Section 1. The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and referendu. Section !. The Senate shall be coposed of twenty"four Senators who shall be elected at large by the #uali$ed voters of the Philippines, as ay be provided by law. Section %. &o person shall be a Senator unless he is a natural"born citi'en of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at least thirty"$ve years of age, able to read and write, a registered voter, and a resident of the Philippines for not less than two years iediately preceding the day of the election. Section (. The ter of o)ce of the Senators shall be six years and shall coence, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of *une next following their election. &o Senator shall serve for ore than two consecutive ters. +oluntary renunciation of the o)ce for any length of tie shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full ter of which he was elected. Section ,. -1. The House of Representatives shall be coposed of not ore than two hundred and $fty ebers, unless otherwise $xed by law, who shall be elected fro legislative districts apportioned aong the provinces, cities, and the /etropolitan /anila area in accordance with the nuber of their respective inhabitants, and on the basis of a unifor and progressive ratio, and those who, as provided by law, shall be elected through a party"list syste of registered national, regional, and sectoral parties or organi'ations. -!. The party"list representatives shall constitute twenty per centum of the total nuber of representatives including those under the party list. 0or three consecutive ters after the rati$cation of this Constitution, one"half of the seats allocated to party"list representatives shall be $lled, as provided by law, by selection or election fro the labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural counities, woen, youth, and such other sectors as ay be provided by law, except the religious sector. -%. 1ach legislative district shall coprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, copact, and ad2acent territory. 1ach city with a population of at least two hundred $fty thousand, or each province, shall have at least one representative. -(. 3ithin three years following the return of every census, the Congress shall a4e a reapportionent of legislative districts based on the standards provided in this section. Section 5. &o person shall be a /eber of the House of Representatives unless he is a natural"born citi'en of the Philippines and, on the day of the election, is at least twenty $ve years of age, able to read and write, and, except the party"list representatives, a registered voter in the district in which he shall be elected, and a resident thereof for a period of not less than one year iediately preceding the day of the election. Section 6. The /ebers of the House of Representatives shall be elected for a ter of three years which shall begin, unless otherwise provided by law, at noon on the thirtieth day of *une next following their election. &o /eber of the House of Representatives shall serve for ore than three consecutive ters. +oluntary renunciation of the o)ce for any length of tie shall not be considered as an interruption in the continuity of his service for the full ter for which he was elected. Section 7. 8nless otherwise provided by law, the regular election of the Senators and the /ebers of the House of Representatives shall be held on the second /onday of /ay. Section 9. :n case of vacancy in the Senate or in the House of Representatives, a special election ay be called to $ll such vacancy in the anner prescribed by law, but the Senator or /eber of the House of Representatives thus elected shall serve only for the unexpired ter. Section 1;. The salaries of Senators and /ebers of the House of Representatives shall be deterined by law. &o increase in said copensation shall ta4e e<ect until after the expiration of the full ter of all the /ebers of the Senate and the House of Representatives approving such increase. Section 11. = Senator or /eber of the House of Representatives shall, in all o<enses punishable by not ore than six years iprisonent, be privileged fro arrest while the Congress is in session. &o /eber shall be #uestioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any coittee thereof. Section 1!. =ll /ebers of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall, upon assuption of o)ce, a4e a full disclosure of their $nancial and business interests. They shall notify the House concerned of a potential con>ict of interest that ay arise fro the $ling of a proposed legislation of which they are authors. Section 1%. &o Senator or /eber of the House of Representatives ay hold any other o)ce or eployent in the ?overnent, or any subdivision, agency, or instruentality thereof, including governent"owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries, during his ter without forfeiting his seat. &either shall he be appointed to any o)ce which ay have been created or the eoluents thereof increased during the ter for which he was elected. Section 1(. &o Senator or /eber of the House of Representatives ay personally appear as counsel before any court of 2ustice or before the 1lectoral Tribunals, or #uasi2udicial and other adinistrative bodies. &either shall he, directly or indirectly, be interested $nancially in any contract with, or in any franchise or special privilege granted by the ?overnent, or any subdivision, agency, or instruentality thereof, including any governent" owned or controlled corporation, or its subsidiary, during his ter of o)ce. He shall not intervene in any atter before any o)ce of the ?overnent for his pecuniary bene$t or where he ay be called upon to act on account of his o)ce. Section 1,. The Congress shall convene once every year on the fourth /onday of *uly for its regular session, unless a di<erent date is $xed by law, and shall continue to be in session for such nuber of days as it ay deterine until thirty days before the opening of its next regular session, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. The President ay call a special session at any tie. Section 15. -1.. The Senate shall elect its President and the House of Representatives, its Spea4er, by a a2ority vote of all its respective /ebers. 