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Philippines

Republic of the Philippines

Mixed civil and common lawUnitary presidential republicReviewed· 2026-08-03
Capital
Manila
Population
114,000,000
Languages
Filipino, English
Currency
PHP

Philippines · Constitution

Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines

Adopted by plebiscite in February 1987 after the People Power revolution, replacing the 1973 Marcos constitution. It restored a bicameral Congress, limited the President to a single six-year term with no re-election, and wrote in unusually detailed protections against the abuses of the martial law period: judicial review of any declaration of martial law within 30 days, a bill of rights with an explicit right against torture, and an independent Commission on Human Rights.

The constitutional text

Adopted by plebiscite in February 1987 after the People Power revolution, replacing the 1973 Marcos constitution. It restored a bicameral Congress, limited the President to a single six-year term with no re-election, and wrote in unusually detailed protections against the abuses of the martial law period: judicial review of any declaration of martial law within 30 days, a bill of rights with an explicit right against torture, and an independent Commission on Human Rights.

Separation of powers

Unitary but with a constitutionally mandated Local Government Code devolving substantial powers, and one autonomous region: the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, created in 2019 under the Bangsamoro Organic Law with its own parliament and its own Syariah justice system.

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