HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW IN THE PHILIPPINES

Ever wondered how a bill becomes law in the Philippines?

First things first, we need to understand what a bill is and the role of Congress in enacting laws.

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 Representatives; and,
b) the Upper House, or the Senate. Its members are the congressmen and senators you voted for.

As part of the law-making process, individual members of Congress propose bills for approval by the
majority of Congress. If the bill gets approved, it will constitute part of the law of the Philippines. In
this article, we will give you a step-by-step guide as to how a bill becomes law (or more specifically, a
statute) in the Philippines.

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1. To initiate the law-making process, the proposed bill is signed by its author and filed with the
Secretary of the either the Lower House (for congressmen) or the Senate (for senators).

2. The bill will go through three readings. On the First Reading, the number and title of the bill is
read, followed by its referral to the appropriate committee for study.

3. On the Second Reading, the bill is read in full along with amendments proposed by the committee
who studied it. The bill is then subjected to debates and discussion by the members of the
House where it was filed. After extensive discussion, the bill will be voted on. If approved, it would
go through a third reading.
4. On Third Reading, the bill will be submitted for a final vote. If approved again, it shall be
transmitted to the other House for concurrence. The other House will go through the same
process of having three readings.

5. If the other House introduces amendments and the House from which the bill originated
does not approve of the amendments, the differences will be settled by a meeting of the
Conference Committees of both Houses, whose recommendations will have to be approved by
both Houses.

6. Once the bill is approved, it is transmitted to the President of the Philippines for
signature. The President may then either sign the bill to indicate approval, or veto the bill to indicate
disapproval. If approved, the bill officially becomes a law.

7. If the President decides to exercise his veto powers, the Congress may re-pass the vetoed
bill if two-thirds of both Houses, voting separately, approve its enactment. In this case, the bill
also officially becomes a law.
How a bill becomes a law
November 8, 20110
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
SENATE
1 Preparation of bill
> Drafting of bill by the Senator (through
either his staff or a proponent)
> Filing of bill
* the bill is assigned a number
2 First Reading in Plenary
> Committee Referral
3 Committee consideration/action
> Committee Hearing(s)
> Technical Working Group (if necessary to
consolidate several versions)
> Drafting of Committee Report
> Filing of Committee Report
(after aproval by majority of Members)
* the Committee Report/ Substitute bill is
assigned a number
4 Plenary consideration/ Second Reading
> Sponsorship of Committee Chairperson
and co-authors/co-sponsors
> Interpellations by members of Senate
> Period of Amendments
– Committee amendments
– Individual amendments
> Second reading through voting by
members of Senate
* Second reading approval may be re-
considered to allow perfecting/
additional amendments in plenary or CR may
be re-committed to the
Mother Committee
5 Plenary consideration/ Third Reading
> Third reading of the bill through voting by
members of Senate
HOUSE
1 Preparation of bill
> Drafting of bill by the Representative
(through either his staff or a proponent)
> Filing of bill
* the bill is assigned a number
2 First Reading in Plenary
> Committee Referral
3 Committee consideration/action
> Committee Hearing(s)
> Technical Working Group (if necessary to
consolidate several versions)
* The hearing is conducted by the Mother
Committee (primary committee
referral) then by the Committee on
Appropriation and Ways and Means
Committee if there are
pertinent approrpriatiion provision and
provisions that will impact on government
revenues, respectively.
> Drafting of Committee Report
> Filing of Committee Report
(after aproval by majority of Members)
* the Committee Report/ Substitute bill is
assigned a number
4 Plenary consideration/ Second Reading
> Sponsorship of Committee Chairperson
and co-authors/co-sponsors
> Interpellations by members of the House of
Representatives
> Period of Amendments
– Committee amendments
– Individual amendments
> Second reading through voting by
members of the House of Representatives
* Second reading approval may be re-
considered to allow perfecting/
additional amendments in plenary or CR
may be re-committed to the
Mother Committee
5 Plenary consideration/ Third Reading
> Third reading of the bill through voting by
members of the House of Representatives
 * Approval on Third Reading takes place 3
session days after distribution of copies of
approved on Second reading version to the
Members except if the
bill was certified urgent by the President in
which case the 3 days is dispensed with.
Sent to House of Representatives for
6 concurrence
> if House of Rep still has no counterpart bill
that has been acted on, then this bill
undergoes the usual process of legislation
7 Consolidation of Senate and House version
> if compatible, then versions are
consolidated into one enrolled bill
> if there are differences, a BICAMERAL
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE is formed to
reconcile conflicting provisions*
* Approval on Third Reading takes place 3
session days after distribution of copies of
approved on Second reading version to the
Members except if the
bill was certified urgent by the President in
which case the 3 days is dispensed with.
6 Sent to the Senate for concurrence
> if Senate still has no counterpart bill that
has been acted on, then this bill undergoes
the usual process of legislation
7 Consolidation of House and Senate version
> if compatible, then versions are
consolidated into one enrolled bill
> if there are differences, a BICAMERAL
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE is formed to
reconcile conflicting provisions

Filing/ Ratification of Conference Committee Filing/ Ratification of Conference Committee

8 Report by both Chambers 8 Report by both Chambers
9 Preparation and Printing of Enrolled Bill
10 Transmittal of Enrolled Bill to the President for approval
> if signed, then bill becomes LAW
> if vetoed, then bill is returned to Congress
– if Senate decides to override veto, then a 2/3 vote of all members must be obtained,
PROVIDED that the House of Representatives likewise follows this condition
> if President fails to communicate his veto of the bill within 30 days after receipt thereof, the bill
shall lapse into law
* Note: Bicam Committee can come up with a bill different from the Senate and the House
(Tolentino vs. Sec. of Finance)