The 1987 Constitution: The Numbers Every CSE Examinee Should Know

The Philippine Constitution is the first item in the General Information part of the Civil Service Exam, and many questions about it turn on a single number: an age, a term, a percentage or a number of days. Wrong options are usually numbers that belong to a different office. This guide groups the key numbers so you can see them side by side, which is the best way to stop mixing them up. All figures come from the text of the 1987 Constitution.

The Constitution itself

• Ratified: in the plebiscite of 2 February 1987.
• Drafted by: the 1986 Constitutional Commission, presided over by Cecilia Muñoz-Palma.
• Structure: a Preamble and 18 Articles. Article III is the Bill of Rights; Article XVIII contains the Transitory Provisions.

Congress (Article VI)

	Senate	House of Representatives
Number of members	24, elected at large	Not more than 250, unless fixed otherwise by law
Minimum age	35	25
Residence	Philippines, 2 years	District, 1 year
Term	6 years	3 years
Term limit	2 consecutive terms	3 consecutive terms

Party-list representatives make up 20% of the total membership of the House.

Memory tip: a senator’s numbers are the bigger ones (35 years old, 6-year term), and the senator can serve 2 terms, or 12 years in a row. A House member’s numbers are smaller (25, 3-year term) but allow 3 terms, or 9 years in a row.

The President and Vice-President (Article VII)

• Minimum age: 40 years on election day.
• Residence: at least 10 years in the Philippines immediately before the election.
• Term: 6 years for both offices.
• Re-election: the President is not eligible for any re-election. The Vice-President may not serve more than two successive terms.

Martial law and habeas corpus

• A proclamation of martial law or suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus lasts not more than 60 days.
• The President must report to Congress within 48 hours.
• The Supreme Court must decide a challenge to its factual basis within 30 days of filing.

The 60–48–30 sequence is a favourite exam pattern. Remember it in that order: the period, the report, the court decision.

The Supreme Court (Article VIII)

• Composition: a Chief Justice and 14 Associate Justices, so 15 in all.
• Tenure: members hold office during good behaviour until the age of 70.

The Constitutional Commissions (Article IX)

There are exactly three: the Civil Service Commission, the Commission on Elections and the Commission on Audit. Members serve seven-year terms without reappointment.

Commission	Composition
Civil Service Commission	Chairman + 2 Commissioners
Commission on Elections	Chairman + 6 Commissioners
Commission on Audit	Chairman + 2 Commissioners

Common trap: the Commission on Human Rights is not a Constitutional Commission under Article IX. It is an independent office created by Article XIII, Section 17, with a Chairman and four Members.

Accountability and impeachment (Article XI)

• Section 1 states that public office is a public trust.
• Impeachable officers: the President, the Vice-President, members of the Supreme Court, members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman. Senators and House members are not impeachable.
• The House has the exclusive power to initiate impeachment; the Senate has the sole power to try and decide.
• Conviction requires two-thirds of all the members of the Senate.

Local government (Article X)

• Elective local officials, except barangay officials, serve 3-year terms and may serve up to 3 consecutive terms.
• Local governments receive a just share in the national taxes, automatically released.
• Autonomous regions may be created in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras.

Citizenship, suffrage and other numbers

• Suffrage (Article V): citizens at least 18 years old who have lived in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place where they will vote for at least six months before the election.
• Natural-born citizens (Article IV): citizens from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their citizenship. The Philippines follows blood relationship (jus sanguinis), not place of birth.
• National economy (Article XII): natural resources may be developed through agreements with Filipino citizens or corporations at least 60% Filipino-owned.
• Language (Article XIV): the national language is Filipino; the official languages are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.

Amending the Constitution (Article XVII)

Amendments may be proposed by:

1. Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members;
2. a constitutional convention; or
3. the people through initiative, with a petition of at least 12% of all registered voters and at least 3% in every legislative district. This may be done only once every five years.

Amendments take effect when ratified by a majority of votes in a plebiscite held 60 to 90 days after approval.

How to study these numbers

1. Learn them in tables, as above, so you see the contrasts.
2. Say them aloud with the office, such as “Senator: thirty-five, six, two.” Linking the number to the office is what prevents mix-ups.
3. Test yourself. Recognising a number in a table is easy; recalling it from a question is harder. Work through the Constitution question set and the Bill of Rights set until you can answer without looking at the options.

When a question quotes the Constitution, the exact wording matters. If you have time, read the full text of the articles above. It is shorter and clearer than many people expect.