As stated earlier, laws are promulgated to preserve and maintain order in the society and to regulate and control the relationships of the citizens. Laws are formalized norms, which are enacted by people who are vested with governmental power and enforced by political and legal authorities designated by the government. In the Philippine government the power to enact laws is vested in the Philippine Congress, the legislative branch of government composed of the House of Senate and the House of Representatives. Both Houses deliberate upon the Senate Bills and House Bills, which are then forwarded to the Chief Executive (the President) for approval. The approval of the President transforms a bill into a law commonly called statute, Republic Act or Batas Pambansa. During the dictatorial regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the laws he decreed are termed Presidential Decrees. The implementation and execution of the laws lies in the supreme domain of the Executive branch of the government – the President or Chief Executive and his/her cabinet. In the local government level composed of the provinces, cities, towns, or municipalities and the barangay, the local chief executives who implement the board resolutions and ordinances passed by the provincial board, the city or municipal council, and the barangay council are known as governor, city mayor, municipal mayor and barangay captain, respectively. The interpretation of whether a law is constitutional or not, or whether the acts of the President in implementing the law are unconstitutional or done with abuse of discretion of his/her power is vested in the judicial branch of government – the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land.
Other judicial bodies include the Court of Appeals; the Court of Tax Appeals, the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan, the Regional Trial Courts, the Muslim Sharia Courts, the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts, the Municipal Trial Courts and the Lupong Tagapamayapa or Pangkat in the barangay level performing quasi—judicial functions.
