At the end of this chapter, you are expected to be able to: a. identify the composition of the Congress; b, enumerate the qualifications for senators and district representa-tives; and c._ explain the concepts relative to the Philippine legislature. Our government is a tripartite system of government composed of three great anche the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Departments. They are independent but coordinate departments and the powers of government have been gare apportioned among these three distinct departments (Arnault vs. Nazareno, 87 Phil. 29 [1950]). islati - larly known as the The first branch, the legislative department ~ more popularly kno cop nl ae Pa ne islati is ul a l Se them eee the Philippine Island vs. Springer, io elas {19271} Hence, the law-making authority of the Government of the Philippi vested in the Congress. i i dlemocratic The Congress plays @ crucial role in our Sree ite spel a republic a rteates we have an elected President or a ner pe but because we freely elect men and women to govern in (Liston, 1975).- ne Constitution Government a Phikppin BICAMERAL CONGRESS The Congress of the Philippines under the Constitution is a (Bicameralism) congress, consisting of two-house legislature —the Senate and of Representatives as distinguished from unicameral legislature where there is only g pode This was a restoration of the bicameral legislature under the 1935 Cons that was changed into a unicameral congress under the 1973 Constitution (1 Assembly). Bicameral legislature has certain advantages, 2S well as disadvantages. One ivantages is that the wo houses would produce a healthy check upe nco, 1938). The House of Representatives was expected to refle nereas the Senate was to provide for (Burns, 1992). On the other hand, ai disadvantages of such a legislature includes the lack of fast action in legislati because in enacting important measure it still needs to pass the two chambers. if there are disagreements as to the contents ‘of each, it must undergo again anothe forum - the conference committee. its principal ad each other ( popular will of the average citizen, wi continuity, and in-depth deliberation LAWS, DEFINED The Congress was granted the lawmaking function the authority to make as. as to change and repeal laws. Laws in this manner refer to the rules and regulatio enacted by the legislature to guide our actions in society, to govern our relations: our fellow Filipinos and our relation with our government. sath NATURE OF THE LEGISLATIVE POWER OF THE CONG! The nature of legislative power granted to congress is pl i powers necessary to exercise this power is a auiechsni oie i as are found in {the Republic's) Constitution. Hence, any power, deemed legislative by. usage and tradition is necessarily possessed by the Philippine: unless the Constitution provides otherwise (Vera vs. Avelino, 77 Phil, 192 [19 vei fl The legislative power granted to the Congress is classified i is the power to amend and revise the Constitutic a po to-pass ordinary aws (Beas, 1974). sit obese cua However, the grant of legislative power to the C Constitution is distinct ae ie oad a Seren 1935 and 1973 Constitutions vest to Congress elie re power. The 1987 Constitution grant by virtue of the pi i < the pe the Ce people the Ce cON As consi Senat The ¢ Repré£oP pine Government and Constitution the people can directly propose oF rej 5 Coneress . * OF reject any act or law or part the: hie oH 2 a Sive emphasis to the fact that we reco} ries the spect people to legislate under the conce, COB! @ power of the fre Constitutional Commission ne es initiative and referendum (I! Records of COMPOSITION OF THE CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES As mentioned earlier, the Con, { ress of the Philippines is a bi consisting of to oGdieg) ate ippines is a bicameral congress he Senate and the House of Re} : es presentatives. The Senate is the upper house while the House of Representatives jis the lower house. The members of the Senate are called Senators, but members of the House of Representatives are called Representatives, 1. Senate of the Philippines. The Senate, as discussed above is the upper Chamber of the Congress. We actually look upon the Senate as the second level to that of the President and the Vice-President (II Records of the Constitutional Commission, p. 146). Often, the Senate is also looked upon as a training ground for the Presidency. A. Composition The Senate consists of twenty-four (24) members elected at large by qualified voters, which means that they are national elected officials. In fixing the composition of the members of the Senate at twenty-four (24), no consideration has been made in terms of its proportion to the number of population (Il Records of Constitutional Commission, Pe 146). ‘The composition of twenty-four (24) would be sufficient in order, frst, to at least attain economy; Senate with only twenty-four (24) may be able to achieve quality legislation, instead of putting more in the oy as may be just another body similar to the Lower house (I! Records of 1 ‘Constitutional Commission, P- 146). B. Qualifications The qualifications for Senators are the following: 1. Natural-born citizen of the Philippines 2. Atleast 35 years of Be 3. Able to read and write istered voter seas > ‘ : aie of the Philippines for not less than two (2) yea 75 DoH Alp Tee VIII. Term of Office 2 i ‘onstilution Government and Constitutis ei. born citizens ars e those who are citiz e learned that natural: it F 2 he wenn ines from birth without having to pe form nace 9 ack 'e citizenship. This implies thal ; -t their Philippin n one ‘accordance with law are not qualified to serve as membey in the Senate. yy i sl if, Which mug. rement, must be 35 years of age of over, ¥ Pal be 3 a ie day of election, that is, during the casting of | and not after or much soon the day of proclamation ‘| is ional attainment such as fo There is no requirement as to educational i i example, a college degree or higher as what is required only is that th candidate must know how to read and write. They are also. required to be a registered yoter which is equivalent | to the term qualified voter (Leyva ¥s- COMELEC, G.R. L-25469 [Oct. 29, 1966)). A qualified voter is one having the constitut ional qualifications _ for the privilege, who is duly registered pursuant to law, and has the | present right to vote at the election being, held (Sibal, p. 3)- And lastly, must be a resident for not less than two (2) years, Residence | for election purposes is used synonymously with domicile (Romualdez- | Marcos vs. COMELEC, 248 SCRA 300 [1995}). It is defined as the permanent home, the place to which, whenever absent for business oF | pleasure, one intends to return (Co vs. House Electoral Tribunal, 199 SCRA 692 [1995]. | The term of office of senators is six (6) years which shall begin unles | pee provided by law at noon on the 30" day of June ig election. Term of office which refers to the period fixed by law/const during which a member of ae oe an Se iN office, should be distinguished from tenure of office which. the actual number of years during which the official holds the office: "| follows that term of office is generally longer than tenure. 7 No senator can serve for more than two (2) cons asian be ten Tee e oe ELEN ERE the constitution is more thai rat is prohibit cl Ma pct se ta Nd oander phic eer an tod : tunity to imber of senator is to give opportunity to oth of years a person can hold 0 cee aA a Cop dPs tppine Government and. Constitution However, it shy p oul Of years a person can 4 Noted that there is no limit as to the number : can for two (2) continuinns ve 2 sfator. Although he had already sored y s : : provided there nt er he can still run again to the same office ‘ary renunciati Volunt, exaniple rat ion of office for any length of time, like for n ignation, shall not be consider i i continuity of his sevice fr the fll term for which hens sect 2. Hot resentati Hoel rere es The House of Representatives consists of men wee are the elected representatives of the Filipino people. We ‘pect the members of the House to. represent our needs and aspirations and 10 carry out our desires on matters of national concern (Liston, 1975). A. Composition The House of Representatives is ‘composed of 10 times larger than the membership in the Senate. It is composed of not more than 250 members unless otherwise fixed by law. It consists of two kinds of members namely: 1. District Representatives — elected from legislative districts apportioned among the provinces, cities, and the Metropolitan Manila area. They constitute the majority (eighty percent) of members of the House of Representatives. 2. Party-list Representatives ~ elected through the party-system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organization. They shall constitute twenty percent ‘of the total number of representatives. B. Qualifications 1. Qualification for District Representatives The qualifications for District Representatives are: a. Natural-born citizen of the Philippines b, Atleast twenty five (25) years of age . Able to read and write aun registered voter in the A resident of the district i than one year aA Elia® new VIII district in which he shall be elected in which he shall be elected for not less eTs. 78 C. Term of Office “ ves must also be natural. Like senators, district representati i eo born citizens and able to read and write. lowered to 25 years, which must be posesed ee cay si i election. This will explain why the mem! j younger than members of the Senate. i tires that aspirant to the House The Constitution also requi = that tives be a registered 4 F earl be elected, a resident thereof for a period ek ale immediately preceding t less than one year | ston (Romualdez-Marcos vs. COMELEC, 248 oe 300 [1995}). The purpose of this is to prevent the possibility of a i ith the conditions and stranger or newcomer unacquainted | with i aay of a community and not identified with the latter, from an elective office to serve that community. 