Philippines: 15th Congress members and overview
The 15th congress of the Republic of the Philippines is comprised of two houses the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives. Co-equal in terms of powers the senate is considered the upper chamber with 24 Nationally elected members whose constituency is the entire country.
Often considered the ‘training ground’ for future Presidents the Senate more often than not is where major issues for discussion taka place its role in its legislative functions and oversight in aid of legislation keep it close to the public eye and its members often engage in discussions or speeches on topics that are of national scope.
The current members for this the 15th congress are:
Senate
The powers of the Senate are covered under the 1987 constitution:
ARTICLE VI
Section 2. 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.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at least thirty-five years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years immediately preceding the day of the election.
Section 4. The term of office of the Senators shall be six years and shall commence, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following their election. 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.
The larger house in terms of numbers is the House is the House of Representatives sometimes refered to as congress which convenes at the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Most congressional budget appropriations and bills of the specific districts are entered here before review by the senate. The Philippines is somewhat unique in its congress also includes sectoral representatives elected from nominees of party list groups that are given a voice even if their constituencies are considered marginal or specif.
House of Representatives
The term of office of the members of the House of Representatives will be from June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2013. The political party stated is the one that the member ran under during the elections.
The powers of the House and its members are likewise described in the 1987constitution:
Section 5. (1) The House of Representatives shall be composed of not more than two hundred and fifty members, unless otherwise fixed by law, who shall be 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, and those who, as provided by law, shall be elected through a party-list system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations.
(2) The party-list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum of the total number of representatives including those under the party list. For three consecutive terms after the ratification of this Constitution, one-half of the seats allocated to party-list representatives shall be filled, as provided by law, by selection or election from the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector.
(3) Each legislative district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory. Each city with a population of at least two hundred fifty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative.
(4) Within three years following the return of every census, the Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on the standards provided in this section.
Section 6. No person shall be a Member of the House of Representatives unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at least twenty-five years of age, able to read and write, and, except the party-list representatives, a registered voter in the district in which he shall be elected, and a resident thereof for a period of not less than one year immediately preceding the day of the election.
Section 7. The Members of the House of Representatives shall be elected for a term of three years which shall begin, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following their election. No Member of the House of Representatives 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.
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