1ach House shall choose such other o)cers as it ay dee necessary. -!. = a2ority of each House shall constitute a #uoru to do business, but a saller nuber ay ad2ourn fro day to day and ay copel the attendance of absent /ebers in such anner, and under such penalties, as such House ay provide. -%. 1ach House ay deterine the rules of its proceedings, punish its /ebers for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two"thirds of all its /ebers, suspend or expel a /eber. = penalty of suspension, when iposed, shall not exceed sixty days. -(. 1ach House shall 4eep a *ournal of its proceedings, and fro tie to tie publish the sae, excepting such parts as ay, in its 2udgent, a<ect national security@ and the yeas and nays on any #uestion shall, at the re#uest of one"$fth of the /ebers present, be entered in the *ournal. 1ach House shall also 4eep a Record of its proceedings. -,. &either House during the sessions of the Congress shall, without the consent of the other, ad2ourn for ore than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. Section 16. The Senate and the House of Representatives shall each have an 1lectoral Tribunal which shall be the sole 2udge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and #uali$cations of their respective /ebers. 1ach 1lectoral Tribunal shall be coposed of nine /ebers, three of who shall be *ustices of the Supree Court to be designated by the Chief *ustice, and the reaining six shall be /ebers of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as the case ay be, who shall be chosen on the basis of proportional representation fro the political parties and the parties or organi'ations registered under the party"list syste represented therein. The senior *ustice in the 1lectoral Tribunal shall be its Chairan. Section 17. There shall be a Coission on =ppointents consisting of the President of the Senate, as ex ofcio Chairan, twelve Senators, and twelve /ebers of the House of Representatives, elected by each House on the basis of proportional representation fro the political parties and parties or organi'ations registered under the party"list syste represented therein. The chairan of the Coission shall not vote, except in case of a tie. The Coission shall act on all appointents subitted to it within thirty session days of the Congress fro their subission. The Coission shall rule by a a2ority vote of all the /ebers. Section 19. The 1lectoral Tribunals and the Coission on =ppointents shall be constituted within thirty days after the Senate and the House of Representatives shall have been organi'ed with the election of the President and the Spea4er. The Coission on =ppointents shall eet only while the Congress is in session, at the call of its Chairan or a a2ority of all its /ebers, to discharge such powers and functions as are herein conferred upon it. Section !;. The records and boo4s of accounts of the Congress shall be preserved and be open to the public in accordance with law, and such boo4s shall be audited by the Coission on =udit which shall publish annually an itei'ed list of aounts paid to and expenses incurred for each /eber. Section !1. The Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective coittees ay conduct in#uiries in aid of legislation in accordance with its duly published rules of procedure. The rights of persons appearing in, or a<ected by, such in#uiries shall be respected. Section !!. The heads of departents ay, upon their own initiative, with the consent of the President, or upon the re#uest of either House, as the rules of each House shall provide, appear before and be heard by such House on any atter pertaining to their departents. 3ritten #uestions shall be subitted to the President of the Senate or the Spea4er of the House of Representatives at least three days before their scheduled appearance. :nterpellations shall not be liited to written #uestions, but ay cover atters related thereto. 3hen the security of the State or the public interest so re#uires and the President so states in writing, the appearance shall be conducted in executive session. Section !%. -1. The Congress, by a vote of two"thirds of both Houses in 2oint session assebled, voting separately, shall have the sole power to declare the existence of a state of war. -!. :n ties of war or other national eergency, the Congress ay, by law, authori'e the President, for a liited period and sub2ect to such restrictions as it ay prescribe, to exercise powers necessary and proper to carry out a declared national policy. 8nless sooner withdrawn by resolution of the Congress, such powers shall cease upon the next ad2ournent thereof. Section !