2. Qualifications for Party-list Representatives The qualifications for party-list representatives are the same as thatof | the district representatives except a registered voter and resident of the district. For party-list representatives, the place of registration to vote and residence can be anywhere in the Philippines. This is because a party-list_ does not represent a district in the House of Representatives. In the 1935 Constitution, the term of office of the members of House of Representatives was four years and six years for Mambal in the Batasang Pambansa under 1973 Constitution. Under the pres Constitution, the term of office of a congressman is reduced to three yeal and like a senator, shall commence at noon on the thirtieth day of June unless otherwise fixed by law next following their election. , They can only be elected for three ci i i They, c -onsecutive years or a contint sence Of 9 years, however, like the Senators foe no limit as to t umber of years a person can hold office as congressman. They can si be elected for the same offi i d ice, provided there is an i ption serving for three (3) consecutive aos SO lePr, Apportionment of Legislative District et Opp ine Goverriment and Constitution Apportionment and the Metropol He is dividing provinces, cities Representative repr Wa into legislative districts. One District He reper ae esents this district in the House of Representatives. ‘ fi People in the distri their behalf in the lower Chamber Boas iat tse PER Ph Of legislative dist litan Manila into The i e ordinance appended to the 1987 Constitution provided for the initial apporti islative distri KS ue Ee of legislative districts in the different provinces é ue . Congress is empowered under the Constitution to make ‘eapportionment of districts or to increase the number of districts through general apportionment laws provided the following rules laid down under the Constitution is observed: 1, Legislative districts shall be apportioned among the provinces, cities and the Metropolitan Manila area in accordance with the number of their respective inhabitants, on the basis of a uniform and progressive ratio. Uniform ratio means that each district must be equal in population, or as equal as possible (Burns, 1992), thus a congressman represents. territorial unit whose population is roughly similar with each other. Furthermore, apportionment must also be based on a progressive ratio, which means that the increase in population in relation to the size of the House of Representatives must be considered. 2. Eachcity witha population of notlessthan 250,000shall beentitled ~ to at an ‘one representative and each province, irrespective of population is entitled to one representative. This ensures that ‘every province is represented in the House of Representatives. islative distri i far as practicable, fh legislative district shall comprise, as far as is ra a ‘compact, and adjacent territory, This is intended to Boos cornering, which means the drawing of legislative Pre Ae eee territories for the purpose of obtaining partisan advantage. y ing came from the name of Governor The word gerry ee sets and the salamander shaped / a “ , the ithin tree years Ong te ai sresssall make 2 fCaRPaTON ree the standards provided above. 79E. Party-List System a mechanism of proportional representation in. the | election of representatives to the House of Repreee a inde electiog | of sectoral parties or organizations OF coalitions thereo! reais ns with the Commission on Election (RA No. 7941). The party-list system o! fe presen in the House of Representatives is one of the innovations introcuced by the. 1987 Constitution. It is a social justice tool designed not only to give mog laws to the great masses of Our people who have less in life, but also i | enable them to become veritable lawmakers th elves, empowered participate directly in the enactment of laws designed fo benefit then (Bagong Bayani vs. COMELEC, G.R. No. L 147589 [Jun. 26, 2001). The party list is It is intended to enable Filipino citizens belonging to marginalized and underrepresented sectors, organizations and parties, and who lack | well defined political constituencies but who could contribute to the formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will benefit the nation as a whole, to become members of the House of Representatives | (Section 2, RA 7941). | CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION 1. Regular election is the regular election of both the members of the Senate and House of Representatives and shall be held on the second Monday of May. 2. Special election is an election called for to fill a vacant position in the two chambers of Congress in a manner provided by law. In case a Senator of a Congressman is elected in a special election to fill a vacant seat, it shall” only serve for the unexpired term. i SALARIES AND PRIVILEGES 1. Salaries. The Constitution fixed initially the annual sal: al congressmen to two hundred four thousand each. These sep. toch by law. But when the members ‘of Congress passed and approved an in’ in. Wes Seppe eel take effect only affer the expiration of th full term of all the members of the Senate approving such increase. ga tte of Reneess Pri, hss ten iPpine Goverment and Constitution The purpose Of this restriction ; Idina tion ; yielding tothe ial temptation Isa es ey a the elas Bher cx os a lat the power that has to elapse beeen aie isJacbng, but with the length of time factor to any such Tease becomes effective, there i Mathay, G.R, No, Looseut ltless the need for itis clearly fe ork athay, GR: No, L-25584 loan, ne learly felt (Philconsa vs. 2. Privileges. The members of two parliamentary im Of Congress are accorded under the Constitution an tanmunities of privileges. its purpose is to enable and encourage a representative of the Public to ischalge his public te with firmness and success (Osmefia vs, Pendator, G.R. L-17144 Oct. 28, 1960)). a. Privilege from Arrest applies whil is i i ile Ci i punishable by not move than sh years impriorment The purpose 0 Constitutional Commission, p. 90). This includes both civil and criminal offenses, provided it is not punishable