Leg Res Meeting 7-8

D. Parts of a statute
E. How a bill becomes law
o PHIL. CONST. art. VI, 26, 2 & 27.
SECTION 26.
(2) No bill passed by either House shall become a law unless it has passed three readings
on separate days, and printed copies thereof in its final form have been distributed to its
Members three days before its passage, except when the President certifies to the necessity
of its immediate enactment to meet a public calamity or emergency. Upon the last reading of
a bill, no amendment thereto shall be allowed, and the vote thereon shall be taken
immediately thereafter, and the yeas and nays entered in the Journal.
SECTION 27.
(1) Every bill passed by the Congress shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the
President. If he approves the same, he shall sign it; otherwise, he shall veto it and return the
same with his objections to the House where it originated, which shall enter the objections
at large in its Journal and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds
of all the Members of such House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with
the objections, to the other House by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if
approved by two-thirds of all the Members of that House, it shall become a law. In all such
cases, the votes of each House shall be determined by yeas or nays, and the names of the
Members voting for or against shall be entered in its Journal. The President shall
communicate his veto of any bill to the House where it originated within thirty days after
the date of receipt thereof; otherwise, it shall become a law as if he had signed it.

F. Effectivity
o CIVIL CODE, art. 2.
Art. 2. Laws shall take effect after fifteen days following the completion of their
publication in the Official Gazette, unless it is otherwise provided. This Code shall take
effect one year after such publication. (1a)
o Taada v. Tuvera, G.R. No. L-63915, December 29, 1986.

G. Other Principles
o CIVIL CODE, arts. 3, 4, & 7.
Art. 3. Ignorance of the law excuses no one from compliance therewith. (2)
Art. 4. Laws shall have no retroactive effect, unless the contrary is provided. (3)
Art. 7. Laws are repealed only by subsequent ones, and their violation or non-observance
shall not be excused by disuse, or custom or practice to the contrary.
When the courts declared a law to be inconsistent with the Constitution, the former shall be
void and the latter shall govern.

Leg Res Meeting 7-8

o ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, bk. I, chaps. 5 & 6.

Chapter 5
OPERATION AND EFFECT OF LAWS
Sec. 18. When Laws Take Effect. - Laws shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following the
completion of their publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation,
unless it is otherwise provided.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec. 19. Prospectivity. - Laws shall have prospective effect unless the contrary is expressly
provided.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec. 20. Interpretation of Laws and Administrative Issuances. - In the interpretation of a law or
administrative issuance promulgated in all the official languages, the English text shall control,
unless otherwise specifically provided. In case of ambiguity, omission or mistake, the other texts
may be consulted.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec. 21. No Implied Revival of Repealed Law.- When a law which expressly repeals a prior law
itself repealed, the law first repealed shall not be thereby revived unless expressly so
provided.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec. 22. Revival of Law Impliedly Repealed. - When a law which impliedly repeals a prior law is
itself repealed, the prior law shall thereby be revived, unless the repealing law provides
otherwise.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec. 23. Ignorance of the Law. - Ignorance of the law excuses no one from compliance
therewith.chanrobles virtual law library
Chapter 6
OFFICIAL GAZETTE
Sec. 24.
Contents. - There shall be published in the Official Gazette all legislative acts and resolutions of a
public nature; all executive and administrative issuances of general application; decisions or
abstracts of decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, or other courts of similar
rank, as may be deemed by said courts of sufficient importance to be so published; such documents
or classes of documents as may be required so to be published by law; and such documents or
classes of documents as the President shall determine from time to time to have general application
or which he may authorize so to be published.chanrobles virtual law library
The publication of any law, resolution or other official documents in the Official Gazette shall be
prima facie evidence of its authority.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec. 25.
Editing and Publications. - The Official Gazette shall be edited in the Office of the President and
published weekly in Pilipino or in the English language. It shall be sold and distributed by the
National Printing Office which shall promptly mail copies thereof to subscribers free of
postage.chanrobles virtual law library

o Tawang Multipurpose Cooperative v. La Trinidad Water District, G.R. No.

166471, March 22, 2011.