The 1987 Constitution: How the Philippine Government Is Structured

Every Filipino lives under one supreme rulebook — the 1987 Constitution — yet most people have never read it. For a Civil Service examinee, and for anyone who wants to be an informed citizen or public servant, understanding how the Philippine government is structured is not just exam material; it's the operating manual of the nation you serve. This chapter walks you through that manual from first principles: the three branches, the Bill of Rights, the qualifications for office, and the exact numbers the exam loves to test. By the end, the government won't be a mystery — it'll be a map you can read confidently.

1. Lesson Overview

The 1987 Constitution is the supreme law of the Philippines, ratified by a nationwide plebiscite on February 2, 1987, after the People Power Revolution ended the Marcos dictatorship. It has a Preamble and 18 Articles, and its core design is a representative democracy with power divided among three independent, co-equal branches — deliberately built to prevent the concentration of power that made martial law possible under the previous constitution.

On the Civil Service Exam, Philippine Government and Constitution is a major, high-yield part of General Information — you can expect several questions, and they cluster around predictable facts: which Article covers what, the qualifications and terms of officials, and the special vote thresholds (two-thirds, one-third, majority). Because these facts are finite and repeat, focused study pays off enormously.

The difficulty is beginner to intermediate — it's about memory and precise distinctions, not reasoning. The exam's favorite traps are near-identical numbers (age 40 vs. 35, majority vs. two-thirds), so the skill is keeping those straight. This lesson organizes the facts so they stick.

2. Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson you will be able to:

• Identify which of the 18 Articles covers which subject.
• Describe the three branches — their composition, terms, and term limits.
• Recall the key vote thresholds (override a veto, revoke martial law, impeach, amend).
• List the qualifications for President, Senator, and Representative.
• State the core rights in the Bill of Rights (Article III).
• Explain the checks and balances among the branches.
• Avoid the near-miss numerical traps the exam plants.

3. Prerequisites

You should be comfortable with:

• Basic Philippine history — especially that the 1987 Constitution followed the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution (see the Philippine History lesson).
• The idea of a democracy and elected officials.
• Fractions — two-thirds, one-third, three-fourths, as vote requirements.
• Careful reading of precise legal wording.

A quick refresher on the foundational idea: a constitution is the highest law — every other law must conform to it, and it defines how the government is organized and limited. The 1987 Constitution's defining principle is separation of powers with checks and balances: three branches, each independent, each able to restrain the others. Keep this "three branches checking each other" picture in mind — it explains almost every rule that follows.

4. Why This Topic Matters

Understanding the Constitution is essential far beyond the exam:

• Public service. Every government employee swears to uphold the Constitution; knowing it is a professional duty in any civil-service role.
• Citizenship. Understanding your rights (free speech, due process) and how laws are made lets you participate meaningfully in democracy.
• Current events. News about impeachment, martial law, elections, and the balance of powers makes sense only through the Constitution.
• Protection. Knowing the Bill of Rights protects you in encounters with authority (searches, arrests, investigations).
• Informed voting. Understanding officials' terms, qualifications, and limits helps you vote wisely.

The exam tests this because a public servant must understand the government they serve — and every citizen benefits from knowing the supreme law.

5. Core Concepts

Let's build from the structure of the Constitution to the details of each branch.

The map of the 18 Articles

Knowing which Article covers which subject is one of the most frequently tested skills — memorize this map first:

• Article I — National Territory
• Article II — Declaration of Principles and State Policies
• Article III — Bill of Rights
• Article IV — Citizenship
• Article V — Suffrage
• Article VI — Legislative Department (Congress)
• Article VII — Executive Department (President)
• Article VIII — Judicial Department
• Article IX — Constitutional Commissions (Civil Service, Elections, Audit)
• Article X — Local Government
• Article XI — Accountability of Public Officers
• Article XII — National Economy and Patrimony
• Article XIII — Social Justice and Human Rights
• Article XIV — Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture, and Sports
• Article XV — The Family
• Article XVI — General Provisions
• Article XVII — Amendments or Revisions
• Article XVIII — Transitory Provisions

Memory tip: The branches come in order VI-VII-VIII — Legislative, Executive, Judicial (Congress makes laws, President enforces, Courts interpret). And the Bill of Rights is Article III — an early priority, right after territory and principles.

Analogy: Think of the Constitution as a building with 18 rooms. Article III (Bill of Rights) is the room protecting the people; Articles VI, VII, VIII are the three offices that run the government. Knowing the room numbers lets you find any subject fast.

The Legislative branch (Article VI) — Congress

Congress is bicameral (two chambers):

• Senate: 24 members, elected at large (nationwide), 6-year term, maximum of two consecutive terms.
• House of Representatives: elected by legislative district, plus party-list representatives who make up 20% of the total House membership; 3-year term, maximum of three consecutive terms.

