3 days ago
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Learn more about the roles of lawmakers, the political system, and what should voters look out for in the 2025 elections through this series of content produced by #FactsFirstPH partners News5, Pitik Bulag, Rappler, and Explained PH
MANILA, Philippines – From proposing and passing bills catered to different sectors to signing the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte — lawmakers have the power to shape governance and policies affecting all Filipinos.
But how does this really work? What is the difference between a senator and a congressional representative? What are their functions? Moreover, how does the party-list system work, and is it truly representative of the marginalized sectors? For many Filipinos, especially first-time voters, these questions remain unanswered.
This is why Rappler and its community partners — News5, Pitik Bulag, and Explained PH — have created content relevant to explaining the roles and responsibilities of our lawmakers and tackling the longstanding issues plaguing the system, such as the presence of political dynasties and controversies surrounding party-list representation. These special voter guides are part of the #FactsFirstPH’s voter empowerment campaign #AmbagNatin, with support from the Google News Initiative. Through this campaign, News5, Pitik Bulag, Explained PH, and Rappler received support to make voter empowerment content and share them with their networks.
News5, Pitik Bulag, Rappler, and Explained PH are members of #FactsFirstPH, a coalition of over 150 organizations nationwide committed to making facts thrive in the Philippines’ information landscape.
The role of lawmakers
Lawmakers are government officials elected to Congress, which has two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 24 lawmakers in the Senate are called senators, while the lawmakers in the House are called district or party-list representatives.
Lawmakers play a crucial role in our system of government as they are mandated to draft and pass bills which eventually become the laws that govern the country. Beyond legislation, they also exercise the power of oversight, as shown by their countless hearings and investigations. But most importantly, they act as the voice of the people — elected to represent their constituents’ interests on both the national level and in the case of district and party-list representatives, the local and sectoral level, respectively.
Because of these vital functions of legislation, oversight, and representation, it is important to elect the right lawmakers.
Here is a set of brief explainers produced by News5, Pitik Bulag, Rappler, and Explained PH on lawmakers and the legislative branch which can equip voters with knowledge and context to vote for who, for them, are the right candidates.
Job of Congress
Under the 1987 Constitution, the roles and responsibilities of both the Senate and the House are mainly outlined in Article 6. Despite this, there are still some misconceptions on the job of our lawmakers.
Learn more about what Congress does and its dynamics with other branches of government in this video by News5 — the news and current affairs division of the Philippine media company TV5 Network Incorporated.
To know more about what a senator does, let’s hear what Rappler’s Teacher Rubilyn has to say.
One big family?
Political dynasties have long been a pervasive problem in Philippine politics. According to a 2016 study conducted by the Ateneo School of Government, there is a link between political dynasties and poverty on the local level.
Even with the constitutional ban on political dynasties, there has never been a law to enforce this on a large scale. There were attempts in the past, manifested by anti-dynasty bills filed in both houses of Congress, but these did not prosper.
The first and only law, as of this time, that has an anti-dynasty provision only covers those seeking office in the Sangguniang Kabataan — Republic Act No. 10742 or the SK Reform Act of 2015.
Youth-led media organization Explained PH lists down the dynastic figures vying for a seat in the Senate this coming election.
Meanwhile, Filipino editorial artist collective Pitik Bulag shows us just how bad the issue of political dynasties is.
The party-list system
Mandated by the Constitution and implemented through RA 7941 or the Party-List System Act, the party-list system was created with the intent of providing proportional representation, in the lower house of Congress, to underrepresented sectors of society.
But how exactly are they elected? Watch this News5 video to find out.
The purpose of the party-list system — providing representation for marginalized sectors — is being questioned.
A recent report by election watchdog Kontra Daya revealed that half of the 156 party-list groups (55.13% or 86 party-list groups) participating in the 2025 elections do not represent marginalized sectors. The election watchdog pointed out the presence of party-list groups that have links to political dynasties, big businesses, the police, and the military. This, in addition to corruption scandals and allegations of dubious advocacies.
How exactly did we get to this point? Pitik Bulag’s short comic gives us a brief rundown.
Moving forward
This upcoming elections, voters should keep watch of their candidates to ensure we elect better lawmakers who can serve in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Watch this satirical explainer by Teacher Rubilyn.
Rappler, together with #FactsFirstPH partners, is actively monitoring developments related to elections, including voter concerns. Voters could post reports, comments, and other insights about the upcoming 2025 elections through the Rappler Communities App voter-hotline chat room. Catch Rappler’s in-depth election coverage at our 2025 Election Site here. To interact with our election reporters, editors, and community engagement specialists, join the philippine-politics chat room. – with reports from Eujuan Rafael Ong/Rappler.com
Eujuan Rafael Ong is a Rappler volunteer for MovePH. He is a junior Public Administration student at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He also leads the ‘Fast News’ Section of NCPAG-Umalohokan, the official student publication of the UP NCPAG.
