PUBLIC Policy ANALYSIS

Marinduque State College

Bachelor of Public Administration

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. ORIENTATION AND COURSE INTRODUCTION #

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2. STRUCTURES OF THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM #
2.1 PRINCIPLES INHERENT IN A PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM #
2.2 LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT #
2.3 PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGES #
2.4 EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT #
2.5 JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT #
3. RELATED CURRENT ISSUES AND EVENTS (FOREIGN AND LOCAL)
#
4. EXECUTING PUBLIC POLICY #
4.1 DEFINING PUBLIC POLICY #
4.2 NATURE AND TRUST OF PUBLIC POLICY #
4.3 BUILDING PUBLIC POLICY #
4.4 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY #
4.5 DEFINING PUBLIC POLICY #
4.6 PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS #
5. POLICY MAKING PROCESS #
5.1 AGENDA SETTING #
5.2 POLICY FORMULATION #
5.3 POLICY IMPLEMENTATION #
5.4 POLICY EVALUATION #
6. DISTRIBUTIVE, PREVENTIVE AND REGULATORY POLICIES #
7. STRENGTHENING PUBLIC POLICY #
8. LOCAL POLICY FORMULATION #
9. HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW? #
9.1 CONSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND #
9.2 THE BRIEF HISTORY OF CONGRESS #
9.3 THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES #
9.4 THE HOUSE OF THE SENATE #
10. THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS #
10.1 THE BEGINNING #
10.2 ELEMENTS OF A BILL #
10.3 COPY OF A HOUSE BILL #
10.4 FILING AND THE FIRST READING #
10.5 COMMITTEE DELIBERATION #
10.6 THE SECOND READING #
10.7 THE THIRD READING #
10.8 TRANSMITTAL OF APPROVED BILL #
10.9 BICAMERAL CONFERENCE #
10.10 THE PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL/VETO POWER #
11. THE DRAFTING OF BILLS #

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 11.1 WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THE COMMITTEE #
11.2 WHEN THE BILL HAS COMPLEX IMPACT #
11.3 THE “MONA LISA” FATE #
11.4 SUBSTITUTE BILL AND CONSOLIDATED BILL #
11.5 NO-AUTHOR-NO-DELIBERATION-RULE #
12. IDEAS AND ISSUES FROM CITIZENS #
12.1 SUBJECT OF THE BILL #
12.2 DRAFTING AND TESTING #
12.3 CHOOSE AND SUPPORT THE AUTHOR #
12.4 FOLLOW THROUGH #
13. EFFECTIVE CITIZENS PARTICIPATION #
13.1 EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY #
13.2 NO TO RALLIES #
13.3 ANOTHER CASE IN POINT #
13.4 CITIZEN’S ROLE #

I. ORIENTATION AND COURSE INTRODUCTION

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Public Administration deals with the system, processes and dynamics of the
management, operation or administration of the affairs of the state, which include
the entire gamut of government service in the national and sub-national politics,
including but not limited to, government officials and public employees.

IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Importance Description
Provides a basis The state is not just expected to create effective policies for
for the the people. By and large, it public administration which makes
government. the implementation of public policies possible through the
various instrumentalities of government.
Acts as instrument Public administration provides the initiative for positive
of change in the developments to happen. As one of the primary institutions,
society. much is expected from the government to contribute to the
development of the society.
Plays a vital role Public administration comes closer to the people than the
in the life of the other departments of the government. It touches the everyday
people. life of the people through the delivery of basic services like
education, social welfare, health, agriculture, and
environment.
Acts as instrument Public administration makes public policies responsive to the
for the execution public as it proceeds in the implementation of all programs
of policies and and projects of the government. The enactment of policies is
programs. incomplete without them being implemented in the process.
Acts as stabilizing Public administration provides for the continuity of the
force in the government from one administration to the next.
government.
Source: http://www.mu.ac.in/myweb_test/SYBA%Study%20Material/pol_sc-III.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ADMINISTRATION

Public Administration Private Administration

Broad field of administration Limited field of administration
Actions are based on public trust Not necessarily based on public trust
Routine decision making procedure Unlimited decision making process
Maintenance of status quo Dynamic entrepreneurship
Actions subject to public criticism Not normally subject to public criticism
Restricted by Fiscal Accountability No such Restrictions
Source: Retrieved from Jose P. Leveriza, Public Administration: Business of Government
(Mandaluyong: National Bookstore, 2008), p 12.

II. STRUCTURES OF THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT

SYSTEM

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Article II, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution enunciates the first and
foremost duty of the Government – to serve and protect the people.

The government exists for the people and not the people for the government.

2.1 PRINCIPLES INHERENT IN A PRESIDENTIAL SYTEM

Classification of the Philippine Government.

- Representative democracy, a unitary and presidential government with

separation of powers. It also embodies some aspects of pure
democracy such as, for instance, the constitutional provision on
initiative and referendum.

 Executive power is vested in the President and the Cabinet

 Legislative power is vested in the Congress composed of a Senate
and a House of Representatives
 Judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court and the lower courts

Presidential government or one in which the state makes the executive

constitutionally independent of the legislature as regards his tenure and to a
large extent as regards his policies and acts, and furnishes him with sufficient
powers to prevent the legislature from trenching upon the sphere marked out by
the constitution as executive independence and prerogative.

Principle of separation of powers.

Presidential system - The powers of government, by virtue of this

principle, are divided into three (3) distinct classes: the legislative, the executive,
and the judicial. They are distributed, respectively, among the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches or departments of the government.

Under the principle of co-equal and coordinate powers among the three (3)
branches, the officers entrusted with each powers are not permitted to encroach
upon the powers confided to the others. If one department goes beyond the limits
set by the Constitution, its acts are null and void. The adoption of this principle
was motivated by the belief that arbitrary rule would result if the same person or
body were to exercise all the powers of government.

Principle of checks and balances.

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 Under the Constitution, there is no absolute separation among the three
(3) principal organs of government. Constitutional provision authorized a
considerable amount of encroachment or checking by one department in the
affairs of the others. The system of checks and balances is also observed along
with the doctrine of separation of powers to make the presidential system
workable.

