The Philippine Government

The Philippine Government

Philippine Government; Philippine Constitution

The Philippine government is a  democratic unitary state where the President is both the head of the state and the head of the government. The President is only allowed to serve 1 term with 6 years of service in the office.

The power of the government is divided independently on three main branches. The branches are the Executive Department, Legislative Department and the Judicial Department.


The Executive

The Executive

The Executive Department is headed by the President. It is responsible for the execution and administration of country’s laws. It sets the direction of the national policy. In here, the President assigns his cabinet members with the following positions:

Executive Secretary
Dept. of Foreign Affairs Secretary
Dept. of Agriculture Secretary
Dept. of Budget and Management Secretary
Dept. of Education Secretary
Dept. of Energy Secretary
Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary
Dept. of Finance Secretary
Dept. of Health Secretary
Dept. of Interior and Local Government Secretary
Dept. of Justice Secretary
Dept. of Labor and Employment Secretary
Dept. of Agrarian Reform Secretary
Dept. of National Defense Secretary Dept. of Public Works and Highways Secretary
Dept. of Science and Technology Secretary
Dept. of Social Welfare and Development Secretary
Dept. of Tourism Secretary
Dept. of Trade and Industry Secretary
Dept. of Transportation and Communication Secretary
National Economic and Development Authority Director General
Commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue
Chairman of Commission on Higher Education
Presidential Legal Counsel
Presidential Spokesman
Presidential Management Staff Chief
Presidential Adviser on Peace Process


The Legislative

The Legislative

The Legislative Department is headed by the Philippine Congress. The Philippine Congress is consisted of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is the upper house which is consisted of the Senate President and 23 Senators and the House of Representatives is the lower house which is consisted of Speaker of the House and many Congressmen. The Legislative Department is responsible for the making, the deliberation, the enactment, the amendment and the repealing of laws.

The Judiciary

The Judiciary

The Judicial Department is headed by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The Supreme Court of the Philippines is consisted of the Chief Justice and 14 Associate Judges. The Judicial Department is responsible for the power to apply the laws to contest or to dispute concerning the legally recognized rights. It is entails the settling of legal controversies and the determining of grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction by any branch of the government. The judicial power is given to the Supreme Court and the lower courts established by the law. Other courts established by the law are the following:

Lower Collegiate Courts:

• Court of Appeals
• Court of Tax Appeals
• Sandiganbayan

Regular Courts:

• Court of Appeals
• Regional Trial Courts
• Metropolitan Trial Courts
• Municipal Trial Courts
• Municipal Trial Circuit Courts

Muslim Courts:

• Shaira District Courts
• Shaira Circuit Courts

See also :

List of Government Agencies and Their Websites