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Lesson 9 Functions of The Legislative Branch

The document discusses the functions of the legislative branch in the Philippines. It outlines that the legislative branch is made up of the Senate and House of Representatives. It describes the qualifications to become a senator or house representative. The legislative process involves crafting bills and resolutions, with bills becoming law if passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. Resolutions can be joint, concurrent, or simple, expressing sentiments but not creating laws. The legislative branch is responsible for making laws and amending the constitution.

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370 views

Lesson 9 Functions of The Legislative Branch

The document discusses the functions of the legislative branch in the Philippines. It outlines that the legislative branch is made up of the Senate and House of Representatives. It describes the qualifications to become a senator or house representative. The legislative process involves crafting bills and resolutions, with bills becoming law if passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President. Resolutions can be joint, concurrent, or simple, expressing sentiments but not creating laws. The legislative branch is responsible for making laws and amending the constitution.

Uploaded by

Jeff Lacasandile
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HUMSS 2 (PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE)

READING MATERIAL

LESSON 9: FUNCTIONS OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH


I. Introduction
This lesson gives the functions of the legislative branch and the process of
making laws. The legislative branch of the government, where laws are enacted, consists of the
Senate (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house).

II. Objectives
After this lesson, you should be able to:
1. discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Philippine Senate and the house of
Representatives;
2. assess the performance of the Philippine Congress;
3. discuss the impact of Congress’s performance on Philippine development; and
4. articulate a position or advocacy to a Philippine legislator through a formal
correspondence.
III. Pretest
Do you think laws in our country are not properly enforced? Explain your answer.

IV. Discussion / Course Content


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:

 a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;


 at least thirty-five years old;
 is able to read and write
 a registered voter; and
 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:

 a natural-born citizen of the Philippines;


 at least twenty-five years old;
 is able to read and write; and
 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. In order to craft
laws, the legislative body comes out with two main documents: bills and resolutions.

Saint John Bosco College of Northern Luzon, Inc.Page 1


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. If
the President does not act on a proposed law submitted by Congress, it will lapse into
law after 30 days of receipt.

For additional reading material, refer to the following links:

 https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/about/gov/the-legislative-branch/#:~:text=shall%20be
%20elected.-,Legislative%20process,main%20documents%3A%20bills%20and
%20resolutions.
 https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers.aspx

Saint John Bosco College of Northern Luzon, Inc.Page 2

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