How a bill becomes law: it takes effect when the President signs it, or automatically after 30 days if the President neither signs nor vetoes it, or by a two-thirds vote of each house (voting separately) overriding a veto.

Two special rules the exam loves:

• Revenue, tariff, and appropriation bills must originate exclusively from the House (the Senate may amend).
• Declaring war requires a two-thirds vote of both Houses in joint session, voting separately.

The Executive branch (Article VII) — the President

• The President and Vice President are elected separately by direct vote (they can be from different parties), each serving a 6-year term.
• The President is barred from any re-election — not even a non-consecutive second term. The Vice President may serve up to two consecutive terms.
• Succession: if the President dies, resigns, or is permanently incapacitated, the Vice President succeeds. If the Vice Presidency is vacant, the President nominates a replacement from Congress, confirmed by a majority vote of both houses (voting separately).
• As Commander-in-Chief, the President may declare martial law or suspend the writ of habeas corpus only in cases of invasion or rebellion when public safety requires it, for a maximum of 60 days. Congress must be notified within 48 hours and may revoke it by a simple majority vote (not two-thirds — a commonly confused detail).
• Treaties require concurrence of at least two-thirds of all Senate members.

The Judicial branch (Article VIII) — the Supreme Court

• Composed of a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices (15 total).
• Justices are appointed by the President from a list prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) — and they do not need Commission on Appointments confirmation (the JBC process replaces it).
• The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review — it can declare a law or executive act unconstitutional, striking it down. This is the judiciary's great check on the other branches.

The Bill of Rights (Article III)

Article III protects the people from government abuse. Core rights include:

• Due process and equal protection (Sec. 1).
• Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures — warrants need probable cause personally determined by a judge (Sec. 2).
• Freedom of speech, press, expression, and assembly (Sec. 4).
• Freedom of religion, including non-establishment (Sec. 5).
• Right to information on matters of public concern (Sec. 7).
• Rights of persons under investigation — to remain silent and to counsel (Sec. 12); the Philippine "Miranda" equivalent.
• Right to bail, except for capital offenses when evidence of guilt is strong (Sec. 13).
• Right against self-incrimination (Sec. 17).
• No imprisonment for debt or non-payment of a poll tax (Sec. 20).
• No ex post facto laws or bills of attainder (Sec. 22).

Other frequently tested Articles

• Article IV (Citizenship): A natural-born citizen is one who does not have to perform any act to acquire or perfect citizenship. A Filipino woman who marries a foreigner does not automatically lose her citizenship.
• Article V (Suffrage): Voting age is 18, with no literacy or property requirement — only residency (at least 1 year in the Philippines, 6 months in the place of registration).
• Article IX (Constitutional Commissions): The Civil Service Commission, COMELEC, and COA are independent bodies; members serve 7-year terms without reappointment.
• Article XI (Accountability): Impeachable officials are the President, Vice President, Supreme Court Justices, Constitutional Commission members, and the Ombudsman. Impeachment is initiated by at least one-third of all House members, then tried by the Senate, which needs a two-thirds vote to convict. Grounds: culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust.
• Article XVII (Amendments/Revisions): Change comes three ways — (1) Congress as a constituent assembly (three-fourths vote of all members), (2) a Constitutional Convention, or (3) a people's initiative (petition signed by at least 12% of registered voters nationwide, at least 3% per district). Any change still needs ratification by majority vote in a plebiscite.

Qualifications for office

• President / Vice President: natural-born citizen, registered voter, able to read and write, at least 40 years old, resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years before the election.
• Senator: natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, able to read and write, registered voter, resident for at least 2 years before the election.
• Representative: natural-born citizen, at least 25 years old, able to read and write, registered voter in the district, resident there for at least 1 year before the election.

Checks and balances

The three branches are independent but restrain each other: Congress can override a presidential veto (two-thirds) and impeach officials; the Supreme Court can strike down a law as unconstitutional; the President appoints judges and can veto bills. This mutual checking — not total independence — is the whole point of the design.

With the structure mapped, let's picture, tabulate, and drill.

6. Visual Learning Suggestions

• [Illustration Suggestion] The three-branch triangle. Legislative (VI), Executive (VII), Judicial (VIII) at the corners, with arrows between them labeled "veto," "override," "judicial review," "appoints judges," "impeach" — the checks and balances.
• [Illustration Suggestion] The 18-room building. A tall building with 18 floors labeled by Article, highlighting III (Bill of Rights) and VI-VII-VIII (the branches).
• [Illustration Suggestion] Qualifications ladder. Three steps — Representative (25), Senator (35), President (40) — showing the rising age requirements.
• [Illustration Suggestion] Vote-threshold chart. A bar chart of the key thresholds: simple majority (revoke martial law), one-third (initiate impeachment), two-thirds (override veto, convict, treaties, declare war), three-fourths (constituent assembly).

