Constitution of the Philippines

Constitution of Republic of the Philippines Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas
Overview
Jurisdiction	Philippines
Created	October 12, 1986
Presented	October 15, 1986
Ratified	February 2, 1987
Date effective	February 2, 1987[1]
System	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
Government structure
Branches	3 (executive, legislative, judiciary)
Chambers	Bicameral (Congress) • Senate • House of Representatives
Executive	President
Judiciary	Supreme Court and in such lower courts as may be established by law.
Federalism	No
Electoral college	No
History
First legislature	July 27, 1987
First executive	June 30, 1992
Amendments	None (See Proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution)
Location	Legislative Archives, Library and Museum, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City
Commissioned by	Revolutionary Government of Corazon Aquino
Author(s)	Constitutional Commission of 1986
Signatories	47 of the 48 commissioners
Supersedes	Presidential Proclamation No. 3

The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino: Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas or Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas) is the supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Constitutional Commission on October 12, 1986, and ratified by a nationwide plebiscite on February 2, 1987. The Constitution remains unamended to this day.

The Constitution consists of a preamble and eighteen articles. It mandates a democratic and republican form of government and includes a bill of rights that guarantees entrenched freedoms and protections against governmental overreach. The Constitution also organizes the main branches of the Philippine government: a legislative department known as the Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives; an executive department headed by a president; and a judicial department, which includes the Supreme Court and lower courts. It also establishes three independent constitutional commissions—Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), and the Commission on Audit (COA)—each enjoying fiscal autonomy. Other governmental bodies created under the Constitution include the Commission on Appointments (CA), the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

Throughout its history, the Philippines has been governed by three other constitutions: the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution, which established the current presidential system of government; the 1973 Constitution, initially reintroducing the parliamentary system but later amended to adopt a semi-presidential system; and the 1986 Freedom Constitution, briefly implemented after the People Power Revolution.

The constitution of the then-First Philippine Republic, the 1899 Malolos Constitution, which aimed to establish the first functional parliamentary republic in Asia, was never fully implemented nationwide and did not lead to international recognition, largely due to the outbreak of the Philippine–American War.