Who decides what: Philippines.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Australia · New Zealand · India.

Moraph for Good · Voice

Who decides what: Philippines

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/who-decides-what

Government comes in layers, and each one handles different things. This sheet helps you work out who decides an issue where you live, and how to check.

The layers

National government handles matters for the whole country.
Many countries also have states, provinces or regions.
Local councils run the services you see every day, sometimes in more than one tier.
Special bodies may run schools, water, transport or libraries.

Who does what

Elected members set policy and approve budgets.
Staff run services and can explain how things work now.
To change something, contact elected members. To understand something, start with staff.

Finding out who decides

Start with your local government’s website.
Ask: who decides this, and when will it next be discussed?
Ask in writing and keep the reply.

Voting

For registration, deadlines and polling places, use only your official election office.
Don’t rely on messages, posts or calls for voting information.

In the Philippines

Three branches. Under the 1987 Constitution, legislative power is vested in Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Executive power is vested in the President, and judicial power in the Supreme Court and lower courts.
Local government units. The country’s political subdivisions are provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays, with autonomous regions as the Constitution provides. They have local autonomy, and the President exercises general supervision over local governments.
Local councils. Under the Local Government Code, local laws are made by the sanggunian: the sangguniang panlalawigan for a province, sangguniang panlungsod for a city, sangguniang bayan for a municipality and sangguniang barangay for a barangay.
The barangay. The barangay is the basic political unit. It plans and carries out government policies and projects in the community, is a forum for people’s views and a place where disputes may be settled amicably, and provides services such as a health center, solid waste collection and barangay roads.
Voting questions. COMELEC administers election laws. To register, a qualified voter files a sworn application with the Election Officer, COMELEC’s local representative, in the city or municipality where they live, and the Election Registration Board must approve it.

Official places to check:

Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library: elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/3/353
Supreme Court of the Philippines E-Library: elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/53542
Commission on Elections (COMELEC): www.comelec.gov.ph/?r=VoterRegistration/WhatisVoterRegistration

More free official help in the Philippines: moraph.org/commons/help/civic-engagement/ph

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 20 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/who-decides-what