Philippine Constitution Article 6 Review

Legislative Power

• The legislative power is vested in the Congress of the Philippines, which consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

Composition of the Senate

• The Senate is composed of 24 Senators elected at large by the qualified voters of the Philippines.

Qualifications of Senators

• A Senator must be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.
• A Senator must be at least 35 years old on the day of the election.
• A Senator must be able to read and write.
• A Senator must be a registered voter.
• A Senator must be a resident of the Philippines for at least 2 years preceding the day of the election.

Term of Office of Senators

• The term of office of Senators is 6 years.
• The term of office commences at noon on the 30th day of June next following their election.
• No Senator shall serve for more than 2 consecutive terms.
• Voluntary renunciation of the office does not constitute an interruption in the continuity of service for the full term.

Composition of the House of Representatives

• The House of Representatives is composed of not more than 250 members, unless otherwise fixed by law.
• Members are elected from legislative districts apportioned among provinces, cities, and the Metropolitan Manila area.
• The apportionment is based on the number of inhabitants and a uniform and progressive ratio.
• Some members are elected through a party-list system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations.

Party-List Representatives

• Party-list representatives constitute 20% of the total number of representatives.
• For 3 consecutive terms after the ratification of the Constitution, half of the seats allocated to party-list representatives are filled by selection or election from labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and other sectors.

Legislative Districts

• Each legislative district comprises contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory, as far as practicable.
• Each city with a population of at least 250,000, or each province, shall have at least one representative.

Reapportionment of Legislative Districts

• The Congress shall make a reapportionment of legislative districts based on the provided standards within 3 years following the return of every census.

Qualifications of Members of the House of Representatives

• A Member of the House of Representatives must be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines.
• A Member must be at least 25 years old on the day of the election.
• A Member must be able to read and write.
• A Member must be a registered voter in the district in which they shall be elected, and a resident thereof for at least 1 year immediately preceding the day of the election, except party-list representatives.

Term of Office of Members of the House of Representatives

• The term of office of Members of the House of Representatives is 3 years.
• The term of office commences at noon on the 30th day of June next following their election.
• No Member of the House of Representatives shall serve for more than 3 consecutive terms.
• Voluntary renunciation of the office does not constitute an interruption in the continuity of service for the full term.