Qualifications for Philippine President
En11- E26
Final Paper
March 18, 2013
Time to Change For the past twenty-six years, the people of the Philippines have been observing the rules drafted by 50 members of Constitution Commission assigned by former president Corazon Aquino. Some laws have been changed, and some laws have been added, but almost everything remains the same. One of the laws which have not been changed is the law that states the qualifications for president. For the past four Presidential elections, the Commissions on Elections used the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines to evaluate the candidates for presidency. In the 1987 Constitution, Article 7 Sections 4 and 5 state the qualifications for president. First, one must be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines (Nolledo, 6 ). Second, he or she must be a registered voter (Nolledo, 6). Third, he or she must be able to read and write (Nolledo, 6). Fourth, he or she must be at least forty years of age on the date of the election (Nolledo, 6). Fifth, he or she must be a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years (Nolledo, 6). And the last qualification is he or she has not yet been elected as president and served for more than four years as such (Nolledo, 6). Despite the fact that each requirement is important, the qualifications for Philippine President must be revised because these do not provide the qualifications that the president must have in order to effectively run the Philippine government.
The qualifications set for presidential position in the Philippines are in line with the country’s democratic government. The Constitution mandates the state to guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, thus equal opportunities for the position of president. Also, each qualification benefits the Filipinos in the country. The first qualification, one must be a natural-born citizen, is an important factor in the qualifications for presidency because a natural-born citizen is exposed to the country’s
Final Paper
March 18, 2013
Time to Change For the past twenty-six years, the people of the Philippines have been observing the rules drafted by 50 members of Constitution Commission assigned by former president Corazon Aquino. Some laws have been changed, and some laws have been added, but almost everything remains the same. One of the laws which have not been changed is the law that states the qualifications for president. For the past four Presidential elections, the Commissions on Elections used the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines to evaluate the candidates for presidency. In the 1987 Constitution, Article 7 Sections 4 and 5 state the qualifications for president. First, one must be a natural-born citizen of the Philippines (Nolledo, 6 ). Second, he or she must be a registered voter (Nolledo, 6). Third, he or she must be able to read and write (Nolledo, 6). Fourth, he or she must be at least forty years of age on the date of the election (Nolledo, 6). Fifth, he or she must be a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years (Nolledo, 6). And the last qualification is he or she has not yet been elected as president and served for more than four years as such (Nolledo, 6). Despite the fact that each requirement is important, the qualifications for Philippine President must be revised because these do not provide the qualifications that the president must have in order to effectively run the Philippine government.
The qualifications set for presidential position in the Philippines are in line with the country’s democratic government. The Constitution mandates the state to guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, thus equal opportunities for the position of president. Also, each qualification benefits the Filipinos in the country. The first qualification, one must be a natural-born citizen, is an important factor in the qualifications for presidency because a natural-born citizen is exposed to the country’s
Cited: Erikson, E. (n.d.). Summary Chart. Retrieved March 2013, 6, from Erik Erikson 's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development: http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/ERIK/sum.HTML Article VII. In C. b. Nolledo, The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines (2007 Revised Ed. ed.). Omnibus Election Code - Article I. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2013, from Republic of the Philippines Commissions on Elections: http://www.comelec.gov.ph/?r=laws/OmnibusElectionCode/OECArt1&bn=Back+to+Search+Results&b=search%26searchbox%3DOmnibus%2BElection%2BCode%2B-%2BArticle%2BI%23ps1976