Constitutional Performance Assessment Of The 1987 Philippine Constitution

This report summarizes the contextual background and processes of writing the 1987 Philippine Constitution, its contents and a preliminary mapping of its implementation, covering elections held under the Constitution, major laws enacted as mandated by the Constitution and critical judicial decisions of the Supreme Court interpreting provisions of the Constitution. The Chronology also covers impeachment cases under the Constitution, a timeline of the peace processes pursued from 1987–2018, and trend analysis of approval ratings of the officials and institutions created under the 1987 Constitution to measure citizens’ perceptions of the constitutional order. Research and writing of the Chronology was led by the research team at the University of the Philippines Center for Integrated Development Studies, under its project with International IDEA to complete a performance assessment of the 1987 Constitution. The Chronology is the first product of this collaboration and serves as the basis for the forthcoming performance assessment report.

The growing economic and political significance of Asia has exposed a tension in the modern international order. Despite expanding power and influence, Asian states have played a minimal role in creating the norms and institutions of international law; today they are the least likely to be parties to international agreements or to be represented in international organizations. That is changing. There is widespread scholarly and practitioner interest in international law at present in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as developments in the practice of states. The change has been driven by threats as well as opportunities. Transnational issues such as climate change and occasional flashpoints like the the territorial disputes of the South China and the East China Seas pose challenges while economic integration and the proliferation of specialized branches of law and dispute settlement mechanisms have also encouraged greater domestic implementation of international norms across Asia. These evolutions join the long-standing interest in parts of Asia (notably South Asia) in post-colonial theory and the history of international law. The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Asia and the Pacific brings together pre-eminent and emerging specialists to analyse the approach to and influence of key states of the region, as well as whether truly 'Asian' trends can be identified and what this might mean for international order.

There are various challenges to democracy which have worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some countries have experienced democratic backsliding and other problems from the perspective of democratic participation, human rights and the rule of law. To discuss these issues in the context of the Philippines, a webinar entitled ‘Democracy Talks in Manila: The Role of Youth Voices in Democracy’ was organized in December 2020 by the Embassy of Sweden in Manila, International IDEA and the Program on Social and Political Change at the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS). The webinar was part of the Swedish Government’s Drive for Democracy initiative, and among the participants were students, youth leaders and youth advocates of democracy and human rights.

This is the second in a 4-volume set that provides the definitive account of the major issues of comparative constitutional law in Asian jurisdictions. Volume 2 looks at constitutional amendments and offers answers to questions about the formal rules for amending the constitution such as: - Who initiates an amendment proposal? - How is the amendment proposal adopted? - How are the amendments codified? and the neo-institutional questions regarding amendment practices such as: - Why is the constitution amended? - Who engages in the amendment process? - How does the amendment affect the political system and the society? Volume 2 covers 17 Asian jurisdictions including: Bangladesh, Cambodia, mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.

The most authoritative international law documents in Philippine history are brought together in one book for the first time. These are primary materials that illuminate Philippine interpretations of international law doctrine.

This book contributes to efforts in furthering the democratization and development processes in the Philippines by examining the decentralization efforts in Metro Manila. It explores existing as well as proposed development models for governance with focus on the effective and efficient delivery of social services, bringing forth growth with equity through development efforts, and addressing national-local concerns to promote political and socio-economic stability in the country. In doing so, the book examines the strong and weak governance points in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, and identifies areas for reform.