by imprisonment of six years or a member of Congress can only invoke the immunity from arrest for relatively minor offenses (People vs. Jalosjos, G.R. Nos. 132875-76 [Feb. 3, 2000]), b. Privilege of Speech and Debate applies for any speech or debate in Congress or in any of its committee. This privilege means that members of Congress cannot be sued or prosecuted for anything they say or write in connection with their legislative duties (Wilson, 1987). This guarantees the legislator complete freedom of expression without fear of being made responsible in criminal or civil actions before the courts or any other forum outside of the Congressional Hall. tt is indispensably necessary that he should enjoy the fullest liberty of speech and that he should be protected (Osmena ys. Pendantum, G.R. No. L-17144) [Oct. 28, 1960]. PROHIBITIONS . i 12 oF A member of the Congress is prohibited from be de es geet employment inthe government, orany subdivision Bert their subsidiaries, including government owned and control Sot T'< known as incompatible during his term without forfeiting his S62 eo rent holding of an offce- in office. What is not permitted is a simultanect tT hold office provided the government by members of CONBIC. he noted that not all postions he forfeits his seat automatically in COM Tice as there are a en in the government are conside onstitution which a senator or 2 CONE cere jPecifically provided under the COM jike membership in the e old concurrently without forfeiting °F Commission on appointments. Se EH A eres VIII eeea. uate Phibppine Government and Constitution m being, appointed to any A member of the Congress also is not allowed a increased during dffice; which may have been created, of the ema Eee "ce Uneen thisy fhe terms for which he was elected, oF blown a6 1 the case of incompatible the member of the Congress is totally prohibited at © 0 forfeit his seat. However, the act Ot ying auch offices even if he's WilINE TF the member of the ineligibility is limited only until the expiration ot congress S lowed fr In addition to these, members of the Congress are i othe clecteal a urt of justice OF fore ctoral personally appearing as counsel before any court of MICS TE ico prohibited ibunals, or quasi-judicial and other administrative Bodies: | 1) ct with, or in from being financially interested, directly or indirectly in any i ted he any franchise or special privilege granted by the Government, oe ry 4 controlled agency, of instrumentality thereof, including any government-owned an‘ we corporation, or its subsidiary during their term ‘of office. And lastly, they are restrict from intervening in any matter before any office ‘of the Government for their pecuniary benefit or where they may be called upon to act on account of their office. These are all intended to prevent members of the Congress from taking advantage, pecuniary or otherwise, of their position in their dealings with the courts, ‘or in their business aperations, or in their dealing with any government agency oF, corporation (Besas, p. 647). These will discourage people from running as Senator or Representative not because of their desire to serve but only to further advance their own interests. ORGANIZATION OF THE CONGRESS 1. Officers of the Congress. The two houses of the Congress formall organized with the selection of its set of officers. oe its President and the House of Representatives its Speaker officers as it may deem necessary. The election of officers piacere a, Leadership in the Senate The officers of the Senate are t PE a presiding officer of the Senate elected by - The Senate He holds office at the pleasure of his members oS | at any time. In the Political Hierarchical sane 2) President is the third highest official of the ge Rees >;— 5 lS —_ gas Prilppine Ge “onli ; ippine Government and Constitution The Senate also elects a Party, an honorific position is absent. president pro tempore from the majority which presides when the Senate President The Senate also elects a majority and minority floor leader, The Party caucuses of ruling majority party in the Senate elect the majority leader. He acts as the leader and spokesperson of the majority party and his principal function is to schedule the business of the Senate, generally in consultation with the Senate Minority leader. He controls the conduct of debates in the Senate floor and usually has a great influence on committee assignments of members of the Senate. The minority leader is elected in party caucus of Senators belonging to the minority party. As such, he is recognized as the leader and official spokesperson of the minority party. b. Leadership in the House of Representatives The House leadership has the same set up as that of the Senate except for the title of the positions particularly the presiding officer, which is called the Speaker of the House. The Speaker, who presides over the House, is the most important person in that body (Wilson, 1987). He is elected by majority votes of all the members of the House, but in practice is chosen by the majority party. As the presiding officer of the House, the Speaker decides on all questions of order, refers bills introduced in the House to the proper standing committees, signs all acts, resolutions, orders issued by or upon order of the House, appoints members of joint committees and conference committees, and exercises administrative functions over house personnel. Like the Senate President, he also holds office at the pleasure of the members of the House and likewise may be replaced any time. Aside from the Speaker, the House also elects Deputy Speakers for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who assume the duties and powers of the Speaker when he is absent. Like the Speaker, the Deputy Speakers are elected by a majority vote of all the members. In the House of Representatives, as in the Senate, majority and minority floor leaders are also elected, The House majority leader is selected by the majority ruling party, as therefore acts as the spokesperson of the party. Under the present set-up of the House of Representatives, the majority leader also acts as the Chairman of the House Rules Committee, as such, he is responsible in all matters relevant to the rules of the house, calendar of bills, floor deliberations, order of business. 83) Pibppine Government and Constitution The House minority floor leader is usually a losing ae speaker. He stands as the spokesperson of the minority party. ence, | fe vorks in consultation withithe leading members Of the mings | parties in the House, The minority leader is also an ex-officio member of all the standing committees of the House. | 2. Congressional Committees. The most remarkable organizational structure of | the Congress is its set of committees more popularly known as legislative | committees. The Committees perform the actual work of legislation in both } Houses of Congress. The initial stage in the enactment of a law takes place in the Committee. When a bill is introduced by a member of the House of — Representatives or the Senate, it is first referred to the proper committee who will study the proposed legislation and will later submit a report which may either recommend the approval or disapproval of the bill. There are three types of committees in Congress: standing committee, select committee and joint committee. Standing committees are permanently established legislative committees j that review proposed legislation (Bemas, 2007). They are the only ones who proposed legislation by reporting a bill out to the full House or Senate (Wilson, p. 195). In congress, each standing committee is given a specific area of concen i such as Housing, Appropriations, etc. : Select committees are those that are created for a specific put and usually for a limited period only such as conducting an investigatio or addressing matters of great national concern. During the 11th Con; among the select committees that were created in the Senate were the Oversight Committee on Intelligence Funds, Programs and Activiti Oversight Committee on Y2K. ee . Joint committees are those created by both Houses of ress members coming from both. An example is the Bicameral Cont Committee, which irons out differences in the versions of bills passed Senate and the House. Joint committees have also been created special concerns such as the Joint Congressional Oversight Mt. Pinatubo of the previous Congress, session. The House of Represent Complex while the Senate inPil, ‘Ppine Go 2 Vernmont and Corstitatisn a. Regular Session, 4 "AN Session Count eae ‘onvened once every year 5 connate ae July, untess a different date ie fed by ae ae wishes unt thst umBe®of days or mares iB 8s Congress session, exelent” 80) days before the Opening of its next regular OSSNG Of Salurclays, Sundays atch legal holidays. Spechi oa Pecial session, 4 Thy won called by the President while the Congress is in recess, genera ly to conside, i inhi cal eel a by reteelaton he may designate in his Pass into law the power reform bin ne Constitution requires that Neither House during the sessions of the Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than thrée (3) days, nor fo any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. 4. Quorum, Quorum is the number of members of the body which, when legally assembled in their proper places, will enable the body to transact its proper business, or in other words, that number that makes earn body and gives it power to pass a law (avellana vs. Tayo, G.R. No. L-18919 (Dec. 29, 1962)). A majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business, in case of a smaller number, it may adjourn from day to day and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner, and under such, Penalties, as such House may provide. But the Congress cannot compel the attendance of absent members to attend sessions ifthe reason for the absence is a legitimate one (People vs. Jalosjos, G:R, Nos. 132875-76 (Feb. 3, 2000), by any legislative body Rules of Procedure. Rules of procedure are tules made y any legi as to the mode and manner of conducting the lH 2 the body. pence ihe orderly functioning of e' rules of procedure are Clearly mandatory for t ly c Hote oF Congress (Liston, 1975). Under the Constitution, both Hose of Congress may determine its rules of procedure. vee) yee Ol ee be contrary to any constitutional provisions, nor violate igh (Sinco, 1938). : Th ose of these rules of procedure is to have order in the conduct e purps jally on its principal task of lawmaking. ness of the Congress especially E ve Hance tes ore ae jure include the procedure oc ae, of the bill, the conduict of debate, session, manner of voting among it res the two lings. The Constitution requires Q "Hat tn ashe lta edt louses of the ar ihe outa can mals oan