What is Constitution?

Constitution refers to "that body of rules and maxims in accordance with which the powers of sovereignty are habitually exercised."


What is the Constitution of the Philippines?

The Constitution of the Philippines may be defined as that written instrument by which the fundamental powers of the government are established, limited, and defined and by which these powers are distributed among the several departments or branches for their safe and useful exercise for the benefit of the people.



Who are Citizens of the Philippines?

Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution provides that the following are citizens of the Philippines:

1. Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution;
2. Those whose father or mothers are citizens of the Philippines;
3. those born before January 17, 1973, of filipino mothers, who elect Philippine Citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and
4. Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

What are the duties and obligation of Citizens?

We have to realize that for every right we are enjoying as enumerated in the Bill of Rights of the Philippine Constitution, there is a corresponding obligation. There will be no chaos in our society if only everybody will perform his or her duties and obligations.

• To be loyal to the Republic. This means that we have faith and confidense in the Republic and love for and devotion to the country. We have to be proud being Filipinos, respect our customs, traditions, language and institutions.

Our country is considered our home, the home of our forefathers who fought for our country against the invaders, the home of our children and grandchildren, the set of our affections, and the source of our happiness and well-being.

• To contribute to the development and welfare of the State. We are a part of the State and we directly recieve the benefits from the government in the form of infrastructure, peace and order, etc. In return, how can we contribute to the development and welfare of the State? We can do this in the form of paying our taxes willingly and promptly, by helping maintain peace and order, conserving natural resources, the promotion of social justice by suggesting supportive measures beneficial to the people as a whole, by patronizing local products and trade and engaging in productive work.

• To uphold the Constitution and obey the laws. It is our prime obligation to uphold the Constitution and obey the laws. If the people would disregard them, our country would collapse and we will not have peace and order.

• To cooperate with duly constituted authorities. In every organization, there is always a leader to manage the affairs of all the constituents. If the members will not cooperate, we can never expect to become successful in all the undertakings that our government would like to do for the good of its citizens.

• To exercise rights responsibly and with due regard for the rights of others. No man is an island and we have to live with others. In the exercise of our rights, we have to see to it that we also respect the rights of other people. If we do this, we can expect harmonious relationship among members of the society.

• To engage in gainful work. It is stated in the Bible that if we want to eat, we have to work. It is our obligation as citizenst of our country to become productive, by engaging in gainful work so that we can provide the basic needs of our family and ourselves as well. As cited by de Leon (1989), "The essence of life is work. Every citizens should bear in mind that only by hand and sustained work can men and nations live and survive. National greatness never springs from the cult of ease or self-complacency, but from the crucible of grim struggle and patient industry."

• To register and vote. It is our prime duty as citizens of the Philippines to register and vote. Suffrage is both a privilege and a duty, which every qualified citizen must perform.

It is not sufficient to just register and vote, but it is coupled with intellectual judgement during election. We have to consider the different poilitica issues by different candidates, so that, at least, we can choose the right person to manage government affairs.