(1) Checks by the President –veto or disapprove bills enacted by congress

- Through the pardoning power, he may modify or set aside the
judgment of courts

(2) Checks by Congress – override the veto of the President

- Reject certain appointments of the President
- Revoke the proclamation of martial law or suspension of the privilege
of the writ of habeas corpus by the President
- Amend or revoke decisions of the courts (by the enactment of a new
law or by an amendment of the old, giving it such meaning and
interpretation as to wipe out the effect of such decisions)
- Power to define, prescribe, and apportion the jurisdiction of the various
courts
- Prescribe the qualifications of judges of lower courts
- Determine the salaries of the President and Vice-President, the
members of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts
- Impeach the President and members of the Supreme Court

(3) Checks by the judiciary. – with the Supreme Court as the final arbiter may
declare legislative measures or executive acts unconstitutional
- Determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion
amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of Congress or
the President

II.2 LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT

Legal Basis. Article VI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Meaning of legislative power.

Legislative power is essentially the authority under the Constitution to

make laws and subsequently, when the need arises, to alter and repeal them.
It is the peculiar task of the legislature to prescribe general rules for the
government of society. This legislative function involves the determination of the
legislative policy and its promulgation as a defined and binding rule of conduct
through the enactment of a law.

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Meaning of law.

The term laws refers to statutes which are written enactments of the
legislature governing the relations of the people among themselves or between
them and the government and its agencies.

Function of laws.

 defines the rights and duties of citizens

 imposes taxes
 appropriates funds
 defines crimes and provides for their punishment
 creates and abolishes government offices
 determines their jurisdiction and functions
 in general, regulates human conduct and the use of property for the
promotion of the common good.

Such laws are valid or void, as tested by their conformity or non-conformity to the
Constitution.

Legislative power vested in Congress.

The Congress of the Philippines is a double-chamber body consisting of

the Senate and the House of Representatives – Bicameral Legislature.

Advantage of bicameralism.

1. A second chamber (Senate) is necessary to serve as a check to hasty

and ill-considered legislation;
2. It serves as a training ground for future leaders;
3. It provides a representation for both regional and national interests;
4. A bicameral legislature is less susceptible to bribery and control of big
interests; and
5. It is the traditional form of legislative body dating from ancient time; as
such, it has been tested and proven in the crucible of human
experience.

Disadvantages of bicameralism

1. The Bicameral set-up has not worked out as an effective “fiscalizing” or counter-
check machinery;

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 2. Although it affords a double consideration of bills, it is no assurance of better
considered and better deliberated legislation;
3. It produces duplication of efforts and serious deadlocks in the enactment of
important measures with the Conference Committee of both Houses, derisively
called the “third chamber,” practically arrogating unto itself the power to enact law
under its authority to thresh out differences;
4. All things being equal, it is more expensive to maintain than a unicameral
legislature; and
5. The prohibitive costs of senatorial elections have made it possible for only
wealthy individuals to make it to the Senate; and as to the claim that a Senate is
needed to provide a training ground for future leaders, two (2) of our Presidents
became chief executives even if their service was confirmed to the House of
Representatives.

Classification of powers of Congress.

The primary function of Congress is to legislate. The Constitution, however, has

also expressly given it powers which are non-legislative in character.

The power of Congress may be classified into:

(1) General legislative power. – power to enact laws intended as rules of conduct to
govern the relations among the individuals or between the individuals and the
State.
(2) Specific powers. – power to choose who shall become President in case two or
more candidates have an equal and highest number of votes
- To confirm certain appointments by the President
- To promote social justice
- To declare the existence of a state of war
- To impose taxes
- To appropriate money
- To impeach
- To act as a constituent assembly
(3) Implied powers. – power to conduct inquiry and investigation in aid of legislation
- To punish for contempt
- To determine the rules of its proceedings
(4) Inherent powers. – possessed by every government because they exist as an
attribute of sovereignty
- Power of taxation
- Power of eminent domain
- Police power

The Senate.

(1) Composition and election

- The Upper Chamber of the Congress of the Philippines
- Composed of 24 Senators
- Elected at large (nationwide) by qualified voters
- Regular election – held on the second Monday of May
(2) Term of office
- Six (6) years

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 - Noon on the 30th day of June next following their election
(3) Qualification
a. a natural-born citizen of the Philippines
b. at least 35 years of age on the day of the election (i.e., day of the
balloting)
c. able to read and write
d. a registered voter
e. a resident of the Philippines for not less than two (2) years immediately
preceding the day of the election
(4) Maximum terms.
- disqualified to serve more than two (2) consecutive terms
- In line with the state policy on equal access to opportunities for public
service and against political dynasties.
(5) Reelection after a break.
- at any rate, a Senator can still run for reelection after a break or interval
- no limit of number of years one can serve as Senator
- what is prohibited is to serve more than two (2) successive terms

The House of Representatives.

(1) Composition and election/selection.

- Lower Chamber of the Congress of the Philippines
- Informally called “Congress”
- Composed of not more than 250 members popularly known as
“Congressmen”
- Elected from legislative or congressional districts and through a party-list
system.
- Regular election shall be held on second Monday of May
(2) Term of Office.
- Three (3) years
- Noon on the 3oth day next following their election
- The House of Representatives is intended to be close to the people. The
shorter term of three (3) years is expected to make the representatives
more responsive and sensitive to the needs of their constituents
- If people made a mistake in their choice of the incumbent congressman,
they would not have wait a long time for the opportunity to correct the
mistake by withholding a new mandate
(3) Qualifications.
a. a natural-born citizen of the Philippines
b. at least 25 years of age on the day of the election
c. able to read and write
d. except for a party-list representative, a registered voter in the district in
which he shall be elected
e. a resident thereof for a period of not less than one (1) year preceding the
day of the election
Congress is not empowered to modify the above qualifications.
(4) Maximum terms.
- Same as those for senators except the limit is not more than three (3)
consecutive terms
- A representative cannot serve continuously for more than nine (9) years

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Number, election/selection, and classification of members.

(1) Maximum number. – limits to 250 members of the House of Representatives

(2) Election/selection. – elected from legislative districts and through a party-list
system of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organizations
(3) Classification.
- District (representing a particular geographic district)
- Party-list
- Sectoral representatives

Apportionment of elected representatives.