7. Key Facts to Memorize

8. Pattern Recognition

9. How to Approach These Questions

Step 1 — Identify the topic: an Article, a branch, a qualification, a vote threshold, or a right. ↓ Step 2 — Recall the specific number or name from your memorized facts. ↓ Step 3 — Watch for near-miss traps — the wrong choice is often a close number (35 vs. 40, majority vs. two-thirds). ↓ Step 4 — Eliminate choices that mismatch the branch or Article. ↓ Step 5 — Confirm the exact wording matches (e.g., "no re-election" vs. "no consecutive re-election").

Why Step 3 matters most: the exam rarely offers wildly wrong choices; it offers plausible near-misses. Knowing that the President's minimum age is 40 (not the Senate's 35) is exactly the kind of precise distinction that wins marks.

10. Worked Examples

Sample exam-style questions with explanations.

Beginner

Example 1. Which Article of the 1987 Constitution contains the Bill of Rights? Solution: Article III. Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆

Example 2. How many senators make up the Philippine Senate? Solution: 24. Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆

Intermediate

Example 3. What is the minimum age to become President of the Philippines? Solution: 40 years old. (Trap: 35 is the Senate requirement.) Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆

Example 4. How many justices sit on the Supreme Court? Solution: 15 (a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices). Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆

Example 5. What vote is required for Congress to override a presidential veto? Solution: Two-thirds of each house, voting separately. Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Advanced

Example 6. For how many days may the President initially declare martial law, and what vote can Congress use to revoke it? Solution: 60 days, revocable by a simple majority vote (not two-thirds). Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Example 7. Which bills must originate exclusively from the House of Representatives? Solution: Revenue, tariff, and appropriation bills. Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Example 8. What fraction of the House initiates impeachment, and what fraction of the Senate convicts? Solution: One-third of the House initiates; two-thirds of the Senate convicts. Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Civil Service Exam Level

Example 9. Can a President who served a full term be elected again to a non-consecutive term? Solution: No — the President is barred from any re-election. (Contrast: the Vice President may serve two consecutive terms.) Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Example 10. What is the voting age, and what substantive qualifications (literacy, property) are required? Solution: Voting age is 18; no literacy or property requirement — only residency. Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Example 11. Name the three Constitutional Commissions under Article IX and their members' term. Solution: Civil Service Commission, COMELEC, COA; members serve 7-year terms without reappointment. Difficulty: ★★★★☆

Example 12. List the three methods of amending or revising the Constitution. Solution: (1) Congress as a constituent assembly (three-fourths vote), (2) a Constitutional Convention, (3) a people's initiative (12% of voters, 3% per district) — all requiring ratification in a plebiscite. Difficulty: ★★★★★

11. Exam Tricks

• Near-miss numbers. 40 (President) vs. 35 (Senator) vs. 25 (Rep); two-thirds (override) vs. simple majority (revoke martial law). Learn the exact figure for each.
• "Re-election" wording. The President has no re-election at all; don't accept "no consecutive re-election," which describes the Vice President and legislators instead.
• Article mismatches. A choice may attach the right rule to the wrong Article (Bill of Rights is III, not VI). Match rule to Article.
• Origination of bills. Revenue/tariff/appropriation bills start in the House, not the Senate — a favorite catch.
• Impeachment fractions. Initiated by one-third of the House (not a majority), convicted by two-thirds of the Senate.

12. Common Mistakes

• Mixing up which Article covers which branch (Article III is the Bill of Rights, not the Legislature — that's VI).
• Thinking the President's minimum age is 35 — that's the Senate; the President must be 40.
• Assuming Congress needs two-thirds to revoke martial law — it needs only a simple majority.
• Forgetting the President is barred from re-election entirely, not just consecutive re-election.
• Thinking impeachment is initiated by a House majority — it takes only one-third.
• Assuming judicial appointees need Commission on Appointments confirmation — they don't; the JBC process replaces it.
• Assuming the branches are totally independent — the design's point is that each checks the others.

13. Shortcuts

• Order the branches VI-VII-VIII (Legislative, Executive, Judicial) — makes Article recall automatic.
• Age ladder: 25 → 35 → 40 (Rep, Senator, President), rising with the office's scope.
• Two-thirds is the "big" threshold (override veto, convict, treaty, declare war); majority revokes martial law; one-third initiates impeachment.
• Term limits: Senator 2 terms (6 yrs each), Rep 3 terms (3 yrs each), President none, VP 2.
• "Natural-born" = citizen without doing any act to acquire it — the requirement for the top offices.

