13th Congress of the Philippines

The Thirteenth Congress of the Philippines (Filipino: Ikalabintatlong Kongreso ng Pilipinas) was the meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives. The convening of the 13th Congress follows the 2004 national elections, which replaced half of the Senate membership, and the entire membership of the House of Representatives.

Events

Charter Change

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in her several State of the Nation Addresses has repeatedly called on Congress to pave the way for the amending of the 1987 Constitution to provide for a unicameral-parliamentary-federal form of government. On December 8, 2006, the administration-dominated House of Representatives, bypassing the Senate, passed in haste House Resolution 1450, which called on Congress to convene into a Constituent Assembly (ConAss) to propose amendments to the Constitution.The House move however, was faced with stiff opposition from the outmaneuvered members of the opposition and all but 1 member of the Senate, which was later bolstered by support from several sectors of the civil society and the influential Roman Catholic Church, which threatened to hold nationwide protest rallies to denounce the...
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