(1) Conditions for apportionment.

a. Such apportionment shall be made in accordance with the number of their
respective inhabitants
b. It shall be made on the basis of a uniform and progressive ratio
c. Each legislative district shall comprise as far as practicable, contiguous,
compact, and adjacent territory
d. Each city with a population of at least 250,000 or each province shall
have at least one (1) representative
(2) Ratio to be adopted.
- Uniform and progressive
- Uniform ratio is where one (1) legislative district is apportioned for every
250,000 inhabitants or fraction thereof. 1 is to 250,000.
- Progressive ratio is when one (1) representative is to 250,000 to 300,000
inhabitants, since, the size of the House of Representatives must be
considered and must not be big as to be unwieldy.
(3) Representation of provinces and cities.
- Regardless of population, provinces (with their component cities) shall
have at least one (1) representative each.
- But a city with a population of at least 250,000 shall have at least one (1)
representative
(4) Reapportionment of legislative districts. – Within three (3) years following the
return of every census, Congress is mandated to make a reapportionment or
redistribution of legislative districts so that inequalities of representation that arise
because of changes in population may be corrected.

Party-list and sectoral representation.

(1) Aim of party-list system. – attain broadest possible representation of all interest in
its law and policy making body.
- various social, economic, cultural, geographical and other groups or
sectors of our society will have their voices heard in Congress even
without sufficient funding or political machinery
(2) Need for sectoral representation. – it is impossible for, say a farmer, laborer or
public school teacher, to win in an election
- foster the rise of non-traditional political parties and greater participation
for various interest groups, particularly, the marginalized sectors that
have for so long remained unrepresented and voiceless.
- Promotes genuine grassroots consultation
- Help create a healthy and robust democracy

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 II.3 PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGES

Privileges/immunity of members of Congress.

 Freedom from arrest of members of Congress while in session.

- Privileges from arrest while Congress is in session, whether or not he is
attending session. Congress is considered in session, regular or special,
for as long as it has not adjourned.
- Intended to enable members of Congress to discharge their functions
adequately without fear. The legislator’s motive, whether good or bad is
immaterial. They represent the people and their right to speak may never
be repressed.
- It is true that the privilege may be abused. However, the harm which
would come from its abuse is considered slight compared to that which
might arise if the privilege were not given.
- The immunity cannot be invoked when the offense by reason is
punishable by more than six (6) years imprisonment and when Congress
is no longer in session.
- The privilege is a personal one and may be waived.
 Freedom from being questioned from speech and debate in any place other
than in Congress.
- A member enjoys parliamentary immunity in that he shall not be
questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate
“in the Congress or in any committee thereof.” – in relation to the
performance of legislative duties.
- Secured not to protect the members against prosecution, but for the
benefit of the people, by enabling their representatives to discharge the
functions of their office without fear of prosecution, civil or criminal.
- The immunity cannot be claimed when the member is not acting as a
member of Congress and when the member is being questioned in
Congress itself, whenever said body considers that his words and
conduct are disorderly and unbecoming of a member thereof.

Sessions of Congress.

(1) Regular Session.

- Convene once every year, fourth (4th) Monday of June
- Once convene, the session shall continue for days as it may determine
until 30 days before opening of its next regular session, exclusive of
Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.

Congress shall be virtually in session for the entire year. It is only proper that it
be on the job throughout the year. Lawmaking is a full-time obligation and not a
mere sideline. Members of Congress receive fixed yearly income.

(2) Special session.

- Takes place when the President calls Congress, during the time that it is
in recess. Its duration is not limited by the Constitution.

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 (3) Executive Session.
- Secret meetings of Congress or any of its committees
- A closed session is held if the issue to be discussed involves national
security
Officers of Congress.

(1) Presiding Officers. - Senate President and House Speaker are voted by majority
of all members and could hold their office at the pleasure of the respective
members of both houses.

Senate President and House Speaker are administrative heads and presiding
officers of their respective chambers. They preside over their sessions, preserve
order and decorum, decide all questions of order, sign acts, resolutions, orders
and warrants, issue subpoenas, and appoint personnel, and discipline them.

(2) Other Officers.

a. Senate President/Speaker Pro-tempore (for the time being)
b. Floor Leader
c. Secretary
d. Sergeant-at-arms
e. Disbursing officer
f. Technical assistants, etc.
g. For the House of Representatives, six (6) Deputy Speakers (in place of
one [1] Speaker Pro-tempore) – Two (2) for Luzon, two (2) for Visayas,
one (1) for Mindanao, and one (1) representing women, a majority floor
leader, and a minority floor leader

Meaning of quorum.

Quorum is a number of the membership of an assembly or collective body as is

competent to transact its business. In other words, it is that number that makes a lawful
body and gives it power to pass a law or ordinance or do any other valid corporate act.

At least one-half (1/2) plus one (1) of the members of the body.

Meaning and function of rules of procedure.

Rules of procedure are rules made by any legislative body to regulate the mode
and manner of conducting its business.

Intended for the orderly and proper disposition of the matters before it.

Meaning of legislative journal.

A legislative journal is defined as the official record of what is done and

passed in a legislative assembly. It is so-called because the proceedings are
entered therein in chronological order as they occur from day to day.

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 Also known as “journals” in plural.

Power of legislative inquiry and investigation of Congress in aid of

legislation.

The power of inquiry and investigation exists not only to enable Congress
to discharge effectively its primarily legislative or lawmaking functions. It likewise
extends to hearings on other matters within its jurisdiction notably the power to
impeach, to propose amendments, and to take disciplinary action against its
members.

2.4 EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

Legal Basis. Article VII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

President in a presidential system of government is referred to as the Chief

Executive.

Meaning of executing power.

Executive power has been defined as the power to administer the laws,
which means carrying them into practical operation and enforcing their due
observance.

The “laws” include the Constitution, statutes enacted by Congress (R.A.),

decrees (issued under the 1973 Constitution), and executive orders of the
President, and decisions of courts.

Qualification of the President and Vice-President.

(1) He is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines

(2) He is a registered voter
(3) He is able to read and write
(4) He is at least 40 years of age on the day of the election (not proclamation
or assumption of office) for President
(5) He is a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years immediately
preceding such election

The Vice President.

Have the same qualifications and term of office as the President and may
be removed on impeachment as in the case of the President.

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 He may be appointed as a member of the Cabinet without need of
confirmation by the Commission on Appointments in Congress. To request
confirmation would degrade the dignity of the high office of Vice President.

Term of office of the President and Vice-President.

