Government of the Philippines

Although the Philippine government experiences many communist rebellions and interferences after independence, the remainder of the time it remains a capitalist constitutional republic that strongly resembles the American governmental system. This form of government proves popular with the Filipino people throughout their history, as they possess the right to elect a President, by popular vote, who will serve a six-year term. Presidents of the Philippines function as head of the state, head of government, and commander in chief of armed forces. The government also includes a Senate, serving as the upper house of the bicameral Congress, and the House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Senators serve six-year terms in the legislature while members of the House serve three-year terms. Another similarity that the Philippine government bears to the US is the existence of a Supreme Court, suiting as the highest Judicial power in the nation. The fourteen Supreme Court Justices, including the Chief Justice, are all appointed by the President from nominations by the Judicial and Bar Council. This complex system of democratic government control the entire Philippine nation, with the exception of the Mindandao Region, in which a Muslim population exists relatively independent from the Philippine government.