Sources of Philippine Laws

A. The 1987 Philippine Constitution

 A constitution is a written instrument by which the fundamental powers of
government are established, limited and defined, and by which the powers are
distributed among several departments for their safe and useful exercise for the
benefits of the people.6
 Constitution refers to the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group
that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights
to the people in it. It is a written instrument embodying the rules of a political or social
organization.7
 The 1987 Philippine Constitution was drafted during the reign of President Corazon
Aquino.
 The 1987 Constitution established a representative democracy with power divided
among three separate and independent branches of government namely the Executive,
a bicameral Legislature, and the Judiciary. There are three independent constitutional
commissions as well to wit, the Commission on Audit, the Civil Service Commission,
and the Commission on Elections. Integrated into the Constitution was a full Bill of
Rights, which guaranteed fundamental civil and political rights, and it provided for
free, fair, and periodic elections. Up to this date, the 1987 Philippine Constitution is
still in effect.
 The Constitution is the basic and paramount law to which all other laws must conform
and to which all persons, including the highest officials of the lands, must defer.8