- The President and Vice-President enjoy security of tenure.
- Six (6) years
- Begin at noon, June 30 following the day of election
- End at noon, on the same date six (6) years thereafter

(Term of office refers to the period, duration or length of time during which an
officer may claim to hold the office as of right, and fixes the interval after which
the several incumbents shall succeed one another.)

(Tenure of office, actual incumbency which represents the period during which
the incumbent actually holds the office.)

(Right to hold office, the just and legal claim to enjoy the powers and
responsibilities of the office.)

(Office, an institutional unit of government, while term is a matter of time during

which a person may hold the office.)

Meaning of appointment.

Appointment is the act of designation by the executive officer, board, or

body to whom the power has been delegated, of the individual who is to exercise
the functions of a given office.

Nature of power to appoint.

The power to appoint is intrinsically an executive prerogative. The

Legislative body creates the office, defines its powers, limits its duration, and
provides the compensation. This done, its legislative power ceases, it has
nothing to do with designating the man to fill the office.

The executive nature of the appointing power does not imply that no
appointment by Congress and the courts can be made. They may also appoint
those officers who are necessary to the exercise of their own functions.

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Officials whose appointments are vested in the President.

Under Section 16.

(1) Heads of executive departments, ambassadors, and other public ministers
and consuls
(2) Officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from the rank of colonel or
naval captain
(3) Other officers whose appointments are vested in the President by the
Constitution
(4) All other officers of the government whose appointments are not otherwise
provided by law, and they refer to officers to be appointed to lower offices
created by Congress where the latter omits to provide for appointments to
said offices, or provides in an unconstitutional way for such appointments
(5) Heads of government-owned or -controlled corporations, department
undersecretaries, heads of bureaus and offices, and other officials

Under other provisions.

(1) Members of the Supreme Court and judges of lower courts including the
Sandiganbayan
(2) Regular members of the Judicial and Bar Council
(3) Chairman and the Commissioners of the Civil Service Commission
(4) Chairman and the Commissioners of the Commission on Elections
(5) Chairman and the Commissioners of the Commission on Audit
(6) Ombudsman and his Deputies

Function of the Executive.

The primary function of the President is to enforce the laws. Before

assuming office, he is required to take the oath or affirmation to the effect that as
President of the Philippines, he will, among others, “execute its laws.” Now, he
“shall ensure, that the laws be faithfully executed.” It is more of a duty than a
power, to be discharged by him personally and through subordinates under his
control or supervision.

Power of the President.

(1) Appointing Power.

(2) Power of control over all executive departments, bureaus, and offices.
- The President is the Administrative Head. It is his duty to see to it
that every department, bureau and office under the executive
branch is managed and maintained properly by the person in
charge.

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 (3) Power of removal
- officers exercising purely executive functions whose tenure is not
fixed by law (i.e., members of the Cabinet) with or without cause
and Congress may not restrict such power.
- officers exercising quasi-legislative or quasi-judicial functions (e.g.,
members of the Securities and Exchange Commission), only on
ground provided by law to protect their independence in the
discharge of their duties
- civil service, for cause provided by law

(4) Military power of the President.

- Powers to meet emergency situations, (a) call out the armed forces
to prevent or suppress lawless violence, meet the threat of
invasion, or quell rebellion, (b) suspend the privilege writ of habeas
corpus, and (c) declare martial law.
- Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

(5) Empowered to create military tribunal to try persons who violate military
laws or commit crimes against national security.

(6) Power to suspend privilege of writ of habeas corpus

(7) Power to declare martial law

(8) Pardoning power

(9) Authority to contract and guarantee foreign loans

(10) Budgetary power of the President

2.5 JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT

Meaning of judicial power.

Judicial power is the power and duty of courts of justice to interpret and to apply
the laws (including the Constitution) to contests or disputes concerning legally
recognized rights or duties between the State and private persons or individuals, or
between private persons or individual litigants, in cases properly brought before the
judicial tribunals.

Scope of judicial power.

(1) Adjudicatory power. – Judicial power includes the duty of courts of justice:

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 (a) To settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally
demandable and enforceable
(b) To determine whether there has been a grave abuse of discretion
amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or
instrumentality of the government
(2) Power of judicial review.
(a) To pass upon the validity or unconstitutionality of the laws of the State
and the acts of the other departments of the government
(b) To interpret them
(c) To render binding judgments
(3) Incidental powers. – It likewise includes the incidental powers necessary to the
effective discharge of the judicial functions such as the power to punish persons
adjudged in contempt

III. RELATED CURRENT ISSUES AND EVENTS

(FOREIGN AND LOCAL)

IV. EXECUTING PUBLIC POLICY

4.1 DEFINING PUBLIC POLICY

Public policy – a course of action which a government adopts to a sense tackle

specific public concern or issue in the form of regulations, laws, programs or decisions.

According to James E. Anderson (2011), public policy is “a relatively stable,

purposive course of action or inaction followed by an actor or set of actors in dealing with
a problem or matter of concern.”

Public policy should be perceived as a response of the government to policy demands of

the general public.

Why study public policy?

 Public policy is important in the perspective of the students in the sense that it
gives them the ability to learn how public policies are made in the government
and how these policies can influence the public in the course of its
implementation.

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  It is important for academic reasons that it allows students to learn the different
stages of the policymaking process and the skills in analyzing the programs of
the government.
 In addition to this, policy study is important for scientific reasons in that the
discipline enables the different individuals and other interested parties to
understand the causes and consequences of several societal problems whose
resolution can be has through the enactment of a sound public policy.
 Knowing public policy in the same line improves the knowledge of the general
public in the kind of the community where they can readily identify themselves.
 It gives them a sense of appreciation that in the process of finding a solution to
the problems in the society public policy helps them to conceptualize the best
solution.

4.2 NATURE AND THRUST OF PUBLIC POLICY

Public Policy addresses a host of issues like housing, transportation, education,

health, social services, among others. It creates orderly structures and standards, and a
sense of direction. Public policy is a course of action which a government adopts to a
sense tackle specific public concern or issue in the form of regulations, laws, programs
or decisions. Policy may also apply to individuals and groups as it guides actions
towards a desired outcome. The term may likewise be used to denote what is actually
done even though it is unplanned, and yet sometimes it attends to political questions and
even the personal issue or controversy of a political leader.

