Philippine Politics and Governance Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Philippine political history, government branches, local government units, and types of suffrage based on PPG Lessons 7 through 12.

Barangay (Balangay)

Small communities and Sultanates with about thirty to one hundred families; also the smallest administrative division in the Philippines.

Executive Branch

The branch of government that executes and implements laws in a country.

Legislative Branch

The branch of government that creates, changes, and repeals laws.

Judiciary Branch

The branch of government that interprets laws, including penalties if laws are obstructed or disobeyed.

Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade

A trade system running from 1568 to 1815 that made the Philippines the regional center of trade in Southeast Asia.

Pact of Biak na Bato

A truce signed on December 15, 1897, that brought Emilio Aguinaldo's exile to Hong Kong.

Military Government

A temporary government established by Americans in the Philippines, headed by a general serving as chief political executive.

Tydings-McDuffie Act

A 1934 U.S. statute (also called Philippine Commonwealth and Independence Act) providing for Philippine independence on July 4, 1946, after a 10-year transitional Commonwealth government.

Dr. Jose P. Laurel

The First President of the Second Republic of the Philippines under the Japanese period.

Senate

The upper house of the Congress of the Philippines, composed of twenty-four Senators elected at large by qualified voters.

House of Representatives

The house of Congress composed of not more than three hundred four (304) members, unless otherwise fixed by law.

District Congressmen

Representatives in Congress who represent a particular congressional district of the country.

Party-list Congressmen

Representatives in Congress who represent the minority sectors of the population.

Bills

Laws in the making that pass into law when approved by both houses of Congress and the President of the Philippines.

Resolutions

Measures used by Congress to convey principles and sentiments of the Senate or the House of Representatives.

Supreme Court

The highest level court in the Philippine judiciary, possessing administrative supervision over all courts and the authority to promulgate rules for legal practice.

Court of Appeals

The Philippines' second-highest judicial court, positioned directly below the Supreme Court.

Regional Trial Courts (RTC)

Courts that typically try cases of serious crimes like murder and robbery.

Municipal Circuit Trial Courts (MCTC)

Judicial courts of the Philippine Judicial System that cover two or more municipalities.

Sandiganbayan

A special court that tries and decides criminal and civil cases against government officials and employees accused of graft and corruption.

Court of Tax Appeals

A special court that makes decisions, judgments, or rulings regarding matters from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Commissioner of Customs, Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Trade and Industry, and Secretary of Agriculture.

Sharia District Courts (ShDC)

Special courts ruling on Sharia law with limited jurisdiction over cases relating to Muslims.

Municipality

A local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines, historically referred to as a town.

Decentralization

The transfer of control of an activity or organization to several local offices or authorities rather than a single central authority.

Suffrage

The right to vote in elections, exercised by all Philippine citizens at least 18 years of age who are not disqualified by law.

Election

The means by which people choose their officials to whom they entrust the exercise of government powers.

Plebiscite

The vote of the people expressing their choice for or against a proposed constitutional amendment or political-territorial change.

Referendum

The vote of the people to approve or reject a law or ordinance that has already been enacted.

Initiative

The process whereby the people directly propose and enact laws.

Recall

A method by which a public officer may be removed from office during their tenure by a vote of the people following a petition.

Universal Suffrage

A form of suffrage where the right to vote is not restricted by sex, race, social status, education level, or wealth.

Census Suffrage

Also known as censitary suffrage, the opposite of equal suffrage, where votes cast by eligible voters are weighted differently according to rank in the census.

Compulsory Suffrage

A system where eligible voters are required by law to vote, currently practiced by thirty-two countries.

General Elections

Elections held for the purpose of electing national and local officials simultaneously.