THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

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Our federal government has three parts. They are

the Executive, (President and about 5,000,000
workers) Legislative (Senate and House of
Representatives) and Judicial (Supreme Court and
lower Courts).

The President of the United States administers

theExecutive Branch of our government. The
President enforces the laws that
the Legislative Branch (Congress) makes. The
President is elected by United States citizens, 18
years of age and older, who vote in the presidential
elections in their states. These votes are tallied by
states and form the Electoral College system. States
have the number of electoral votes which equal the
number of senators and representatives they have. It
is possible to have the most popular votes throughout
the nation and NOT win the electoral vote of the
Electoral College.

The Legislative part of our government is called

Congress. Congress makes our laws. Congress is
divided into 2 parts. One part is called the Senate.
There are 100 Senators--2 from each of our states.
Another part is called the House of Representatives.
Representatives meet together to discuss ideas and
decide if these ideas (bills) should become laws. There
are 435 Representatives. The number of
representatives each state gets is determined by its
population. Some states have just 2 representatives.
Others have as many as 40. Both senators and
representatives are elected by the eligible voters in
their states.

The Judicial part of our federal government includes

the Supreme Court and 9 Justices. They are special
judges who interpret laws according to the
 Constitution. These justices only hear cases that
pertain to issues related to the Constitution. They are
the highest court in our country. The federal judicial
system also has lower courts located in each state to
hear cases involving federal issues.

All three parts of our federal government have their

main headquarters in the city of Washington D.C.

THREE BRANCHES OF
GOVERNMENT
How the Philippine Government Is Organized

The Philippines is a republic with a presidential form of government wherein power is equally
divided among its three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

One basic corollary in a presidential system of government is the principle of separation of

powers wherein legislation belongs to Congress, execution to the Executive, and settlement
of legal controversies to the Judiciary.
  The Legislative branch is authorized to make laws, alter, and repeal them through the power
vested in the Philippine Congress. This institution is divided into the Senate and the House of
Representatives.

 The Executive branch carries out laws. It is composed of the President and the Vice President
who are elected by direct popular vote and serve a term of six years. The Constitution grants
the President authority to appoint his Cabinet. These departments form a large portion of the
country’s bureaucracy.

 The Judicial branch evaluates laws. It holds the power to settle controversies involving rights
that are legally demandable and enforceable. This branch determines whether or not there has
been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part and
instrumentality of the government. It is made up of a Supreme Court and lower courts.

Each branch of government can change acts of the other branches as follows:

 The President can veto laws passed by Congress.

 Congress confirms or rejects the President's appointments and can remove the President from
office in exceptional circumstances.

 The Justices of the Supreme Court, who can overturn unconstitutional laws, are appointed by
the President and confirmed by the Senate.

The Philippine government seeks to act in the best interests of its citizens through this system
of checks and balances.

The Constitution expressly grants the Supreme Court the power of Judicial Review as the
power to declare a treaty, international or executive agreement, law, presidential decree,
proclamation, order, instruction, ordinance or regulation unconstitutional.

Legislative Department

The Legislative Branch enacts legislation, confirms or rejects Presidential appointments, and
has the authority to declare war. This branch includes Congress (the Senate and House of
Representatives) and several agencies that provide support services to Congress.

 Senate – 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.

 House of Representatives – 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 party-list
system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations.
The party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per cent 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 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.

Executive Department

The executive branch carries out and enforces laws. It includes the President, Vice President,
the Cabinet, executive departments, independent agencies, and other boards, commissions,
and committees.

Key roles of the executive branch include:

 President – The President leads the country. He/she is the head of state, leader of the national
government, and Commander in Chief of all armed forces of the Philippines. The President
serves a six-year term and cannot be re-elected.

 Vice President – The Vice President supports the President. If the President is unable to serve,
the Vice President becomes President. He/she serves a six-year term.

 The Cabinet – Cabinet members serve as advisors to the President. They include the Vice
President and the heads of executive departments. Cabinet members are nominated by the
President and must be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments.

Judicial Department

The judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and
decides if laws violate the Constitution. The judicial power shall be vested in one Supreme
Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.

Judicial power includes the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving
rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, and to determine whether or not there
has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part
of any branch or instrumentality of the Government. The judicial branch interprets the meaning
of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution.
The Philippine Government

The Philippine government takes place in an

organized framework of a presidential, representative, and
democratic republic whereby the president is both the head
of state and the head of government. This system revolves
around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent
branches: the legislative branch (the law-making body), the
executive branch (the law-enforcing body), and the judicial
branch (the law-interpreting body). Executive power is
exercised by the government under the leadership of the
president. Legislative power is vested in both the
government and the two-chamber congress—the Senate (the
upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower
chamber). Judicial power is vested in the courts with the
Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial
body.

Executive Branch
The executive branch is headed by the President who
functions as both the head of state and the head of
government. The president is also the Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The president is
elected by popular vote to a term of six years. The president,
then, appoints (and may dismiss) his/her cabinet members
whom he/she presides over. The executive seat of
government is administered officially from Malacañang
Palace—also the official residence of the president—in
Manila. The President may no longer run for re-election,
unless he/she becomes president through constitutional
succession and has served for no more than four years as
president.

The second highest official, the vice-president is first in line

to succession should the president resign, be impeached or
die in office. The vice-president usually, though not always,
may be a member of the president's cabinet. If there is a
vacancy in the position of Vice President, the President will
appoint any member of Congress (usually a party member)
as new Vice President. The appointment will be validated by
a three-fourths vote of Congress voting separately.

Legislative Branch
The remainder of the House seats are designated for sectoral
representatives elected at large through a complex "party
list" system, hinging on the party receiving at least 2% to 6%
of the national vote total. The upper house is located in
Pasay City, while the lower house is located in Quezon City.
The district and sectoral representatives are elected with a
term of three years. They can be reelected but they are no
longer eligible to run for a fourth consecutive term. The
senators are elected to a term of six years. They can be
reelected but they are no longer eligible to run for a third
consecutive term. The House of Representatives may opt to
pass a resolution for a vacancy of a legislative seat that will
pave way for a special election. The winner of the special
election will serve the unfinished term of the previous district
representative; this will be considered as one elective term.
The same rule applies in the Senate however it only applies if
the seat is vacated before a regular legislative election.

Judiciary Branch
The judiciary branch of the government is headed by the
Supreme Court, which has a Chief Justice as its head and 14
Associate Justices, all appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council. Other court
types of courts, of varying jurisdiction around the
archipelago, are the:

Lower Collegiate Courts

 Court of Appeals
 Court of Tax Appeals
 Sandiganbayan

Regular Courts

 Regional Trial Courts

 Metropolitan Trial Courts
 Municipal Trial Courts
 Municipal Trial Courts in Cities
 Municipal Circuit Trial Courts

Muslim Courts

 Sharia District Courts

 Sharia Circuit Courts