A Senator may not serve for more than two consecutive terms. However, they
may serve for more than two terms provided that the terms are not consecutive.
Effect of Voluntary Renunciation: Voluntary renunciation of office for any length of time
shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term
for which he was elected.
Staggering of Terms.
The Senate shall not at any time be completely dissolved. One-half of the membership is
retained as the other half is replaced or reelected every three years.
Section 5. (1) The House of Representatives shall be composed of not more than two
hundred and fifty members, unless otherwise fixed by law, who shall be elected from
legislative districts apportioned among the provinces, cities, and the Metropolitan Manila
area in accordance with the number of their respective inhabitants, and on the basis of a
uniform and progressive ratio, and those who, as provided by law, shall be elected
through a partylist system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or
organizations.
Composition.
The composition of the House of Representatives shall be composed of not more than
250 members unless otherwise fixed by law.
Representatives shall be elected from legislative districts and through party-list system.
a) District representatives
b) Party-list representatives
c) Sectoral representatives (these existed only until 1998)
Qualification of Representatives
Domicile
If a person never loses his or her domicile, the one year requirement of Section 6
is not of relevance because he or she is deemed never to have left the place.
(Romualdez-Marcos v. COMELEC)
A person may lose her domicile by voluntary abandonment for a new one or by
marriage to a husband (who under the Civil Code dictates the wife’s domicile).
Change of domicile
To successfully effect a change of domicile, there must be:
Property Qualification
Property qualifications are contrary to the social justice provision of
the Constitution. Such will also be adding qualifications provided by the
Constitution.
Term of Office of Representatives
Section 7. The members of the House of Representatives shall be elected for a term of
three years which shall begin, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth
day of June next following their election. No member of the House Representatives shall
serve for more than three consecutive terms. Voluntary renunciation of the office for any
length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for
the full term for which he was elected.
Term refers to the period during which an official is entitled to hold office.
Tenure refers to the period during which the official actually holds the office.
A Representative may not serve for more than 3 consecutive terms. However, he may
serve for more than 3 terms provided that the terms are not consecutive. (1996 Bar
Question)
Why three years? One purpose in reducing the term for three years is to synchronize
elections, which in the case of the Senate are held at three-year intervals (to elect one-
half of the body) and in the case of the President and Vice-President every six years.
Voluntary renunciation of office for any length of time shall not be considered as an
interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected.
Section 5. (2) The party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum of the total
number of representatives including those under the party-list. For three consecutive
terms after the ratification of this Constitution, one-half of the seats allocated to party-list
representatives shall be filled, as may be provided by law, by selection or election from
the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and such
other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector.
It is hoped that the system will democratize political power by encouraging the growth of
a multi-party system.
Number of Party-list representatives Ceiling. “The party-list representatives shall
constitute 20% of the total number of representatives.” Section 5(2) of Article VI is not
mandatory. It merely provides a ceiling for party-list seats in Congress. (Veterans
Federation Party v. COMELEC; BANAT v. COMELEC)
1) The Fact that the State consented to being sued does not mean that the State
will ultimately be held liable.
2) Even if the case is decided against the State, an award cannot be satisfied by
writs of execution or garnishment against public funds. Reason: No money shall
be paid out of the public treasury unless pursuant to an appropriation made by
law.
Composition:
Definitions:
Legislative power is an ordinary power of Congress and of the people, also through
initiative and referendum.
3) The exercise of constituent power does not need the approval of the Chief
Executive, whereas the exercise of
Legislative power ordinarily needs the approval of the Chief Executive, except
when done by people through initiative and referendum.
Proposal of amendments:
B. Constitutional Convention:
a). Congress may call a ConCon by a 2/3 vote of all its members; or
b). By a majority vote of all its members, Congress may submit to the
electorate the question of whether to call a ConCon or not.
C. People’s Initiative
3) Limitation:
Note:
1) While the substance of the proposals made by each type of constituent assembly
is not subject to judicial review, the manner the proposals are made is subject to
judicial review.
2) Since these constituent assemblies owe their existence to the Constitution, the
courts may determine whether the assembly has acted in accordance with the
Constitution.
3) Examples of justiciable issues:
a) Whether a proposal was approved by the required number of votes in
Congress (acting as a constituent assembly).
b) Whether the approved proposals were properly submitted to the people
for ratification.
Proposal of Revisions
a) The Constitution does not require that amendments and revisions be submitted
to the people in a special election. Thus, they may be submitted for ratification
simultaneously with a general election.
b) The determination of the conditions under which proposed
amendments/revisions are submitted to the people falls within the legislative
sphere. That Congress could have done better does not make the steps taken
unconstitutional.
c) All the proposed amendments/revisions made by the constituent assemblies
must be submitted for ratification in one single plebiscite. There cannot be a
piece-meal ratification of amendments/revisions.
d) Presidential proclamation is NOT required for effectivity of
amendments/revisions, UNLESS the proposed amendments/revisions so
provide.
According to the SC, this took place on February 2, 1987, which was the day the people
cast their votes ratifying the Constitution.