Senate of the Philippines Live

t. She issued a proclamation creating a Constitutional Commission to draft a new Constitution for the Philippines. The said commission convened on June 1, 1986, and finished its work on October 15, 1986. A plebiscite, held on February 7, 1987, overwhelmingly ratified the present 1987 Constitution. The 1987 Constitution restored the presidential system of government together with the bicameral congress of the Philippines. Section 1, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution provides as follows:

The legislative power shall be vested in the Congress of the Philippines, which shall consist of the Senate and the House of Representatives, except to the extent reserved to the people by the provision on initiative and referendum. The present Congress is actually a reincarnation of the Senate of the Philippines under the 1940 amendment to the 1935 Constitution. As mandated by the new constitution, the upper chamber is composed of 24 members elected at large, who serve a term of six years. The Senate of the 16th Congress is currently headed by Senate President Franklin M. Drilon, Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Majority Leader Allan Peter "Compañero" S. Cayetano and Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile . It has thirty-six (36) permanent committees and five (5) Oversight committees to fuel the wheels of the legislative mill. The Senate or any of its committees may conduct formal inquiries or investigations in aid of legislation. The committees are classified into: (1) standing or permanent; (2) special or ad hoc; (3) joint; and (4) sub. Subcommittees are created to parcel the work of standing or special committees. The "special" committees are created for a particular purpose and dissolved after accomplishing such purpose. Joint committees are those that include members of both houses. The following Senators have, at one time or another assumed the Senate helm: Manuel L. Quezon, 1916-1935; Manuel A. Roxas, 1945-1946; Jose Avelino, 1946-1949; Mariano Jesus Cuenco, 1949-1951; Eulogio Rodriguez, 1952-1963; Ferdinand Marcos, 1963-1965; Arturo Tolentino, 1966-1967; Gil J. Puyat, 1967-1973; Jovito Salonga, 1987-1992; Edgardo J. Angara, January 1993 - August 1995; Ernesto M. Maceda, October 1996 - January 1998; Neptali A. Gonzales, January 1992 - 1993; August 1995 - October 1996 and January 1998 to June 1998; Marcelo B. Fernan, July 1998 to July 1999; Blas F. Ople, July 1999 to April 2000; Franklin M. Drilon, April to November 2000; Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., November 2000 to July 2001; Franklin M. Drilon, July 2001 to July 2006; Manny Villar, July 2006 to November 2008; and Juan Ponce Enrile, November 2008 to June 2013 and Franklin Drilon July 2013 to present.