The executive branch of government comprises the Cabinet and all executive departments, led by the president. The president and vice president are directly elected separately by national popular vote for a term of six years. While the vice president may be re-elected once, the president is barred from seeking re-election. The incumbent president and vice president are Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte, respectively, who were elected in 2022.
The vice president of the Philippines, the deputy chief executive, is the first 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 of 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.[2]
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower house of the Congress. The House consists of district and sectoral 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 and money bills must originate from the lower house. The House of Representatives also has the power to impeach certain officials.
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper house of the 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 to 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 judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court of the Philippines and lower courts established by law. The Supreme Court, which has a chief justice as its head and 14 associate 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 the Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines.[3] The sitting chief justice is Alexander Gesmundo, the 27th to serve in that position.
Other types of courts, of varying jurisdiction around the archipelago, are the following:
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 the civil service sector and overseeing the Civil Service Exam, a civil service entrance examination to assess qualifications and work integrity for employment in the sector.[4]
The Commission on Elections enforces and administers all laws and regulations related to conducting elections, plebiscites, initiatives, referendums, and recalls. It decides on all decisions surrounding election protests and contests and has the right to deputize and take control of law enforcement and state security forces to ensure the free and orderly conduct of elections.[4]
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.[4]
The Philippine government or three of its branches are independently monitored by the office of the ombudsman (Filipino: Tanodbayan). The ombudsman is given the mandate to investigate and prosecute any government official allegedly guilty of crimes, especially graft and corruption. 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.
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 the Cordilleras of Luzon and another in Muslim Mindanao; at present, only the latter exists, with the former remaining an administrative division.
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