According to the 1987 Constitution, legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the

Philippines, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

The Senate shall be composed of twenty-four Senators who shall be elected at large by the
qualified voters of the Philippines, as may be provided by law; the House of Representatives
shall be composed of not more than 250 (unless otherwise fixed by law), 20 percent of whom
must be Party-list representatives.

The qualifications to become a senator, as stipulated in the constitution, are:

1. a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;
2. at least thirty-five years old;
3. Able to read and write
4. a registered voter; and
5. a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years before election day.

Meanwhile, the constitution provides for the following criteria to become a member of the House
of Representatives:
1. a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;
2. at least twenty-five years old;
3. Able to read and write; and
4. except the party-list representatives, a registered voter and a resident for at least one year
in the district where s/he shall be elected.
Legislative process

Congress is responsible for making enabling laws to make sure the spirit of the constitution is
upheld in the country and, at times, amend or change the constitution itself. To craft laws, the
legislative body comes out with two main documents: bills and resolutions.

 Resolutions convey principles and sentiments of the Senate or the House of

Representatives. These resolutions can further be divided into three different elements:

 Joint Resolutions — require the approval of both chambers of Congress and the
signature of the President and have the force and effect of a law if approved.

 Concurrent Resolutions — used for matters affecting the operations of both chambers
of Congress and must be approved in the same form by both houses but are not
transmitted to the President for his signature and therefore have no force and effect of a
law.

 Simple Resolutions — deal with matters entirely within the prerogative of one chamber
of Congress, are not referred to the President for his signature, and therefore have no
force and effect of a law.

 Bills are laws in the making. They pass into law when they are approved by both houses
and the President of the Philippines. A bill may be vetoed by the President, but the House
 of Representatives may overturn a presidential veto by garnering a 2/3rds vote. president
may also veto specific provisions on money bills without affecting other provisions on the same
bill. If the President does not act on a proposed law submitted by Congress, it will lapse
into law after 30 days of receipt.

The following is a summary of how a bill becomes a law:

Filing/Calendaring for First Reading

-A bill is filed in the Office of the Secretary where it is given a corresponding number and calendared
for First Reading.

First Reading
-Its title, bill number, and author’s name are read on the floor, after which it is referred to the proper
committee.
Committee Hearings/Report
-Committee conducts hearings and consultation meetings. It then either approves the proposed bill
without an amendment, approves it with changes, or recommends substitution or consolidation with
similar bills filed.

Calendaring for Second Reading

-The Committee Report with its approved bill version is submitted to the Committee on Rules for
calendaring for Second Reading.
Second Reading
-Bill author delivers sponsorship speech on the floor. Senators engage in debate, interpellation, turno
en contra, and rebuttal to highlight the pros and cons of the bill. A period of amendments incorporates
necessary changes in the bill proposed by the committee or introduced by the Senators themselves on the
floor.

Voting on Second Reading

-Senators vote on the second reading version of the bill. If approved, the bill is calendared for third
reading.
Voting on Third Reading
-Printed copies of the bill’s final version are distributed to the Senators. This time, only the title of the
bill is read on the floor. Nominal voting is held. If passed, the approved Senate bill is referred to the
House of Representatives for concurrence.

At the House of Representatives

--The Lower Chamber follows the same procedures (First Reading, Second Reading and Third
Reading).

Back to the Senate

If the House-approved version is compatible with that of the Senate’s, the final version’s enrolled
form is printed. If there are certain differences, a Bicameral Conference Committee is called to reconcile
conflicting provisions of both versions of the Senate and of the House of Representatives. Conference
committee submits report on the reconciled version of the bill, duly approved by both chambers. The
Senate prints the reconciled version in its enrolled form.

Submission to Malacañang
 Final enrolled form is submitted to Malacañang. The President either signs it into law, or vetoes and
sends it back to the Senate with veto message.