VOTER’S

E D U C AT I O N A N D
AWA R E N E S S
 PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT
The Philippines is a democratic republic with a presidential form of
government wherein power is equally divided among its three branches:
_______________,_______________, and___________.
• The _________ 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 _________ branch 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.
The ________branch holds the power
to settle controversies involving rights
that are legally demandable and
enforceable. It is made up of a Supreme
Court and lower courts.

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.
COMELEC
(COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS)
THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS
(COMELEC)
• Pursuant to Article IX-C Section 1, paragraph 2 states the
Chairman and the Commissioner shall be appointed by the
President with the Commission on Appointments for term of
7 years w/o reappointment.
The COMELEC exercises the following powers and functions
1. Enforce and administer all laws and regulations relative of
the conduct of an election, plebiscite, initiative,
referendum and recall.
2. Exercise exclusive original jurisdiction over all contests
involving elective municipal officials decided by trial
courts of general jurisdiction or involving elective brgy.
Officials decided by trial court of limited jurisdiction.
TERM OF OFFICE
PRESIDENT

• Section 4, Article VII fixes the term of office of the

President elect and the Vice-President elect.
Accordingly, the term of office as follows:
The President and the Vice President shall be
elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six
(6) years which shall begin at noon on the 30 th day of
June next following the day of the election and shall
end at noon of the same date six years thereafter.
The President shall not be eligible for any re-
election. No person who has succeeded as President
and has served as much for more than four (4) years
shall be qualified for election to the same office at any
time.
VICE PRESIDENT
No Vice President shall serve for more than
two (2) successful terms. Voluntary renunciation
of the office for any length of time shall not be
considered as an interruption in the continuity of
the service for the full term which he was elected.
The election for senators, members of the
House of Representatives, and local government
officials happen every three years. At the local
level, barangay elections and Sangguniang
Kabataan elections are also held periodically.
• THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
The President of the Philippines is elected by direct vote by the
people for a term of six years. S/He may only serve for one term,
and is ineligible for reelection. The term of the President of the
Philippines starts at noon of the 30th day of June after
the election.
• QUALIFICATIONS
The qualifications for an individual aspiring to become the
President of the Philippines are outlined in 
Article VII, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution. According to the
constitution, an individual may become President provided s/he
meets the following criteria:
1.natural born Filipino;
2.a registered voter;
3.must be able to read and write;
4.40 years of age at the day of the election; and
5.must have resided in the Philippines ten years before the
election is held.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PRESIDENT
To faithfully and conscientiously fulfill his duties as
president – the executive power is primarily the power to
enforce laws and administer the affairs of the government
faithfully (Lazo, Ricardo S., Philippine Governance and the
1987 Constitution, 2006)
To preserve and defend the Constitution – the President as
chief executive has the leading responsibility to be loyal to
the Republic and to the Constitution, he has sworn to protect,
uphold and defend.
To execute its laws – The executive power shall be vested in
the President of the Philippines (Section 1, Article VII, 1987
Philippine Constitution)
QUALIFICATIONS OF A SENATOR
• Natural-born citizen of the
Philippines
• At least 35 years of age on the date
of election
• Able to read and write
• A registered voter and
• A resident of the Philippines for not
less than two years immediately
preceding the day of the election.
QUALIFICATIONS OF A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES (CONGRESSMAN )
• A natural-born citizen of the Philippines
• At least 25 years old on the day of the election
• Able to read or write
• A registered voter in the district in which he
shall be elected , except party list
representatives; and
• A resident of the district for a period of no less
than one (1) year before the date of the election
 RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CONGRESS PERSON
• Over and above, the power to make laws and to
pass resolutions;
• To Approve appointments made by the
President through the Commission of
Appointments
• To decide cases of electoral protest, involving
its members through an Electoral Tribunal
• To declare the existence of a state of war by 2/3
votes of both Houses, voting independently;
 RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CONGRESS PERSON
• To grant the President emergency
powers in times of war and national
distress;
• To concur to a grant of amnesty by the
President
• To exercise the power to override the
veto power of the President;
• To hear and decide cases of
impeachment against high officials;
QUALIFICATIONS OF A PARTY LIST NOMINEE