14. Memory Techniques

• "LEJ = VI-VII-VIII." Legislative, Executive, Judicial in Article order.
• "Bill of Rights is number 3." An early, essential Article.
• "President 40, Senator 35, Rep 25." The age ladder.
• "Majority to revoke, two-thirds to override." The two martial-law/veto thresholds.
• "One-third accuses, two-thirds convicts." The impeachment fractions.

15. Real Civil Service Exam Strategy

• Time: each government item takes 15–30 seconds — it's recall, so answer quickly and move on.
• Memorize the numbers cold — ages, terms, vote thresholds, and the 18-Article map are guaranteed marks.
• Watch for near-miss choices, the exam's main trick here.
• Match rules to the right Article and branch to eliminate wrong options.
• Don't overthink — these are factual, not reasoning, questions; trust your memorized facts.

16. Practice Questions

Easy

1. On what date was the 1987 Constitution ratified?
2. How many Articles does the 1987 Constitution have?

Medium

3. What is the term of office of a senator, and the maximum number of consecutive terms?
4. Which branch has the power of judicial review?

Hard

5. What vote is needed to declare war, and in what session?
6. What are the three methods of changing the Constitution?

Challenge

7. Who succeeds the President if the office becomes permanently vacant, and who fills a vacant Vice Presidency?
8. What is the minimum age and residency requirement for a Representative?
9. Which officials can be removed by impeachment?
10. What percentage of the House is made up of party-list representatives?

Answers and Explanations

1. February 2, 1987.
2. 18 Articles (plus a Preamble).
3. 6 years, maximum two consecutive terms.
4. The Judicial branch (Supreme Court) — it can declare laws unconstitutional.
5. Two-thirds of both Houses in joint session, voting separately.
6. Constituent assembly (Congress, ¾ vote), Constitutional Convention, and people's initiative — all ratified by plebiscite.
7. The Vice President succeeds the President; a vacant Vice Presidency is filled by a presidential nominee from Congress, confirmed by majority vote of both houses.
8. At least 25 years old; resident of the district for at least 1 year before the election.
9. President, Vice President, Supreme Court Justices, Constitutional Commission members, and the Ombudsman.
10. 20% of the total House membership.

17. Summary

The 1987 Constitution (ratified February 2, 1987; 18 Articles) organizes the Philippines as a representative democracy with three co-equal branches that check one another. Legislative (Article VI) is a bicameral Congress — a 24-member Senate (6-year term, 2-term limit) and a House (3-year term, 3-term limit, with 20% party-list). Executive (Article VII) is the President (6 years, no re-election) with the Vice President (2-term limit). Judicial (Article VIII) is the 15-justice Supreme Court with the power of judicial review. Memorize the Article map, the age ladder (40/35/25), the term limits, and the vote thresholds (two-thirds to override/convict/declare war; simple majority to revoke martial law; one-third to initiate impeachment), plus the core Bill of Rights (Article III). Watch the near-miss numeric traps, and these become guaranteed, high-yield marks.

18. Cheat Sheet

19. Frequently Asked Questions

How many Articles are in the 1987 Constitution? Eighteen, plus a Preamble. Knowing which Article covers which subject (Bill of Rights = III, Legislative = VI, Executive = VII, Judicial = VIII) is one of the most tested skills.

Can the President be re-elected? No. The President is barred from any re-election, even a non-consecutive term. This differs from the Vice President (two consecutive terms) and legislators (Senators two, Representatives three).

What vote does Congress need to revoke martial law? Only a simple majority, voting jointly. This is commonly confused with the two-thirds vote used to override a veto, convict in impeachment, ratify treaties, or declare war.

What's the minimum age for each top office? President and Vice President: 40. Senator: 35. Representative: 25. Remember the ladder 25 → 35 → 40.

How is the Constitution amended? Three ways: Congress as a constituent assembly (three-fourths vote), a Constitutional Convention, or a people's initiative (12% of voters nationwide, 3% per district). Any change must then be ratified by majority vote in a plebiscite.

20. Mastery Checklist

• ☐ I can match each of the 18 Articles to its subject.
• ☐ I know the composition, terms, and term limits of all three branches.
• ☐ I know the key vote thresholds (two-thirds, one-third, majority, three-fourths).
• ☐ I can state the qualifications for President, Senator, and Representative.
• ☐ I can list the core rights in the Bill of Rights (Article III).
• ☐ I understand the checks and balances among the branches.
• ☐ I can avoid the near-miss numeric traps (40 vs. 35, majority vs. two-thirds).
• ☐ I know the three methods of amending the Constitution.

Tick them all and Philippine Government becomes a guaranteed, high-yield strength — and you'll understand the supreme law you serve as a citizen and public servant.