The president of the Philippines is the head of state and the head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the Philippines. The Supreme Court was established by the Second Philippine Commission on June 11,1901 through the enactment of its Act No. 136,an Act which abolished the Real Audiencia de Manila,the predecessor of the Supreme Court.
Hilario Gelbolingo Davide Jr. is a Filipino lawyer,professor,diplomat,constitutionalist and former politician,who served as the 20th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations. As constitutionalist,Davide led the creation of the Legislative branch,and also wrote the most resolutions and the bulk of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines,becoming its father and primary author.
The Court of Appeals is an appellate collegiate court in the Philippines. The Court of Appeals consists of one presiding justice and sixty-eight associate justices. Pursuant to the Constitution,the Court of Appeals "reviews not only the decisions and orders of the Regional Trial Courts nationwide but also those of the Court of Tax Appeals,as well as the awards,judgments,final orders or resolutions of,or authorized by twenty-one quasi-judicial agencies exercising quasi-judicial functions mentioned in Rule 43 of the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure,plus the National Amnesty Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman. Under Republic Act No. 9282,which elevated the Court of Tax Appeals to the same level of the Court of Appeals,en banc decisions of the Court of Tax Appeals are update subject to review by the Supreme Court instead of the Court of Appeals. Added to the formidable list are the decisions and resolutions of the National Labor Relations Commission which are now initially reviewable by the Court of Appeals,instead of a direct recourse to the Supreme Court,via petition for certiorari under Rule 65 ".
Conchita Carpio-Morales is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011 to 2018. Prior to her appointment as Ombudsman,she held the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines,served in the Lower Courts,as well as in the Department of Justice. She has secured appointments from five Philippine presidents:Ferdinand Marcos,Corazon Aquino,Fidel Ramos,Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,and Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.
Gwendolyn Fiel Garcia is a Filipina politician serving as the governor of Cebu since 2019,a position she previously held from 2004 and 2013—being the first woman to hold that office. She was the representative of Cebu's 3rd congressional district from 2013 to 2019 and concurrently served as a House Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2018.
Raul Maravilla Gonzalez was the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and was the Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. He was replaced by Agnes Devanadera in 2009 from the orders of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Florentino V. Floro Jr. is a Filipino former judge who achieved notoriety after being suspended from the Philippine judiciary in 2006 due to mental illness. Floro made several statements that he was psychic and claimed to frequently communicate with invisible duendes,a type of dwarf common in Filipino and Latin American mythology.
Ruben T. Reyes was a Filipino jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2007 to 2009.
The trial of Philippine president Joseph Estrada took place between 2001 and 2007 at the Sandiganbayan. Estrada,popularly called Erap,was resigned from office in 2001 during a popular uprising in Metro Manila after an aborted impeachment trial in which he was charged with plunder and perjury. Soon after his ouster,the same charges were filed against him at the Sandiganbayan.
Simeon V. Marcelo is a Filipino lawyer and was the third Ombudsman of the Philippines. As the Ombudsman,he acted as protector of the people against the illegal and unjust acts of those who are in the public service. He investigated government officials,including members of the police and the military,who were suspected of committing graft and corruption. Notably,he served as the principal private prosecutor in the impeachment case of Former President Joseph Estrada,the 13th President of the Republic of the Philippines. After 3 years as Ombudsman,he resigned due to serious health problems. He was then replaced by Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez.
Jose Manuel Tadeo "Chel" Icasiano Diokno is a Filipino lawyer,educator,and human rights advocate. He serves as chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) and the founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law. He has served as a special counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Regalado "Dodong" E. Maambong was a Filipino jurist,politician and member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission,which drafted the Constitution of the Philippines.
Emmanuel Joel Jose Villanueva,nicknamed "Tesdaman",is a Filipino politician serving as a Senator since 2016. He previously served as the Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from 2010 to 2015 in the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. He started his political career in the House of Representatives,representing CIBAC party-list from 2002 to 2010;he was the youngest member of the House when he assumed office,aged 26. He is a son of evangelist and politician Bro. Eddie Villanueva,founder of the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide.
Samuel Reyes Martires is a Filipino lawyer serving as the Ombudsman of the Philippines since 2018. He was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2018.
Catalino "Lito" Salandanan Cuy is a Filipino retired police director and current chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board under the Duterte administration. He assumed the role of acting Secretary of the Interior and Local Government on April 5,2017,upon the departure of Ismael Sueno who was dismissed by President Duterte following corruption allegations.
The judiciary of the Philippines consists of the Supreme Court,which is established in the Constitution,and three levels of lower courts,which are established through law by the Congress of the Philippines. The Supreme Court has expansive powers,able to overrule political and administrative decisions,and with the ability to craft rules and law without precedent. It further determines the rules of procedure for lower courts,and its members sit on electoral tribunals.
Vicente "Tingting" Low dela Serna was a Filipino lawyer,politician,and legislator. He was Cebu's 6th district's representative to the 8th Congress of the Philippines (1987–1992) and the governor of the province of Cebu,Philippines from 1992 until 1995.