Public program for one consists of all activities that are carefully formulated and
executed for public purposes. There are three components of public policy making:
a. The problem, a particular apprehension that often requires specific resolution
b. The players, the actors or group of actors that design specific formula to tackle
the issue at hand
c. The policy itself, finished course of action ready for implementation
Such execution shall then be carried out by the government and in some cases by
cultural institutions, religious formation or any authorized group, including the private
sector, and to a given extent the civil society as well.

The
Problem

The Policy Players (government, implementers,

the media, the civil society or the authorized
agency)

The Policy or the Program itself

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4.3 BUILDING PUBLIC POLICY

 Public policy commence with the discovery of a problem and usually the
government is confronted with varying ways to deal it.
 Citizens, interest groups or the private sector may bring the concern to the
attention of the government, or to its concerned departments or agencies for
necessary action (or inaction).
 Otherwise, the pressure groups may exploit the situation through different forms
of lobbying techniques as they spot them.
 With this, Congress or the legislative department comes in but in many cases the
government and the citizens may work together to formulate a sound policy
resulting policy opinion, which is seen as the most influential factor in
policymaking process.
 Generally, public opinion is advanced through lobby groups, survey studies or
media exposure/mileage, thus influencing a plan of action (or inaction) on the
part of the government.

 The policymaking process revolves within several factors, which trigger agenda
initiation, government formulation and implementation, and policy evaluation. In
agenda or policy setting, government agencies and officials usually meet to
discuss the component problem and then formulate specific but responsive
course of actions then implement them consistently. But the success or failure is
determined through policy evaluation.

 Every policy designed for public purpose aims to bring about solvency and
normalcy to the situation once jeopardized. The success of policy implementation
however, is largely dependent on policy implementers. This is the stage of the
policy process, which is purportedly regarded as the common cause of policy
defeat and eventual failure.

4.4 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY

 The study of public policy rather came late in the 1960s when search for
relevance and meaning of government programs became a growing call for
bureaucrats and administrators.
 Political science emerged and developed in what we know today as policy
analysis (in this period) which aims to examine how a policy was initiated,
prepared, executed and reviews and how policy outcomes could be improved for
the better.
 1922, Charles Merriam, a political scientist, started to hypothesize the
relationship between political theory and application to reality.
 Public policymaking will never end as problems emerge, although appropriate
policy designs surface.
 Whatever government do or do not do is public policy.
 All decisions (including decisions not make a decision) are made by those who
control political power and implemented by the administrative officers of the
bureaucracy.

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  Thus, public policy and public administration are two sides of the same coin. One
decides the other does. They cannot be separated because one side cannot
exist without the other.
 But because policy is a continuous process, it cannot end with implementation.
 Whenever government does something, critics will suggest ways to do it better.
This feedback can be informal-from citizen complaints to journalistic investigation
– or it can take the form of an agency or legislative program evaluation.
 In any case, new decision must be made even if the decision is to avoid making
a decision.
 Therefore, public administration cannot exist in a policy vacuum. It must have
administrative structures that are directed by leaders who wish to do something –
if only to maintain the status quo. Thus, all public administration is inherently an
instrument of policy, whether that instrument plays well, poorly, or not at all.

4.5 DEFINING PUBLIC POLICY

 Thomas Dye defined public policy as “whatever government choose to do or not

to do.” This definition however bears some limitations: “Do governments choose
to do what they do?”
 Many policies came into being as the result of incremental change in
bureaucratic practice. In most cases, no one sets down and figures out what
should be done; the policy just grow as administrators reacts to events.

“Whatever government choose to change into “Whatever government does to do

do or not to do.” (Dye) or not to do.” (Roskins)

 Policy, in general, is a course of action or a series of program adopted by a

group or a person or a government in view to address or respond to existing
issues or concerns.
 To designate something as a policy suggests that a formal decision has been
reached for execution and then giving official sanction to a particular course of
action.
 Public policy is an action taken by the government to meet particular demand
growing out of the society. Public policy consists of the formal and selected
decisions of government agencies.
 Public policy carries the relational factors between what governments are trying
to do and what are actually happening.
 To understand an existing policy better, it is but rational to include as well the
relational linkage between policy and intention, policy is reflected in the
consequences of government action like the impact of the government to the
bigger society.

4.6 PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS

Public policy analysis is the study of how governmental policies are made and
implemented, and the application of available knowledge to governmental policies for the
purpose of improving their formulation and implementation.

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 Hence, public policy analysis has been referred to “the monitoring of different
government agencies that directly affect a specific community.” (E.g. impact of
infrastructure in a city to smoking laws.) The idea behind public policy analysis is to
provide the government with facts and statistics about the extent to which such intiatives
are working.

 Not only concerned in the three (3) ethics of PA: effectiveness, efficiency and
economy.
 But also addresses the “what” of policymaking; that is the nature of government
outputs and their outcomes.

 Focuses more on practical side than other aspects of comparative politics.

 Attempts to understand the role of governments with their outputs and outcomes
of the programs being pursued.

Policy outputs, refer to what government does, or better put to what government
chooses to do or not to do.

Policy outcomes, refer to what government achieves or fails

V. POLICY MAKING PROCESS

Policy Terminology Definition Common Sense

Policy Agenda Those problems, among many, that receive Getting the government to
the serious attention of public officials. consider action on the problem.
Policy Formulation Development of pertinent proposed courses What is proposed to be done
of action for dealing with a public problem. about the problem?
Policy Adoption Development of support for a specific Getting the government to accept
proposal so that the policy can be a particular solution to the
legitimized or authorized. problem.

Policy Implementation Application of the policy by the Applying government’s policy to

government’s administrative machinery. the problem.
Policy Evaluation Efforts by the government to determine Did the policy work?
whether the policy was effective and why
or why not,

Source: Public Policymaking: An Introduction by James E. Anderson (Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth,

Cengage Learning), p. 12.

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5.1 AGENDA SETTING

The policy process begins with the identification of the policy problem by the
government from the community.

Policy problem – a condition or situation that produces needs or dissatisfaction among

the people and for which relief or redress by governmental action is sought.

Among the policy problems that the public demands for response, only a few of
these issues will be accommodated by the government. These policy problems from
which the government are compelled to act become the policy agenda which in turn take
form of either systematic or institutional agenda

 As the first phase in the cycle, agenda setting helps policy makers decide which
problems to address. Topics for discussion go through several types of agendas
before these individuals may move them forward.

Types of agenda.

