President of the Philippines

The President of the Philipines is the head of state and of the government of the Republic of the Philippines. The president heads the Executive branch of the government, which includes the Cabinet, and is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The current President of the Philipines is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Related Topics:
Republic of the Philippines - Armed Forces of the Philippines - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

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According to the current constitution (1987), the President must be at least 40 years of age, a Filipino citizen by birth, and is a resident of the Philippines for the past 10 years prior to election. The Filipinos directly elect the president who wins on a plurality vote. The president serves a term of six years and may no longer run for re-election, unless he/she becomes president through constitutional succession and has served for no more than 4 years as president.

Related Topics:
Current constitution - 1987 - Plurality

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The official title of the president is the "President of the Philippines," as specified in the present Constitution of the Philippines (1987). The honorific for the President of the Philippines is "Your Excellency" or "His/Her Excellency", adopted from the title of the Governor-General of the Philippines during Spanish and American times. The term "President of the Republic of the Philippines" is commonly, but erroneously, used, dating back to when President Jose P. Laurel wanted to express the difference between his government and the previous Commonwealth government (then in exile) under President Manuel L. Quezon. The restoration of the Commonwealth in 1945 and the subsequent independence of the Philippines led to the restoration of the constitutionally-sanctioned title "President of the Philippines" until President Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed martial law and once more wanted to differentiate his government from those that came before. It was then that "President of the Republic of the Philippines" was adopted and indeed, specified in the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines. However, that Constitution was superseded by new ones in 1986 which restored the more traditional "President of the Philippines."

Related Topics:
Jose P. Laurel - Manuel L. Quezon - Ferdinand E. Marcos - Martial law - 1973 - 1986

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