Qualifications to Run for Representative
Defined in Article VI, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution. Notably 10 years younger than the minimum age for Senate candidates.
- • Natural-born citizen of the Philippines
- • At least 25 years old on election day
- • Able to read and write
- • A registered voter (except for a party-list representative)
- • A resident of the country for not less than 1 year immediately before the election
These qualifications are constitutionally exhaustive. Congress cannot add further requirements beyond what the Constitution lists.
Powers Unique to the House
The House and Senate hold roughly equal legislative power, but a few functions belong exclusively to the lower chamber.
Sole Power to Initiate Impeachment
Only the House can initiate impeachment proceedings against the President, Vice President, Supreme Court justices, and other impeachable officials. A vote of one-third of the House transmits the case to the Senate for trial.
Money Bills Originate Here
Franchise and revenue bills, along with bills of local application and private bills, must originate in the House, though the Senate may propose or concur with amendments.
Equal Legislative Power with the Senate
Every bill needs the consent of both chambers before reaching the President. A bicameral conference committee reconciles differing House and Senate versions of the same bill.
Current House Leadership
Officers of the 20th Congress, elected July 28, 2025, terms running through June 30, 2028.
Speaker
Faustino "Bojie" Dy III
Since September 17, 2025, PFP
Senior Deputy Speaker
Ferdinand Hernandez
Since November 19, 2025, PFP
Majority Floor Leader
Sandro Marcos
PFP, Ilocos Norte 1st District
Minority Floor Leader
Marcelino Libanan
4Ps Party-list
Secretary General
Cheloy Garafil
Sergeant-at-Arms
BGen. Ferdinand Melchor C. dela Cruz, PA (Ret.)
Deputy Speakers
The Speaker is third in the presidential line of succession, after the Vice President and Senate President. Unlike the Senate President, an incumbent Speaker is rarely unseated mid-term.
Standing Committees
The House maintains 66 standing committees, 14 special committees, and 4 ad hoc committees. Full list of standing committee chairs, 20th Congress.
| Committee | Chairperson |
|---|---|
| Accounts | Maricar Zamora |
| Agrarian Reform | Eleanor Begtang |
| Appropriations | Mikaela Suansing |
| Agriculture and Food | Mark Enverga |
| Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources | Hori Horibata |
| Banks and Financial Intermediaries | Irwin Tieng |
| Basic Education and Culture | Roman Romulo |
| Civil Service and Professional Regulation | Laarni Roque |
| Climate Change | Aniela Tolentino |
| Constitutional Amendments | Rufus Rodriguez |
| Cooperatives Development | Felimon Espares |
| Dangerous Drugs | Jonathan Keith Flores |
| Disaster Resilience | Joseph Lara |
| Ecology | Vanvan Aumentado |
| Economic Affairs | Antonio Legarda Jr. |
| Energy | Jose Alvarez |
| Ethics and Privileges | Jonathan Clement Abalos |
| Flagship Programs and Projects | Jose Arturo Garcia Jr. |
| Foreign Affairs | Maria Rachel Arenas |
| Games and Amusements | Antonio Ferrer |
| Good Government and Public Accountability | Joel Chua |
| Government Enterprises and Privatization | Eric Olivarez |
| Government Reorganization | Salvador Pleyto |
| Health | Jun Gato |
| Higher and Technical Education | Jude Acidre |
| Housing and Urban Development | Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar |
| Human Rights | Benny Abante |
| Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples | Mauricio Domogan |
| Information and Communications Technology | Miguel Luis Villafuerte |
| Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Diplomacy | Gina de Venecia |
| Justice | Gerville Luistro |
| Labor and Employment | Jolo Revilla |
| Legislative Franchises | Jeffrey Ferrer |
| Local Government | Florencio Miraflores |
| Metro Manila Development | Dean Asistio |
| Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development | Odie Tarriela |
| Mindanao Affairs | Jason Almonte |
| Muslim Affairs | Dimple Mastura |
| National Defense and Security | Oscar Malapitan |
| Natural Resources | Alfredo Marañon III |
| North Luzon Growth Quadrangle | Angelo Marcos Barba |
| Overseas Workers Affairs | Bryan Revilla |
| People's Participation | Marcelino Teodoro |
| Population and Family Relations | Edwin Ongchuan |
| Poverty Alleviation | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Public Accounts | Terry Ridon |
| Public Information | Lordan Suan |
| Public Order and Safety | Rolando Valeriano |
| Public Works and Highways | Romeo Momo |
| Revision of Laws | Dino Tanjuatco |
| Rules | Sandro Marcos |
| Rural Development | Wilton Kho |
| Science and Technology | Jules Ledesma |
| Senior Citizens | Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay |
| Social Services | Cheeno Almario |
| Suffrage and Electoral Reforms | Zia Alonto Adiong |
| Sustainable Development Goals | Jose Manuel Alba |
| Tourism | Eleandro Madrona |
| Trade and Industry | Maximo Dalog |
| Transportation | Franz Pumaren |
| Veterans Affairs and Welfare | Rudy Caoagdan |
| Visayas Development | Lolita Javier |
| Ways and Means | Miro Quimbo |
| Welfare of Children | Richelle Singson-Michael |
| Women and Gender Equality | Ann Matibag |
| Youth and Sports Development | Faustino Michael Carlos Dy III |
Committee assignments are proportional to each bloc's size in the chamber. The Speaker, Deputy Speakers, and floor leaders can vote in any committee; a committee chair votes only to break a tie.