(1) Systematic Agenda - comprise all issues policy makers deem both worthy of
note and in their realm of authority to address.
(2) Institutional Agenda - formed from the content of systematic agenda. Here,
policy makers analyze problems and their proposed solutions in a strict amount
of time.
(3) Discretionary Agenda - These agenda address problems chosen by legislators
that have not necessarily made it into the agenda mentioned above.
(4) Decision Agenda - the finalized list of issues to be moved to the next phase of
the policy-making cycle.

5.2 POLICY FORMULATION

It involves developing pertinent and acceptable proposed courses of action for

dealing with public problems. In policy formation, solution to problems are shaped and
argued. This phase characterized by intense negotiation between parties.

Leaders, bureaus and other factions must fight for their own needs and desires,
often in opposition to one another. Concerns might include budgetary issues, personal or
political constraints, or the protection of certain existing programs. Public policy are
therefore formed far more by the act of bargaining than by any other means. Policy
formation continues even after initial legislation is passed, arising whenever
amendments are suggested or the original legislation is reauthorized.

5.3 POLICY LEGITIMATION

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5.4 POLICY IMPLEMETATION

Also called policy execution. This phase puts policies into action or practice.
Responsibility passes from policy makers to policy implementers, and the policies
themselves may again develop further while this happens. Whether a policy succeeds
can often be traced back to this phase a well-written policy with a poor implementation
can end in failure.

5.5 POLICY EVALUATION

Policy makers conduct evaluation to determine if the policies they create are
effective achieving their goals.
When determining this, they must consider:
 How to evaluate outcomes effectively?
 How to measure the outcomes?
 How to navigate between the efficiency of a policy and its effectiveness (the
former is often easier to measure than the latter)?
Evaluation may occur either during implementation or after the policy in question is
finished.

5.6 POLICY MAINTENANCE, SUCCESSIONS OR TERMINATION

VI. DISTRIBUTIVE, PREVENTIVE, AND REGULATORY

POLICIES

Distributive Policies – programs which by nature aim to provide goods and services
among the members of the society. The costs of goods or services are accruing also
from the contributions or revenues collected from the members.

e.g. Government policies on health, education, social services or public safety programs,
Social welfare and development services like health, education, housing,
infrastructures, recreational facilities or other amenities policies

Preventive Policies – courses of actions intended to curb or derail any significant

impact of an issue or perceived problem to arise by preventing the occurrence of a
shock.

e.g. order of forced evacuation of the public from the communities projected to be hit by
a calamity or such, an aftermath is a direct manifestation of an action on the part of
the government

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Regulatory Policies – impose certain performance operations, standards of service
delivery and other rules and mandates are rigid policies to ensure continuity,
consistency and accessibility of these provisions to the general public.
- Business function of state, to gain profit
- Provided either because of sufficiency of available private capital or
because the government wants to prevent some evils that usually result
from private control on certain enterprises

e.g. Philippines’ LTFRB on public transportation services, governments contract out

certain services or utilities, privatize some corporations, or simply regulate labor and
education sector

VII. STRENGTHENING PUBLIC POLICY

Any effort to review the performance of government or the political system should
always consider some of its ideological ramifications.

 For a public policy to work effectively, a constant evaluation is truly necessary,

but when everything seems not to do well, an innovation of management
approach may perhaps bring in some success stories like strategic
management and benchmarking in the overall policy design.

The concern about policy implementation being the most critical area of the
policy process has resulted from the lack of political will from below. Poor
implementation of social services, particularly in emerging democracies came from the
notion that governments anyway operate outside ‘market mechanisms’ and it is usually
the monopolist supplier of its good.

As Heywoods (2002) notes, civil servants, local government officers and public
sector workers can, in general, afford to be sloppy and inefficient because, unlike in
private business, they do not have to keep the customers satisfied.

 The new concept of public management allows business and private sectors to
assume great responsibility for delivering services through a privatization policy,
contracting out and market testing.
 It has also led to the wider use of performance indicators that bind public
services to a set of delivery standards that effectively mimic market competition
by penalizing substandard programs.

These ideas have been taken up most enthusiastically in New Zealand, the United
Kingdom, the United States, and in Scandinavia while some agree that they have
promoted the efficiency and effectiveness, others warn that accountability and public
service ethos have been sacrificed to overriding concern with cost cutting and lowering
of taxes.

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 Policy process must therefore invite an open government stance where it shall
promote political arguments and debates and results in improved policy outcomes and a
better-informed electorate while playing a check on corruption, inefficiency and
incompetence. (Lazo, 2009;408)

Strategic Management and Benchmarking Approaches.

Strategic management is basically culled (selected) from a military strategy of

operation success through tactical planning and systematic execution. Military planning
involves specified and defined tactical prescriptions although it is often that military
strategies may be unpredictable, they nevertheless can maneuver or can mobilize
intelligent resources all for the attainment of operational goals. The idea and philosophy
of the business sector that is mission-oriented and goals-driven organization, and later
on in the administration of public affairs in the government.

Benchmarking is often seen as dramatic and ambitious management approach to

compare/contrast successful organizational endeavors, it nevertheless approved that
benchmarking is truly something to reckon with as institutions, public or private, grow in
search for winning ways of dealing and coping with the challenges of the millennium.
Benchmarking offers new meaning in public administration as it tries to look into best
practices of other governmental entities as to how they operationally work successfully
thereby enticing a unique and more effective governance framework being demonstrated
in some parts of the world.

Defining Strategic Management Approach.

In a business organization, strategic management integrates the activities of the

various functional sectors of a business (production, marketing, human resources,
promotion and many more) to achieve organizational goals. It is generally the “highest
level of managerial activity, usually initiated by the board of directors and executed by
the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and executive team.

Strategic Management is the art of science of formulating, implementing and

evaluating cross-functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its
objectives. It involves the systematic identification of specifying the firm’s objectives,
nurturing policies and strategies to achieve these objectives and acquiring and making
these resources available to implement the policies and strategies to achieve the firm’s
objectives.

Moreover, strategic management is an ongoing process that assesses the

businesses and the industries in which the company is involved; assesses its
competitors and sets goals and strategies to meet all existing and potential competitors,
and then reassessing each strategy regularly to determine how it has been implemented
and whether it has succeeded or needs replacement by a new strategy to meet changed
circumstances, new technology, new competitors and new economic environment, or a
new social, financial or political environment.