Passed in a legi proceedings of Congress. spree WITT 85Phikppine Government and Constitution t is, to ensure publicity to the y transpired in Congress, yurnal: The Journal has a two-fold pipet ae proceedings and to provide pro! 0! what a‘ y | The following are the matters required to be entered in the Jo! a. Yeas and Nays on any question shall, at the request of one-fifth of the members present; inal reading of a bill; ‘a bill vetoed by the President; b. Yeas and Nays on the third and fi c. Yeas and Nays on the re-passing of d. Veto Message of the President; Such other matters, which each House may in its discretion, be entered in the Journal. Likewise, the Constitution requires the Congress to keep a record of its proceedings. gf 7. Discipline of Members. The two chambers of the Congress are vested exclusively the power to discipline their members for disorderly behavior. ‘The determination of what constitute disorderly behavior is within the: | exclusive discretion of the Congress to determine and the courts will not | resume a jurisdiction in any case which will amount to an interference by the judicial department with the legislature. Punishment of members for disorderly behavior includes suspension and expulsion. a. Suspension | When suspension is imposed as a sanction to a Member of Congress } for disorderly behavior, it should not exceed sixty (60) days. A member may not be suspended for a longer period of time. The reason is that by | | a suspension the district will be deprived of its right to have an active j representative in the legislative department and at the same time | not empowered to select a new member (Sinco, 1938). Furthermore aepoiion ean ‘only be imposed with the concurrence of two-thirds : 4 b. Expulsion ah Yso4 ts The grounds for expulsis Constitution. Any. cause, sufficient, constitutes a good grew Pribppine Government and Constitution AGENCIES IN THE CONGRESS p 2. Commission on Appoint B Beco Mir The Electoral Tribunals of the Senate and House were oe yy the Constitution as ‘special tribunals to be the sole judge of all contests relating to election, returns and ‘qualifications of the members of the legislative houses, and, as such, are independent of congress (Suares vs. Chief Accountant of the Senate, 81 Phils. 818 [1948)). It was Created to function as a nonpartisan court although two-thirds of its itici GR. No. 97710 [Sept 26, renee are politicians (Bondoc vs. Pineda, The purpose of the Constitution creating the Electoral Tribunals was to provide an independent arid impartial tribunal for the determination cof contests to legislative office, devoid of partisan considerations, and to transfer to that tribunal all the powers previously exercised by the legislature in matters pertaining to contested elections of its members (Suares vs. Chief Accountant of the Senate, 81 Phils, 1818 [1948]). The electoral tribunals shall be constituted within thirty days (30) after the Senate and the House of Representatives shall have been organized with the election of the President and Speaker. A. Composition of the Electoral Tribunal Each electoral tribunal shall be composed of nine (9) members: 1. House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) & composed of three (3) Justices of the Supreme Court to be designated by the Chief Justice and six (6) members of the Senate chosen on the basis of proportional representation from the political parties and the parties or organizations registered under the party-list system therein. 2. Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) fi Likewise to be composed of three (3) justices designated by the Chief Justice and six (6) members of the House of Representatives also chosen on the basis of proportional representation like in the Senate Electoral Tribunal. ‘The most senior Justice in each electoral tribunal shall be its chairman. tments. The Commission on Appointments is roe it it commission in Congress al by the Constitution a ct Cte ucts ace oe ea wer of the President Like the electoral ibunas the Be - ion Sana be constituted within thirty days (30) after the Senate Commission shat a asentatives shall have been organized with the election of the President and ‘Speaker. “anree VII 87a. . Debate on this proposition: The bicameral Congress is more efficient than the unicameral one. . Using an appropriate graphic organizer, describe the organizational structu of the Philippine Congress. panieational zs 3. Research on the incumbent officers of both houses of the current Congress. . Functions Composition of twenty-five (25) members, the Senate President as ex-officio chairman, twelve (12) Senators and twelve (12) members of the House of Representatives. Like in the electoral tribunal, the members of the Commission are also chosen on the basis of proportional representation from the political parties and the parties or organizations registered under the party-list system. The Commission is composed The Commission on Appointment, which was originally, embodied in the 1935 Constitution functions as a check on the appointing power of the President, by approving or disapproving appointments to important offices in the government submitted to it by the President. t shall act on all appointment within thirty (30) days from their submission. In considering nominations submitted to it by the President, the Chairman (Senate President) shall not vote except in case of a tie.