How Representatives Are Elected
A parallel voting system: first-past-the-post for district seats, proportional representation for party-list seats.
District representatives are elected by simple plurality within their own district. Campaigning for district seats is decidedly local, with candidates typically running as part of a slate alongside other local positions, rather than a national campaign.
By law, there should be one party-list seat for every four district seats, though redistricting has not kept pace: Congress has not passed a general reapportionment law since 1987, despite eight censuses being published since then, leading to significant population imbalances between districts.
The Party-List System
Designed to give voice to sectors of society that geographic district elections don't adequately represent.
Unlike district races, party-list campaigning happens on a national scale, with each party targeting a specific demographic or advocacy area rather than a specific locality. Political parties contesting district seats are barred from also running in the party-list election, and vice versa, unless the Commission on Elections grants an exception.
How the Rules Evolved
1987 to 1998, Presidential Appointment
Before the Party-List System Act was enacted, sectoral representatives were nominated by the President and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments, growing from 15 seats in the 8th Congress to 32 in the 10th.
1998, First Party-List Election
The Party-List System Act introduced direct voting, but a strict 2% threshold and 3-seat cap meant only a fraction of the allotted seats were actually filled in the early elections.
Ang Bagong Bayani v. COMELEC
The Supreme Court ruled that party-list nominees had to belong to the marginalized sector the party claimed to represent, and barred major political parties from the party-list race entirely.
BANAT v. COMELEC (2009)
Revised the seat-allocation formula so parties below the 2% threshold could still win seats to fill the constitutionally mandated 20% quota, and loosened the nominee requirement so a nominee only needed to be a party member, not necessarily part of the marginalized sector itself.
A vacating party-list seat is filled by the next-ranked nominee on that party's own list, not through a special election, unlike a vacated district seat.
History
The Philippine legislative system traces back further than the presidency itself.
Malolos Congress (1898 to 1901)
The first Philippine legislative body, established by Emilio Aguinaldo, ratified the June 12, 1898 declaration of independence before dissolving with the fall of the First Philippine Republic.
Philippine Assembly (1907)
Inaugurated at the Manila Grand Opera House as the elected lower house alongside the appointed Philippine Commission, under Speaker Sergio Osmeña and floor leader Manuel L. Quezon.
Jones Act (1916)
Replaced the appointed Philippine Commission with a fully elected Senate, creating a genuinely bicameral Philippine Legislature.
Commonwealth & Third Republic (1935 to 1972)
Briefly unicameral under the 1935 Constitution, restored to a bicameral House and Senate by a 1940 constitutional amendment.
Martial Law & Batasang Pambansa (1972 to 1986)
President Marcos abolished Congress and ruled by decree, later replaced by the unicameral Batasang Pambansa parliament until the 1986 EDSA Revolution.
1987 Constitution to Present
Restored the bicameral Congress and the presidential system, with the House inheriting the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City as its permanent seat.
The House sits at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City. See Seats of Government for the map location.
People Also Ask About the House of Representatives
Who is the current Speaker of the House?
Faustino "Bojie" Dy III, since September 17, 2025.
How many members does the House of Representatives have?
318 total: 254 district representatives and 64 party-list representatives.
How does the party-list system work?
Voters cast a nationwide vote for a party-list organization rather than an individual candidate. Any party clearing a 2% vote threshold wins at least one seat, up to a maximum of three seats regardless of vote share, filling up to 20% of total House seats.
Can a major political party run in the party-list election?
No. Following the Supreme Court's Ang Bagong Bayani ruling, major political parties are barred from the party-list race, which is reserved for parties representing marginalized or underrepresented sectors.
How long is a representative's term?
3 years, with a limit of 3 consecutive terms before a mandatory one-term break.
Where does the House of Representatives meet?
The Batasang Pambansa Complex in Constitution Hills, Quezon City, a seat it has held since the chamber's restoration in 1987.
Last updated: September 15, 2026. Sources: 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article VI), Party-List System Act (RA 7941), House of Representatives of the Philippines (congress.gov.ph), COMELEC. About azifind.com →