1. The Congress of the Philippines is the branch of government tasked with
creating laws in the Philippines. It is made up of two Houses, first the Lower
House, or the House of Representatives and second,the Upper House, or
the Senate. Its members are the congressmenand senators you voted for.
As part of the law-making process,individual members of Congress
propose bills forapproval by the majority of Congress. If the bill gets
approved,it will constitute part of the law of the Philippines. In this article,
we will give you a step-by-stepguide as to how a bill becomeslaw
specificallyin the Philippines.
First step is to initiate the law-making process: The proposed billis signed
by its author and filed with the Secretary of the either the Lower House (for
congressmen)or the Senate (for senators). Second is, the bill will go
through three readings. On the First Reading, the number and title of the
bill is read, followed by its referral to the appropriate committee forstudy.
Third is, on the Second Reading,the bill is read in full along with
amendments proposedby the committee who studied it. The bill is then
subjected to debates and discussionby the members of the House where it
was filed. After extensive discussion,the bill will be voted on. If approved,it
would go through a third reading. Next, on Third Reading, the bill will be
submitted for a final vote. If approved again, it shall be transmitted to the
other House for concurrence.The other House will go through the same
process ofhaving three readings. After that, if the other House introduces
amendments and the House from which the bill originated does not
approve of the amendments, the differences will be settled by a meeting of
the Conference Committees of both Houses, whose recommendations will
have to be approved by both Houses. Then, once the bill is approved, it is
transmitted to the President of the Philippines for signature. The President
may then either sign the bill to indicate approval, or veto the bill to indicate
disapproval. If approved,the bill officially becomes alaw. Lastly, if the
President decides to exercise his veto powers, the Congress may re-pass
the vetoed bill if two-thirds of both Houses, voting separately, approve its
enactment. In this case,the bill also officially becomes alaw.
