The Congressional Committees

Every bill filed in Congress is referred to a Committee which encompasses the specific topic of the proposal (primary referral).

Whenever a measure covers subject matters falling within the jurisdiction of more than one committee, the bill is referred to other committees within whose jurisdiction the subject matter falls (secondary, tertiary referral and so on). It is the primary function of the Committees to make sure that a bill is not in conflict with an existing law. Bills should be amendments or improvements of pieces of legislation already in effect or entirely new proposals. Moreover, Committees are supposed to conduct public hearings to hear the side of all sectors concerned or affected by a proposal.

The Committee is expected to come up with a Committee Report containing all the proceedings in public hearings along with the changes in the original proposal. For a bill to further move on, a Committee Report has to be favorable.

Since Committees are the basic structure of the law-making process, the organization of committees should immediately come after the election of the officers of Congress (e.g. Senate President, Speaker of the House, Majority and Minority Floor Leaders).

In the House of Representatives
Every member of the House is entitled to be a member of as many Committees as he wants unless he is already chairman of one. Every Representative can only be chairman of one standing (or regular) committee and vice-chairman of a maximum of two committees. Members of a committee are not allowed to vote on any bill which affects his interests. The Speaker, Deputy Speakers for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao along with the Majority and Minority Floor Leaders are allowed membership in all committees.

The 47 regular House committees are Accounts; Agrarian Reform; Agriculture and Food; Appropriations; Banks and Financial Intermediaries; Civil, Political and Human Rights; Civil Service and Professional Regulations; Constitutional Amendments; Cooperative Development; Ecology; Economic Affairs; Education (Basic and Higher and Technical); Energy; Ethics; Foreign Affairs; Games and Amusements; Good Government; Government Enterprises and Privatization; Government Reorganization; Health; Housing and Urban Development; and Justice.

Others are the committees on Labor and Employment; Legislative Franchises; Local Government; Muslim Affairs; National Cultural Communities; National Defense; Natural Resources; People's Participation; Population and Family Relations; Public Information; Public Order and Security; Public Works and Highways; Revision of Laws; Rules; Rural Development; Science and Technology; Social Services; Suffrage and Electoral Reforms; Tourism; Trade and Industry; Transportation and Communications; Veterans Affairs; Ways and Means; Women; and Youth and Sports Development.

In the Senate
Basically, the rules for the organization of Senate Committees are similar to that of the House. However, one Senator can chair more than one committee because there are more Committees than Senators. Another difference is that only the President Pro-Tempore, Majority and Minority Floor Leaders get the chance to sit in all regular committees.

The 36 regular committees in the Senate are Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon); Accounts; Agrarian Reform; Agriculture and Food; Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies; Civil Service and Government Reorganization; Constitutional Amendments, Cooperatives; Cultural Communities; Economic Affairs; Education, Arts and Culture; Energy; Environment and Natural Resources; Ethics and Privileges; and Finance.

Others are the committees on Foreign Relations; Games, Amusement and Sports; Government Corporations and Public Enterprises; Health and Demography; Justice and Human Rights; Labor, Employment and Human Resource Development; Local Government; National Defense and Security; Peace, Unification and Reconciliation; Public Information and Mass Media; Public Order and Illegal Drugs; Public Services; Public Works; Rules; Science and Technology; Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development; Tourism; Trade and Commerce; Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement; Ways and Means; and Youth, Women and Family Relations.

The Constitutional Bodies
As mandated by the 1987 Constitution, the Senate and House of Representatives should have a Commission on Appointment and an Electoral Tribunal for each Chamber.

The Electoral Tribunal is tasked to settle all electoral disputes. Its membership is made up of three Supreme Court Justices (designated by the Chief Justice) each for the two Chambers along with six Senators and Congressmen for the Senate and House, respectively - chosen based on proportional representation of political parties.

The Commission on Appointment - whose main responsibility is to act on all appointments made by the President - consists of the Senate President (ex-officio chairman), 12 Senators and 12 Representatives. Membership from each house is likewise based on the proportion of elected seats held by political parties over its membership.