How Philippine Government Works: From Barangay to Malacañang

The executive branch is headed by the President, who serves as both head of state and head of government, elected to a single six-year term with no re-election. The Vice President is elected separately and may belong to a different political party than the President.

The legislative branch, or Congress, is bicameral: the Senate, elected nationally with half the seats up every three years, and the House of Representatives, whose members represent specific congressional districts and party-list organizations.

The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which interprets laws and the Constitution and holds authority over the entire court system, including the Court of Appeals, the Sandiganbayan, and Regional Trial Courts nationwide.

The province is the largest local unit, made up of component cities and municipalities. The governor serves as chief executive, while the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the provincial board, handles legislation and budget approval.

The city or municipality sits below the province, headed by a mayor and a local council. Highly urbanized cities operate independently of provincial government, while component cities and municipalities remain under provincial oversight.

The barangay is the smallest and most local unit, headed by a barangay captain and a set of barangay kagawad, along with a separately elected Sangguniang Kabataan chairman representing the youth sector.

Local government units are not fully independent of the national government. Under devolution, certain services such as health, social welfare, and agriculture are delegated to LGUs, funded in part through the National Tax Allotment (formerly the Internal Revenue Allotment), a share of national tax revenue distributed to provinces, cities and municipalities, and barangays. This gives LGUs local autonomy over day-to-day governance while keeping them tied to national fiscal policy and oversight.

Congressional districts, used to elect House of Representatives members, are drawn from provinces and cities, meaning the same geographic area can have both a local government unit and a national legislative representative.

National and local elections, from president down to municipal councilors, are held together every three years in May, in what's called synchronized national and local elections.

Barangay and SK elections are held on a separate schedule, set independently by law.