Adopting Strategic Management Approach in the Public Sector.

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 The public sector was slower than the private sector in embracing strategic
management notions. This is because public administrators were expected to focus not
on their objectives-what they were trying to achieve-but on their functions and
responsibilities-that is, the duties assigned to them by law.

Indeed, public administration was traditionally defined as the enforcement or

implementation of public policy – that is –the law. But strategic management is
considered as the modern application of military arts and science to the contemporary
business and public administration that is through tactical employment of resources
toward the attainment of an avowed objectives or goals.

Public administrators should compare its strategic management approach. Then,

the public sector should initially realize that in order to be competitive and successful in
its endeavors, it must review its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
(SWOT) for this technique is widely used to examine the viability of strategic planning.

Perhaps the failure of public policy may be reviewed well in the context of
strategic management, and also within the benchmarking framework. As stated, the
public sector should juxtapose its strategic management approach with that of the
private sector strategy in order for the government to reassess the capability of the
business group in attaining its objectives, or to compare or compete with them by
adopting some of their best practices or strategies.

Benchmarking the best practices.

VIII. LOCAL POLICY FORMULATION

Compared to the national government, the administration of the local government
unit takes place in a smaller unicameral body that is composed of the members elected

IX. HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

Here Are The Various Steps In The Passage Of A Bill:

(1) First Reading - Any member of either house may present a proposed bill,
signed by him, for First Reading and reference to the proper committee.
During the First Reading, the principal author of the bill may propose the
inclusion of additional authors thereof.
(2) Referral to Appropriate Committee- Immediately after the First Reading, the
bill is referred to the proper committee for study and consideration. If
disapproved in the committee, the bill dies a natural death unless the House
decides otherwise, following the submission of the report.
(3) Second Reading- If the committee reports the bill favourably; the bill is
forwarded to the committee on Rules so that it may be calendared for
deliberation on Second Reading. At this stage, the bill is read for the second
time in entirely, together with the amendments, if any, proposed by the

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 committee, unless the reading is dispensed with by a majority vote of the
House.
(4) Debates- A general debate is then opened after the Second Reading and
amendments may be proposed by any member of Congress. The insertion of
changes or amendments shall be done in accordance with the rules of either
House. The House may either “kill” or pass the bill.
(5) Printing and Distribution- After approval of the bill on Second Reading, the bill
is then ordered printed in its final form and copies of it are distributed among
the members of the House three days before its passage, except when the
bill was certified by the President. A bill approved on Second Reading shall
be included in the calendar of bills for Third Reading.
(6) Third Reading- At this stage, only the title of the bill is read. Upon the last
reading of a bill, no amendment thereto is allowed and the vote thereon is
taken immediately thereafter, and yeas and nays entered in the journal. A
member may abstain. As a rule, a majority of the members constituting a
quorum is sufficient to pass a bill.
(7) Referral to the Other House- If approved, the bill is then referred to the other
House where substantially the same procedure take place.
(8) Submission to Joint Bicameral Committee- Differences, if any, between the
House’s bill and Senate’s amended version, and vice versa are submitted to
a conference committee or members of both Houses for compromise. If either
House accepts the changes made by the other, no compromise is necessary.
(9) Submission to the President- A bill approved on Third Reading by both
Houses shall be printed and forthwith transmitted to the President for his
action – approval or disapproval. If the President does not communicate his
veto of any bill to the House where it originated within 30 days from receipt
thereof, it shall become a law as if he signed it. Bill repassed by Congress
over the veto of the President automatically becomes a law.

When may bill become a law.

(1) When the President approves the bill by signing it;
(2) When he vetoes the bill and returns the same with his objections to the
House where it originated, and the same is repassed over his veto by a vote of
two-thirds of all the members of both Houses.
(3) If the President does not communicate his veto of any bill to the House
where it originated within 30 days after the date of receipt thereof, in which case
it shall become a law as if he had signed it.

9.1 CONSTITUTIONAL BACKGROUND

Article II, Section 1 on Principles of the Philippine Constitution of 1987 provides

that: “The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the
people and all government authority emanates from them.

Government power is not concentrated in any one department but is distributed

among three (3) co-equal, co-important and co-independent but coordinated and
cooperating departments. According to the order of appearance in the Philippine
Constitution, these departments are:

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 (1) The Legislative Department – Article VI, Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution
provides: “The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the
Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives,
except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and
referendum.” Legislative power to enact laws according to rules prescribed
thereof.
(2) The Executive Department – Article VII, Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution
provides that: “The executive power shall be vested in the President of the
Philippines.”
(3) The Judicial Department – Article VIII, Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution
provides that: “the judicial power shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in
such lower courts as may be established by law.”
- “Judicial power includes the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual
controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable, and
to determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion
amounting to lack of excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or
instrumentality of government.”

The Judicial Department interprets the laws enacted by Congress and as

implemented by the Executive Department.

9.2. THE BRIEF HISTORY OF CONGRESS

“The House of Representatives traces its roots to the convening of a national

representative assembly composed of eminent individuals appointed during the short-
lived revolutionary government of President Emilio Aguinaldo in 1897-1898.” This
statement is from the “Primer on the House of Representatives,” which relates the
history of the Philippine Congress up to present.

When the Philippines was under American rule, the legislative body was the
Philippine Commission (Sept. 1900 to Oct. 1907) whose members where appointed by
the President of the United States. The Philippine bill of 1902 mandated the creation of a
two (2) – chamber legislature with the Philippine Commission as the Upper House and
the Philippine Assembly as the Lower House (1907-1916).

In 1916, the Jones Law or the Philippine Autonomy Act abolished the Philippine
Commission and created a new bicameral legislative composed of a Senate and a
House of Representative.

The 1935 Constitution established a unicameral National Assembly, but in 1940,

through an amendment, a bicameral congress of the Philippines was adopted.

The 1973 Constitution abolished the bicameral Congress and created a

unicameral Batasang Pambansa. The 1987 Constitution restored the presidential system
of government together with a bicameral Congress of the Philippines.

The main reason, however, for adopting a unicameral legislature in the 1973
Constitution is that it was deemed more suitable to a parliamentary system of
government. It was retained with the institution of a modified parliamentary system by

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the 1981 constitutional amendments. The Constitutional Commission which drafted the
present Constitution voted 23-22 in favor of bicameralism.

