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Batasang Pambansa | |
|---|---|
| Philippines | |
 The seal of the Batasang Pambansa from 1978 to 1986, during which the Philippines had a unicameral legislature. | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | October 16–17, 1976 |
| Disbanded | February 2, 1987 |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | Congress of the Philippines |
| Leadership | |
Speaker of the Batasan | Querube Makalintal (Assemblyman,Region IV)KBL (1978–1984) Nicanor Yñiguez (Assemblyman,Southern Leyte)KBL (1984–1986) |
Speaker Pro-Tempore |
|
Majority Floor Leader | |
Minority Floor Leader | Hilario Davide Jr. (Assemblyman,Region VII)Pusyon Bisaya (1978–1984) Jose Laurel Jr. (Assemblyman,Batangas)UNIDO (1984–1986) |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 179 members (1978); elected 200 members (1984); elected |
Length of term | 6 years |
| Authority | Article III, 1973 Constitution of the Philippines |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post voting | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Batasang Pambansa Complex,Batasan Hills,Quezon City | |
TheBatasang Pambansa (lit. 'National Legislature'), often referred to simply as theBatasan,[1] was the legislature of thePhilippines, established as aninterim assembly in 1978 and later as anofficial body in 1984. It was the fourth unicameral legislature inPhilippine history. Members of the Batasang Pambansa were referred to asMambabatas Pambansa ('Member of Parliament',lit. 'National Lawmaker'), shortened to MP.[2]
The Batasan was instituted under the 1973Constitution promulgated by then-PresidentFerdinand Marcos, replacing the earlierCongress of the Philippines established by the1935 Commonwealth Constitution. It was abolished immediately after thePeople Power Revolution in 1986, and Congress was restored with the passage of the 1987 Constitution.
The original provisions of the1973 Constitution, which was ratified on January 17, 1973, provided for the establishment of a unicameral National Assembly. Upon its ratification, anInterim National Assembly composed of thepresident and thevice president, those who served as president of the 1971 Constitutional Convention, members of theSenate and theHouse of Representatives, and the delegates to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, was established and functioned as the legislature. Before the Regular Batasang Pambansa convened, a 120-member interim body served as the nationallegislature. The body was composed of the incumbent president, representatives elected from different regions and from different sectors, and select Cabinet officials appointed by the president. In 1981, the semi-parliamentary legislature was formally convened as the Batasang Pambansa, and in 1985, some dissident members unsuccessfully tried toimpeach President Marcos.
On March 25, 1986, Proclamation No. 3, commonly known as the 1986 Freedom Constitution, was promulgated, effectively abolishing the Batasang Pambansa.[3]
