| Pamahalaan ng Republika ng Pilipinas | |
 | |
| Formation | 1898; 127 years ago (1898) |
|---|---|
| Founding document | Constitution of the Philippines |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of the Philippines |
| Website | www |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislature | Congress |
| Meeting place | GSIS Building (Senate) Batasang Pambansa Complex (House of Representatives) |
| Executive branch | |
| Leader | President |
| Appointer | Direct popular vote |
| Headquarters | Malacañáng Palace |
| Main organ | Cabinet |
| Departments | Executive departments of the Philippines |
| Judicial branch | |
| Court | Supreme Court |
| Seat | Supreme Court Building Padre Faura Street,Ermita District, Manila |
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 Philippines portal |
Thegovernment of the Philippines (Filipino:Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. ThePhilippines isgoverned as aunitary state under apresidentialrepresentative and democraticconstitutionalrepublic in which thepresident functions as both thehead of state and thehead of government of the country within apluriformmulti-party system.
The powers of the three branches are vested by theConstitution of the Philippines in the following:Legislative power is vested in the two-chamberCongress of the Philippines—theSenate is the upper chamber and theHouse of Representatives is the lower chamber.[1]Executive power is exercised by thegovernment under the leadership of the president.Judicial power is vested in the courts, with theSupreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body.
The Executive Branch of government comprise theCabinet and allexecutive departments, led by thepresident. The president andvice president are directly elected separately by national popular vote for a term of six years. While the vice president may be re-elected unlimited number of times (but only limited to two consecutive terms[2][circular reference]), the president is barred from seeking re-election. The incumbent president and vice president areBongbong Marcos andSara Duterte, respectively, who were elected in2022.
Thepresident of the Philippines is the country's chief executive, serving as thehead of state andhead of government. The president heads allexecutive departments. The heads of the departments, which make up thecabinet, are appointed by the president subject to the approval of theCommission on Appointments. The president also supervises all local government units. The president may alsogive executive issuances, grantpardons, and exercise the power ofeminent domain. Aside from having the power toveto any bill, the president also sets the legislative agenda for Congress.
Thevice president of the Philippines, the deputy chief executive, is thefirst in line for succession if the president resigns, is removed after impeachment, is permanently incapacitated, or dies. The vice president is usually, though not always, a member of the president's cabinet and may be appointed without the approval of the Commission on Appointments.
If there is a vacancy in the position of vice president, the president will appoint any member of Congress (usually a party member) as the new vice president. The appointment must then be validated by a three-fourths vote of the Congress.[3]
In 2025, thePhilippine Congress enacted the Government Optimization Act (Republic Act No. 12231), granting the President authority to reorganize executive branch agencies. The law allows the merging, abolishing, or transfer of functions among offices in order to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce redundancy within the national government.[4]
The legislative power is vested in theCongress of the Philippines. The Congress isbicameral, consisting of theSenate of the Philippines and theHouse of Representatives. The two chambers have roughly equal powers, and every bill or resolution that has to go through both houses needs the consent of both chambers before being passed for the President's signature. The Senateis located inPasay, while the House of Representativesis located inQuezon City, both of which are inMetro Manila.
TheSenate of the Philippines is the upper house of Congress. Senators are elected for a term of six years; they can be re-elected but may not run for a third consecutive term. Once a bill is approved by the House of Representatives, it is passed onto the Senate. A bill must first be approved by the Senate in order to be passed for the president's signature to become a law. Only the Senate can concur with treaties and try impeachment cases.
The Senate is led by thePresident of the Senate. The current Senate president isTito Sotto.
TheHouse of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower house of the Congress. The House consists ofdistrict andsectoral representatives elected for a term of three years and may be re-elected for three consecutive terms. Each bill has to be approved by the House, after which it is sent to the Senate. Furthermore, all franchise andmoney bills must originate from the House. The House of Representatives also has the power to impeach certain officials.
The House of Representatives is headed by theSpeaker of the House of Representatives. The current speaker isBojie Dy.
Judicial power is vested in theSupreme Court of the Philippines and lower courts established by law. The Supreme Court, which has achief justice as its head and 14associate justices, occupies the highest tier of the judiciary. The justices serve until the age of 70. The justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of theJudicial and Bar Council of the Philippines.[5] The sitting chief justice isAlexander Gesmundo, the 27th to serve in that position.
Other types of courts, of varying jurisdiction around the archipelago, are the following:
Article 9 of theConstitution of the Philippines establishes three independent constitutional commissions: theCivil Service Commission, theCommission on Elections, and theCommission on Audit.[6]
The Civil Service Commission is the central personnel agency of the Philippine government. It is responsible for strengthening employment and a conducive work environment in thecivil service sector and overseeing the Civil Service Exam, acivil service entrance examination to assess qualifications and work integrity for employment in the sector.[6]
The Commission on Elections enforces and administers all laws and regulations related to conducting elections,plebiscites,initiatives, referendums, andrecalls. It decides on all decisions surrounding election protests and contests and has the right to deputize and take control oflaw enforcement and state security forces to ensure the free and orderly conduct of elections.[6]
The Commission on Audit is responsible for examining,auditing, and settling all revenues and expenditures of public funds and properties used by the government or its attached agencies.[6]
The three branches of the Philippine government are independently monitored by theOffice of the Ombudsman (Filipino:Tanodbayan). The ombudsman is given the mandate to investigate andprosecute any government official allegedly guilty of crimes, especiallygraft andcorruption. The ombudsman is assisted by six deputies: the overall deputy, the deputy for Luzon, the deputy for Visayas, the deputy for Mindanao, the deputy for the armed forces, and the special prosecutor.
| Local government hierarchy |
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The Philippines has four main classes of electedadministrative divisions, often lumped together aslocal government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to the lowest division:
Regions are the highest administrative division in the Philippines, primarily used to coordinate planning and organize national services. Administrative regions are not local government units themselves but instead consist of several local government units. Meanwhile,autonomous regions are regions that have control over their governance, culture, and economy. The 1987 Constitution only allows for the creation of two autonomous regions, one in theCordilleras ofLuzon and another inMuslim Mindanao; at present, only the latter exists, with the former remaining an administrative division.
TheBangsamoro is an autonomous region located in Mindanao. Established in 2019, the region replaced theAutonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The region has a regionalparliamentary system separate from the national presidential system. Its executive branch is led by theregional chief minister, theCouncil of Leaders, and theBangsamoro Cabinet. Its legislative branch is the unicameralBangsamoro Parliament. The region also has its own judiciary system that appliesSharia albeit it is subordinate to theSupreme Court of the Philippines.
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