Symbols of the Presidency
The Philippine Constitution The 1899 Malolos Constitution also known as the Constitución política de Malolos was written in Spanish and is the first republican constitution in Asia. President Emilio Aguinaldo's Revolutionary Government used this constitution. The Malolos Congress drafted this constitution in 1899 that states that the people has exclusive sovereignty, basic civil rights, separation of the church and state, and called for the creation of an Assembly of Representatives which would act as the legislative body. It establishes a Presidential form of government with the president elected for a term of four years by a majority of the Assembly. It also states that Spanish is the official language of the country. In 1934, a constitution was drafted and was used by the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935-1946. It came to be known as the 1935 Constitution and provides for a unicameral National Assembly with the President elected to a six-year term without re-election. In 1940, it was amended to pave way for a bicameral Congress composed of a Senate and House of Representatives, the creation of an independent electoral commission, and gave the President a four-year term with a maximum of two consecutive terms in office. This constitution was later used by the Third Republic of the Philippines from 1946-1972. During the Japanese occupation of the country, the 1943 Constitution was drafted by the Prepatory Committee for Philippine Independence appointed by the Philippine Executive Commission, the body established by the Japanese to administer the Philippines in lieu of the Commonwealth of the Philippines which had established a government-in-exile. |
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The draft was approved and the
charter ratified in 1943 by an assembly of
appointed provincial representatives of the Kalibapi, the organization
established by the Japanese. Once ratified, the Second Republic was
formally proclaimed with Jose P. Laurel appointed as President by the
National Assembly and inaugurated into office in October of 1943. In
1944 before his exile to Japan, President Laurel declared a state of war
existed with the United States and the British Empire and proclaimed
martial law. After the announcement of Japan's surrender, Laurel
formally proclaimed the Second Republic as dissolved. The 1943
Constitution provided the president strong executive powers. n 1971, a Constitutional Convention was held to rewrite the 1935 Constitution but the charter was suspended by President Ferdinand E. Marcos after proclaiming martial law in 1972. Later, the 1973 Constitution was promulgated and introduced a parliamentary style of government and was amended a number of times to satisfy Marcos' desire to be in power always. After President
Marcos was removed from office through the EDSA People Power Revolution
in 1986, President Corazon C. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3.
Otherwise known as the 1986 Freedom Constitution which was a provisional
constitution, it declared a national policy to implement the reforms
for the people, protect their basic rights, adopt a provisional
constitution, and provide for a translation to a government under a new
constitution. President Aquino later created a Constitutional Commission
tasked to frame a new constitution through Proclamation No. 9.
On October 12,
1986 the Concon presented the draft constitution to President Aquino. On
October 15, 1986, a plebiscite for its ratification was held on
February 2, 1987. The new constitution was proclaimed, ratified and took
effect on February 11, 1987. President Aquino, government officials,
and the Armed Forces of the Philippines pledged allegiance to the new
Constitution.
The Philippine Flag
The national
emblem of the country, the Philippine flag expresses the Filipinos' love
for freedom, justice, nobility and equality. It represents Philippine
unity and national identity.
Designed by
Emilio Aguinaldo when he was exiled in Hong Kong, the Philippine flag
was sewn at 535 Morrison Hill, Hong Kong by Marcela Mariño Agoncillo,
the wife of Felipe Agoncillo with the help of her daughter Lorenza and
Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, a niece of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. This flag
came to be known as "The Sun and the Stars" and was unfurled for the
first time on the balcony of Emilio Aguinaldo's home in Cavite on June
12, 1898 when Philippine independence from Spain was proclaimed. The
flag was used from June 12, 1898-April 1, 1901 and carries a similar red
and blue color found on the Cuban flag. During the Philippine-American
war, the flag's red color was placed on top.
The flag has
since evolved ever since its hoisting by President Emilio Aguinaldo in
1898. On March 25, 1936, Executive Order No. 23 was issued by President
Manuel Quezon restricting the official description and specifications of
the flag. The Philippine flag was banned in 1942 during the Japanese
occupation but was used when the Japanese-sponsored Second Republic of
the Philippines was established in 1943.
In 1981, the
colors of the Philippine flag was changed back to the original Cuban
colors by President Ferdinand Marcos. Instead, a sky blue color was used
because the flag makers do not have the Cuban blue. It was in 1986 when
the color design was abolished and the 1936 colors were used.
During the
centennial celebrations and to put an end to the endless debate on the
correct blue color, Republic Act No. 8491 was passed on February 12,
1998 which changed the blue to royal blue. This is the present version
of the Philippine National Flag. Philippine Flag Date of Issue: Aug 18, 1958 Malacañan Palace
Located along the north bank of
the Pasig River, Malacañan or Malacañang Palace is the official
residence of the President of the Philippines. The term Malacañang" is a
metonym for the Philippine President's administration, or the Executive
branch.
Malacañan Palace, was built in
1802 by Don Luis Rocha, a Spanish aristocrat. The ownership of the
palace changed hands when it was bought by an official then subsequently
by the state and became the temporary residence of the
Governors-General. The first to occupy it was Governor General Rafael de
Echague y Berminghan, a former governor of Puerto Rico. During the American regime, it
became the official residence of the American Governors-General. In
1900, William Howard Taft became the first American Civil Governor
resident. When the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established on
November 15, 1935, President Manuel L. Quezon became the first Filipino
resident of Malacañan Palace and has been the official residence of the
President of the Philippines since then.
After President Ramon Magsaysay's
inauguration on December 30, 1953, an Executive Order was issued
formally changing the name from "Malacañan Palace" to "Malacañang:
Residence of the President of the Philippines." The new nomenclature
rapidly caught on and was maintained until informally abandoned during
the Marcos administration. For historical considerations, the
administration of President Corazon Aquino made a policy creating a
distinction between "Malacañan Palace", Official Residence of the
President, and "Malacañang", Office of the President. Malacañang Palace Date of Issue: Aug 8, 2007 The Presidential Seal The Seal of the President of the
Philippines was designed by Captain Galo B. Ocampo and represents the
history and dignity of the President. It was patterned after the Seal of
the United States President and was first used by President Manuel A.
Roxas in 1947. An Executive Order issued regarding the seal states:
"A circular blue
shield with an eight-rayed golden-yellow Philippine sun at the center.
Overlapping the Philippine sun is a red equilateral triangle. Inside and
at the center of the equilateral triangle is the traditional
golden-yellow sea lion (Utramar) of the Coat-Of-Arms granted to the City
of Manila in 1596, on guard with a sword on its right paw, at hilt.
Inside and at the corner of each of the three (3) angles of the
equilateral triangle, a five-pointed golden-yellow star to represent
Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, respectively. The elements enumerated
above are encircled at the outer edge of the blue shield by five-pointed
golden-yellow stars, with one point of each star pointing outward on
the imaginary radiating center lines, the number of stars conforming to
the number of provinces of the Republic of the Philippines at any given
time."
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