(. =ll appropriation, revenue or tari< bills, bills authori'ing increase of the public debt, bills of local application, and private bills, shall originate exclusively in the House of Representatives, but the Senate ay propose or concur with aendents. Section !,. -1. The Congress ay not increase the appropriations recoended by the President for the operation of the ?overnent as speci$ed in the budget. The for, content, and anner of preparation of the budget shall be prescribed by law. -!. &o provision or enactent shall be ebraced in the general appropriations bill unless it relates speci$cally to soe particular appropriation therein. =ny such provision or enactent shall be liited in its operation to the appropriation to which it relates. -%. The procedure in approving appropriations for the Congress shall strictly follow the procedure for approving appropriations for other departents and agencies. -(. = special appropriations bill shall specify the purpose for which it is intended, and shall be supported by funds actually available as certi$ed by the &ational Treasurer, or to be raised by a corresponding revenue proposal therein. -,. &o law shall be passed authori'ing any transfer of appropriations@ however, the President, the President of the Senate, the Spea4er of the House of Representatives, the Chief *ustice of the Supree Court, and the heads of Constitutional Coissions ay, by law, be authori'ed to augent any ite in the general appropriations law for their respective o)ces fro savings in other ites of their respective appropriations. -5. Aiscretionary funds appropriated for particular o)cials shall be disbursed only for public purposes to be supported by appropriate vouchers and sub2ect to such guidelines as ay be prescribed by law. -6. :f, by the end of any $scal year, the Congress shall have failed to pass the general appropriations bill for the ensuing $scal year, the general appropriations law for the preceding $scal year shall be deeed re"enacted and shall reain in force and e<ect until the general appropriations bill is passed by the Congress. Section !5. -1. 1very bill passed by the Congress shall ebrace only one sub2ect which shall be expressed in the title thereof. -!. &o bill passed by either House shall becoe a law unless it has passed three readings on separate days, and printed copies thereof in its $nal for have been distributed to its /ebers three days before its passage, except when the President certi$es to the necessity of its iediate enactent to eet a public calaity or eergency. 8pon the last reading of a bill, no aendent thereto shall be allowed, and the vote thereon shall be ta4en iediately thereafter, and the yeas and nays entered in the *ournal. Section !6. -1. 1very bill passed by the Congress shall, before it becoes a law, be presented to the President. :f he approves the sae he shall sign it@ otherwise, he shall veto it and return the sae with his ob2ections to the House where it originated, which shall enter the ob2ections at large in its *ournal and proceed to reconsider it. :f, after such reconsideration, two"thirds of all the /ebers of such House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the ob2ections, to the other House by which it shall li4ewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two"thirds of all the /ebers of that House, it shall becoe a law. :n all such cases, the votes of each House shall be deterined by yeas or nays, and the naes of the /ebers voting for or against shall be entered in its *ournal. The President shall counicate his veto of any bill to the House where it originated within thirty days after the date of receipt thereof, otherwise, it shall becoe a law as if he had signed it. -!. The President shall have the power to veto any particular ite or ites in an appropriation, revenue, or tari< bill, but the veto shall not a<ect the ite or ites to which he does not ob2ect. Section !7. -1. The rule of taxation shall be unifor and e#uitable. The Congress shall evolve a progressive syste of taxation. -!. The Congress ay, by law, authori'e the President to $x within speci$ed liits, and sub2ect to such liitations and restrictions as it ay ipose, tari< rates, iport and export #uotas, tonnage and wharfage dues, and other duties or iposts within the fraewor4 of the national developent progra of the ?overnent. -%. Charitable institutions, churches and personages or convents appurtenant thereto, os#ues, non"pro$t ceeteries, and all lands, buildings, and iproveents, actually, directly, and exclusively used for religious, charitable, or educational purposes shall be exept fro taxation. -(. &o law granting any tax exeption shall be passed without the concurrence of a a2ority of all the /ebers of the Congress. Section !9. -1. &o oney shall be paid out of the Treasury except in pursuance of an appropriation ade by law. -!. &o public oney or property shall be appropriated, applied, paid, or eployed, directly or indirectly, for the use, bene$t, or support of any sect, church, denoination, sectarian institution, or syste of religion, or of any priest, preacher, inister, other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when such priest, preacher, inister, or dignitary is assigned to the ared forces, or to any penal institution, or governent orphanage or leprosariu. -%. =ll oney collected on any tax levied for a special purpose shall be treated as a special fund and paid out for such purpose only. :f the purpose for which a special fund was created has been ful$lled or abandoned, the balance, if any, shall be transferred to the general funds of the ?overnent. Section %;. &o law shall be passed increasing the appellate 2urisdiction of the Supree Court as provided in this Constitution without its advice and concurrence. Section %1. &o law granting a title of royalty or nobility shall be enacted. Section %!. The Congress shall, as early as possible, provide for a syste of initiative and referendu, and the exceptions therefro, whereby the people can directly propose and enact laws or approve or re2ect any act or law or part thereof passed by the Congress or local legislative body after the registration of a petition therefor signed by at least ten per centum of the total nuber of registered voters, of which every legislative district ust be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters thereof.