RPH Finals

• According to Pigafetta, the first Mass was celebrated on March 31, 1521, an Easter Sunday
• Pigafetta referred to the venue as “Mazaua.”
• Some say that the venue of the First Mass Site in the Philippines is the island of Limasawa in Leyte
• The Two Faces of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
• Two major events happened in 1872, first was the 1872 Cavite Mutiny and the other was the martyrdom of the three martyr priests
• Three Martyr Priest (GOMBURZA)

  1. Mariano Gomes
  2. Jose Burgos
  3. Jacinto Zamora
• The “Cry of Pugad Lawin” (August 23, 1896) cannot be accepted as historically accurate. 


  It lacks positive Pand supporting evidence from the witness. The testimony of only one eyewitness (Dr. Pio Valenzuela) is not enough to authenticate and verify a controversial issue in history.
• 5 Steps in Writing a Position Paper

  1. Introduce your topic with some basic background information, thesis sentence, which asserts your position.
  2. Introduce possible objections to your position
  3. Support and acknowledge the opposing points. Ensure you aren’t discrediting your own views
  4. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter-arguments.
  5. Summarize your argument and restate your position. End you paper focusing on your argument and avoid the counter-arguments.
• Constitution


  defined as the fundamental law of a nation or state
• It is the constitution that establishes the character and basic principles of the government.
• Constitution


  The system that runs the government is often codified in this written document, which forms the fundamental rules and principles by which an organization is managed. It is these same principles that make clear the rights of the individual and creates limitations to government power.
• A constitution is also described as “the highest expression of the law”
• Constitution of India


  the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world, containing 444 articles in 22 parts, 12 schedules and 118 amendments, with 146, 585 words in its English-language version.
• Constitution of Monaco


  the shortest written constitution, containing 10 chapters with 97 articles, and a total of 3,814 words.
• Some constitutions, such as the constitution of the United Kingdom are uncodified, but written in numerous fundamental Acts of legislature, court cases or treaties.
• Purposes of a Constitution

  1. It prescribes the framework of the system/kind of government that will exist in the state.
  2. It creates the different departments & specifies their respective functions and duties.
  3. It is the source of the sovereign powers of a government by establishing the fixed, first or basic principles on which the government is founded.
  4. It promotes public welfare, which involves the safety, prosperity, health, and happiness of the people. It establishes the rights of the people which the government is obligated to protect and guarantees freedom of speech, press, and religion
• The constitution is written by a constitutional convention which is a body assembled for the express purpose of framing or writing a constitution, revising an existing one, or proposing amendments to it
• After writing the constitution, the draft constitution or its amendments/revisions are submitted to a plebiscite for ratification in which the peoole will decide whether it is acceptable to become a law of the land. The results are then considered and followed by the government. This is different from a referendum in which a law passed by a legislative body is brought before the people to be voted upon. The results, however, may or may not be considered by the state.
• Classifications of a Constitution

  1. Written and unwritten
  2. Cumulative or evolved and conventional or enacted
  3. Rigid and flexible
• Written Constitution


  one in which most of its provisions are embodied in a single formal written instrument or instruments. It is a work of conscious art and the result of a deliberate effort to lay down a body of fundamental principles under which government shall be organized and conducted
• The classic example of a written constitution is the United States Constitution
• Unwritten Constitution


  One which is entirely the product of political evolution, consisting largely of a mass of customs, usages and judicial decisions together with a smaller body of statutory enactments of a fundamental character, usually bearing different dates
• The English Constitution is an example of an unwritten constitution
• Cumulative or Evolved


  A constitution is ______ when it has its origin mainly in custom, common law principles; decisions of courts. It is the product of historical evolution and growth rather than of deliberate and formal enactment. It has no formal starting point, is not struck off at a specific date, and it changes by slow gradual accretion rather than by formal legal process.
• Conventional or Enacted


  is one, which has been formulated usually by a constitutional assembly or promulgated by the King . It is struck-off at a definite time and place
• Rigid Constitution


  A ___________ is one that can be amended only by a formal and usually difficult process
• Flexible


  is one that can be altered by the same body that makes ordinary laws of the state
• Examples of a rigid constitution are those of the Philippines and United States
• Flexible constitution includes those of Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, and Spain.
• The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is classified as written, enacted and rigid constitution.
• A good written constitution must be broad, brief, and definite.
• Broad


  It is _____ in the sense that it outlines an organization of the government for the whole state.
• Brief

  Its nature requires that only its great outline should be marked, its important objects designated, and the minor ingredients which composed those objects be deduced from the nature of the objects themselves.
• Definite

  Any vagueness resulting from the opposing interpretation of the Constitutional provisions may.cause incalculable harm and chaos to the nation.
• Parts of the Philippine Constitution

  Constitution of Government

  Constitution of Liberty

  Constitution of sovereignty
• Constitution of Government


  This portion of the constitution describes the framework of government and its power; and also defines the electorate.
• Constitution of Liberty

  This part enumerates the fundamental rights of the people guaranteed under the constitution.
• Constitution of sovereignty

  This part indicates the manner of amending or revising the constitution
• At least seven Philippine Constitutions were framed in our history.
• The Philippine Revolution reached a stalemate in 1897 when the revolutionary forces of General Emilio Aguinaldo fled to the mountains of Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan.