Legislative

• The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and referendum
• Senate


  Composed of twenty-four Senators who shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law
• Senators

  • Must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines
  • At least thirty-five years of age on the day of the election
  • Able to read and write
  • Registered voters
  • Residents of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election
• Term of office of Senators

  • Six years
  • No Senator shall serve for more than two consecutive terms
  • Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term of which he was elected
• House of Representatives

  • Composed of not more than two hundred and fifty members, unless otherwise fixed by law
  • 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
  • Party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum of the total number of representatives
• Members of the House of Representatives

  • Must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines
  • At least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election
  • Able to read and write
  • Registered voters in the district in which they shall be elected
  • Residents of the district for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the election
• Term of office of Members of the House of Representatives

  • Three years
  • No Member shall serve for more than three consecutive terms
  • Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected
• Regular election of the Senators and the Members of the House of Representatives shall be held on the second Monday of May
• In case of vacancy in the Senate or in the House of Representatives, a special election may be called to fill such vacancy in the manner prescribed by law, but the Senator or Member of the House of Representatives thus elected shall serve only for the unexpired term
• The salaries of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives shall be determined by law. No increase in said compensation shall take effect until after the expiration of the full term of all the Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives approving such increase
• Privilege from arrest

  Senators and Members of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session
• Senators and Members of the House of Representatives shall, upon assumption of office, make a full disclosure of their financial and business interests. They shall notify the House concerned of a potential conflict of interest that may arise from the filing of a proposed legislation of which they are authors
• No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may hold any other office or employment in the Government, or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries, during his term without forfeiting his seat. Neither shall he be appointed to any office which may have been created or the emoluments thereof increased during the term for which he was elected
• No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may personally appear as counsel before any court of justice or before the Electoral Tribunals, or quasi-judicial and other administrative bodies. Neither shall he, directly or indirectly, be interested financially in any contract with, or in any franchise or special privilege granted by the Government, or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including any government-owned or controlled corporation, or its subsidiary, during his term of office. He shall not intervene in any matter before any office of the Government for his pecuniary benefit or where he may be called upon to act on account of his office
• The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and referendum
• Senate

  Composed of twenty-four Senators who shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law
• Senators


  • Must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines
  • At least thirty-five years of age on the day of the election
  • Able to read and write
  • Registered voters
  • Residents of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election
• Term of office of Senators

  • Six years
  • No Senator shall serve for more than two consecutive terms
  • Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term of which he was elected
• House of Representatives


  • Composed of not more than two hundred and fifty members, unless otherwise fixed by law
  • 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
  • Party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum of the total number of representatives
• Members of the House of Representatives

  • Must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines
  • At least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election
  • Able to read and write
  • Registered voters in the district in which they shall be elected
  • Residents thereof for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the election
• Term of office of Members of the House of Representatives

  • Three years
  • No Member shall serve for more than three consecutive terms
  • Voluntary renunciation of the office for any length of time shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full term for which he was elected
• Regular election of the Senators and the Members of the House of Representatives shall be held on the second Monday of May
• In case of vacancy in the Senate or in the House of Representatives, a special election may be called to fill such vacancy in the manner prescribed by law, but the Senator or Member of the House of Representatives thus elected shall serve only for the unexpired term
• The salaries of Senators and Members of the House of Representatives shall be determined by law. No increase in said compensation shall take effect until after the expiration of the full term of all the Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives approving such increase
• Privilege from arrest

  A Senator or Member of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session
• No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof
• All Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall, upon assumption of office, make a full disclosure of their financial and business interests. They shall notify the House concerned of a potential conflict of interest that may arise from the filing of a proposed legislation of which they are authors
• No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may hold any other office or employment in the Government, or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries, during his term without forfeiting his seat. Neither shall he be appointed to any office which may have been created or the emoluments thereof increased during the term for which he was elected
• No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives may personally appear as counsel before any court of justice or before the Electoral Tribunals, or quasi-judicial and other administrative bodies. Neither shall he, directly or indirectly, be interested financially in any contract with, or in any franchise or special privilege granted by the Government, or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including any government-owned or controlled corporation, or its subsidiary, during his term of office. He shall not intervene in any matter before any office of the Government for his pecuniary benefit or where he may be called upon to act on account of his office
• Congress convening

  • Congress shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday of July for its regular session, unless a different date is fixed by law
  • The President may call a special session at any time
• Election of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives

  Each House shall elect its presiding officer by a majority vote of all its respective Members
• Quorum and rules of proceedings

  • A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business
  • Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its Members, suspend or expel a Member
  • Each House shall keep a Journal and Record of its proceedings
• Electoral Tribunals

  The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each have an Electoral Tribunal, which shall be the sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of their respective Members
• Commission on Appointments

  • Consisting of the President of the Senate, as ex officio Chairman, twelve Senators and twelve Members of the House of Representatives
  • Shall act on all appointments submitted to it within thirty session days of the Congress from their submission
  • Shall rule by a majority vote of all the Members
• The Electoral Tribunals and the Commission on Appointments shall be constituted within thirty days after the Senate and the House of Representatives shall have been organized with the election of the President and the Speaker
• The records and books of accounts of the Congress shall be preserved and be open to the public in accordance with law, and such books shall be audited by the Commission on Audit which shall publish annually an itemized list of amounts paid to and expenses incurred for each Member
• The Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective committees may conduct inquiries in aid of legislation in accordance with its duly published rules of procedure. The rights of persons appearing in or affected by such inquiries shall be respected
• Commission action on appointments

  1. Commission shall act on all appointments submitted to it within thirty session days of the Congress from their submission

  2. The Commission shall rule by a majority vote of all the Members
• Constitution of Electoral Tribunals and Commission on Appointments

  1. The Electoral Tribunals and the Commission on Appointments shall be constituted within thirty days after the Senate and the House of Representatives shall have been organized with the election of the President and the Speaker

  2. The Commission on Appointments shall meet only while the Congress is in session, at the call of its Chairman or a majority of all its Members, to discharge such powers and functions as are herein conferred upon it