• A natural-born citizen of the Philippines

• A registered voter;
• A resident of the Philippines for a period of not less than one (1) year
immediately preceding the election day;
• Able to read and write
• A bona-fide member of the party he seeks to represent for at least ninety (90)
days preceding the election day;
• A nominee shall come from the disadvantaged group of citizens which are
organized and duly registered to the COMELEC; and
• At least twenty-five (25) years of age on the election day.
• a 2013 Supreme Court decision
clarified that the party-list is a system
of proportional representation open to
various kinds of groups and parties,
and not an exercise exclusive to
marginalized sectors.
• National parties or organizations and
regional parties or organizations do not
need to organize along sectoral lines
and do not need to represent any
marginalized and underrepresented
sector.
• 2% of the
national vote
given one seat
•67 million voters
• 1,340,000
ELECTION PROCESS
 KINDS OF SUFFRAGE
• Plebiscite. This refers to the process by which
a certain question, like the proposed
amendment to, or revision of the Constitution
is put to a vote for approval or rejection.
• This may refer to the act by the vote of the
people expressing the choice either for or
against an organic law.
• Under Article XVII, Section 2, the term
plebiscite is applied to an election at which
any proposed amendment to, or revision of
the Constitution as submitted to the people
for ratification (De Leon, Hector, Philippine
Constitution,1999).
• Elections. This refers to the expression of
choice. It is the means through which the
electorate chooses the leaders in whom
they entrust the functions and powers of
the government for a fixed period of time
(Lazo, Ricardo S. Jr. Philippine Government
and Constitution, copyright 2006).
• Initiatives. It is a process by which the
electorate directly proposes or passes the
needed laws or programs without going
through the hassles of the legislative
department.
QUALIFICATIONS TO
REGISTER
• Any Filipino citizen who is not yet a registered voter, may apply for registration, provided
he/she possesses the following qualifications for May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections:
a. At least eighteen (18) years of age on or before May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections;
b. A resident of the Philippines for at least one (1) year and in the place wherein he/she proposes
to vote, for at least six (6) months immediately preceding the May 9, 2022 National and Local
Elections; and
c. Not otherwise disqualified by law.
ACTIONS TO BE
TAKEN BY THE
FILIPINO LEADERS
AND VOTERS
VOTER’S BEHAVIOR
• In a study made by the Institute for Political
and Electoral Reform (IPER) in 2003 on
voter’s behavior, it suggested that top four
(4) factors on what determines the vote of
Filipino electorate:
1. Candidate’s public servant image.
2. Political machinery
3. Candidate’s popularity
4. Endorsement of traditional networks
and organizations which include the family; the
church, the ward leaders, formal groups and
associations.
 OTHER CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS
• Voter’s behavior reflects the personalistic and
patronage orientation of traditional Filipino or
“trapo” (traditional politician), traditional
politicians won their seats in the government by
applying the 3Gs( Guns, Goons and Gold or dole
out money) especially during the campaign period.
• For the poor Filipinos, giving their support or
selling their votes is considered as an investment,
so they can depend on politicians for more
donations (food, school supplies, medicines,
money for funerals, hospitalization, etc.)
BEFORE ELECTIONS
• Be informed of the issues and platforms of
the political candidates
• Set specific guidelines in choosing government/community
leaders in terms of the candidates’ political and social
affiliations, interest, competence, performance/track records
and lifestyle and
• Conduct and participate in public debates that would inform
the voters and gain the commitment of the candidates to
integrate the interest and welfare of the citizens on their
respective platform/program of government. This process can
be used to remind, rebuke, and hold the elected leaders
accountable to their promises.
DURING ELECTIONS
• Vote according to your conscience; and
• Be vigilant; protect the integrity of votes by volunteering in
accredited organizations (NAMFREL, PPCRV) that work
for clean, honest and peaceful elections.
AFTER ELECTIONS
• Be vigilant in the counting and canvassing of
votes’
• Participate in local governance through
development planning on the barangay level;
• Attend the consultation meetings concerning
issues in the barangay level.
• Support initiatives of the civil society, People
Organizations (POs), Non Government
Organizations (NGOs), and government
agencies; and