Politics of the Philippines Politika ng Pilipinas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Polity type | Unitary presidential republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Philippines |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Congress |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Senate |
| Presiding officer | Francis Escudero, Senate President |
| Appointer | Plurality-at-large voting |
| Lower house | |
| Name | House of Representatives |
| Presiding officer | Martin Romualdez, Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| Appointer | Parallel voting |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state and government | |
| Title | President |
| Currently | Bongbong Marcos |
| Appointer | Direct popular vote |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Executive departments of the Philippines |
| Current cabinet | Cabinet of Bongbong Marcos |
| Appointer | nominated by the President and presented to the Commission on Appointments |
| Headquarters | Malacañang Palace |
| Ministries | 22 |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of the Philippines |
| Supreme Court | |
| Chief judge | Alexander Gesmundo |
| Seat | Supreme Court Building Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila |
Politics in the Philippines are governed by a three-branch system of government. The country is a democracy, with a president who is directly elected by the people and serves as both the head of state and the head of government. The president serves as the leader of the executive branch and is a powerful political figure. A president may only hold office for one six-year term. The bicameral Congress consists of two separate bodies: the Senate, with members elected at-large across the country, and the larger House of Representatives, with members chosen mostly from specific geographic districts. The Congress performs legislative functions. The judiciary is overseen by the Supreme Court of the Philippines and has extensive review jurisdiction over judgments issued by other governmental and administrative institutions.
The legal system, which covers both civil and criminal law, has been impacted by the prior rule of both Spain and the United States. Spanish control was mostly supported by local intermediaries, which resulted in an elite-dominated system. The United States took sovereignty of the whole archipelago following the Spanish–American war, suppressing the Philippine Revolution that had continued after the end the end of Spanish administration. Control by the United States resulted in democracy and institutions that were fashioned after the American political system. Martial law's implementation hampered this. National politics were ruled by a two-party system when the country attained independence in 1946 and changes brought about by the restoration of democracy are what led to the multi-party system that exists today. There have been various levels of left-wing insurgencies since independence, as well as a continuous Islamic Insurgency
Elections are held every three years, although the president, vice-president, and Senators are elected for six-year terms. Results are determined through plurality voting, including plurality-at-large for elections (such as for the Senate) with multiple winners. A mixed-member proportional representation system is used to elect a minority of the House of Representatives. Local government units have some revenue-generating powers, under a code intended to decentralize power away from the national government. Administrative structures at local levels are designed to foster civil society participation.
Politics is dominated by a powerful elite, with dynastic politics common at both the local and national levels. Political parties are weak, with elections instead dominated by individual and familial personalities. Political positions provide extensive opportunities for patronage, and clientelism and electoral fraud are common. Corruption is considered widespread, while state institutions are relatively weak. Politics has been heavily influenced at times by the Catholic Church, the Philippine military, and the United States. Despite pessimism about the potential for political change, democracy maintains strong public support, and voter turnout is high.