9.3 THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

(See pages 9-10)

9.4 THE SENATE

(See pages 8-9)

X. THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

10.1 THE BEGINNING

Under the Philippine Constitution, the process of legislation is initiated by the

filing of a bill by a member of the House of Representatives or of the Senate. Section 7
of the House of Representatives (15th Congress) states that “the primary duty of the
Members is to legislative measures to effectively address social, political and economic
needs and concerns…”

The bill is a “document that contains the proposed law.” Article VI, Section 26 (1)
of the Philippine Constitution provides that “every bill passed by the Congress shall
embrace only one subject which shall be expressed in the title thereof.”

10.2 ELEMENTS OF A BILL

(1) Heading – to indicate where the bill is filed

Example:
Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City or

Republic of the Philippines

Senate of the Philippines
Pasay City
(2) a Subject, expressed in the
(3) Title
(4) The name/s and signatures of author/s (a representative or a
senator)
(5) Statement of Policy
(6) Purposes
(7) Definition of Terms
(8) The Bill Proper containing the policy or program proposed, the acts
allowed as well as prohibited,
(9) Funding provision, if a budget is needed to implement the law

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 (10) Implementing agency, the institution that will implement the
law
(11) Repealing Clause - a provision that states that existing laws
that are changed by the new law are deemed to have been repealed
(12) Separability Clause – a provision that states that parts of the
new law remain valid and effective, even if some parts are declared
void or unconstitutional by competent courts, and
(13) The date when the law will take effect, and in some cases,
the date when the efficacy of the law will expire.

There is a requirement that the bill approved by Congress and by the

president be published in the Official Gazette or at least two (2)
newspapers of general circulation in order that it can take effect.

A bill is usually preceded by an explanatory note, wherein the

reasons for proposing or filing of the bill are explained together with a
appeal to Congress as a whole that the accompanying bill be approved
promptly.

Drafting a bill calls for extensive research on the subject. Members of

Congress can call on the Reference and Research Bureau to assist in
research and bill drafting.

10.3 COPY OF A HOUSE BILL

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31 | P a g e
10.4 FILING AND FIRST READING

1. The first step is to file the bill with the Office of the Secretary General
in accordance with Rule X, Section 42, through the Bills and Index
Division, which will assign a specific and exclusive number. The Bills
and Index Division will then refer the bill to the Plenary Division for
First Reading. Article VI, Section 26 (2) of the Constitution provides:
“no bill passed by either House shall become a law unless it has
passed three readings on separate days, and printed copies thereof
in its final form before its passage, except when the President
certifies to the necessity of its Members three days before its
passage, except when the President certifies to the necessity of its
immediate enactment to meet a public calamity or emergency.”

2. The First Reading consists in reading the Title of the bill, the Bill
Number and the author/s. The presiding office (the Speaker in the
case of the House and the Senate President in the case of the
Senate, or their respective member designated to preside over the
session), will make a referral of the bill to the appropriate Committee.

3. The Committee to which the bill was referred acquires jurisdiction

over the bill, and the committee chairman, members and committee
staff will study the bill and calendar it for committee deliberations.

10.5 COMMITTEE DELIBERATION

4. The next step is committee deliberation on the bill. This is the first
stage where the general public can participate in lawmaking.
Interested individuals or institutions or groups can present to the
committee their views, opinions, recommendations or opposition to
the bill and the committee is supposed to consider this proposals,
which usually come in the form of position papers to be submitted in
advance to the Committee Secretariat. At the latest, such papers
can be submitted during the committee deliberations where they are
presented. Interested parties can manifest to the committee staff
that they want to be invited to give their views.

5. The next step is the approval of the bill or disapproval of the

proposals.

6. After a bill is approved by the committee, the latter will draft a

committee report signed by the chairman which will be submitted,
together which the approved bill, supporting documents, information
materials and electronic copies thereof to the Office of the Secretary
General through the Bills and Index Division, which will, in turn
assign a number to the Committee Report. The Sponsoring
Committee shall submit the same to the Committee on Rules for
calendaring for plenary deliberation. (Rule X, Section 48)

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10.6 SECOND READING

1. The next step, if the Committee on Rules calendared the bill for plenary
discussion, is the Second Reading, which according to the House Guide,
is the “stage when the bill is subject to debate and amendment.” A bill or
resolution on Second Reading shall be read in full unless copies thereof
have been distributed to members according to Rule X, Section 52.

2. The chairman of the committee which deliberated on the bill and the
principal author start the Second Reading process by delivering their
sponsorship speechless wherein they explain the bill’s provisions to the
entire body of the House or the Senate, as the case may be, and argue
for its approval by the body.

3. The next step is the Turno en contra or speech against the bill by those
who oppose the bill, arguing for its disapproval. Remember: a bill that is
disapproved is consigned to the Archives.

4. After the speeches comes the period of amendments, starting with the
chairman sponsoring the amendments proposed and approved in the
committee deliberations, if any. These are called the committee
amendments.

5. Then comes the period of individual amendments, if some members

would like to propose further amendments. These are called individual
amendments.

6. Once the committee amendments and individual amendments are

approved by the body, the bill is approved, as amended, on Second
Reading.

7. The amendments are incorporated into the approved bill and they are
sent to the House printer for printing in final form. Once approved on
Second Reading, no changes nor amendments, except for grammatical
reasons, can be made or allowed. As an example, there was an instance
when the author of this book successfully argued for a change of the word
“deceased” in the text into “disease” in a health bill certainly two words
with significant difference.

8. The bill after printing is distributed to all the members and after three days
from distribution, the bill can be calendared for Third and Final Reading.

10.7 THE THIRD READING

The Third and Final Reading is the final stage of legislative action on
the bill. A bill on the Third and Final Reading is not debatable anymore and
members vote to approve or reject the bill. The secretary general reads the
bill number, the title of the bill, and calls for votes of the members.

Voting may be viva voce in which those in favor say “Aye” and those
against the bill say “Nay”. The majority vote determines approval of the bill.

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Or the voting may be a nominal vote in which members register their votes
as they are called. In a roll call voting, the exact numbers of votes for and
against the bill can be recorded. In contrast, in viva voce voting, the total
affirmative vote depends of the dominant voice votes.

10.8 TRANSMITTAL OF APPROVED BILL

A bill that has been approved on Third and Final Reading by one
House is transmitted the next day by the

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