PREAMBLE

We, the sovereign Filipino people,

imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to
build a just and humane society and establish
a Government that shall embody our ideals
and aspirations, promote the common good,
conserve and develop our patrimony, and
secure to ourselves and our posterity the
blessings of independence and democracy
under the rule of law and a regime of truth,
justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace,
do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.
 Source of Constitution’s authority

• The Filipino people- signify oneness and

solidarity of the Filipinos as differentiated
from the words “people of the
Philippines” w/c may include other
inhabitants or aliens.
• A sovereign people- intended to
emphasize that the Filipino people in
ordaining & promulgating the Constitution
do so on their own authority as a
sovereign people w/out intervention from
foreign power.
 Belief in God stressed
• The reference to the Almighty God points out the
religious nature of the Filipino people as they
acknowledge the existence of Supreme Being
that guides their destinies and the destiny of
their nation. The entire Preamble is like a
collective prayer to this Supreme Being,
recognizing Him as the source of their authority
to promulgate the Constitution

• The Philippines is a predominantly Christian

nation and its people believe in the power of
prayer.
 Changes in the Preamble
• The Preamble of the 1973 Constitution was notably changed
in the 1987 Constitution. Among the changes are the
insertion of the ff:
• The phrase “to build a just and human society,: which makes
it clear that the adoption of the new Constitution does not only
seek the establishment of a new government.
• A just and humane society may be said to be the one where
every individual, regardless of his station in life, is treated
fairly before the law, and where special concern is given to
the poor and the less fortunate so that, like the rest, they may
be able to attain a decent standard of living;
 Changes in the Preamble
• The phrase “the rule of law”, as a reminder
to everyone of the nation’s sad experience
under an authoritarian regime which has
been accused, among others, of
numerous violations of human rights,
election frauds, graft and corruption,
suppression of dissent, and other
repressive acts;
 Changes in the Preamble
• The word “love”, as a principle together with
truth, justice, freedom, equality, and peace to
stress the need for a sense of love to bind all
Filipinos, especially during these critical times
when armed conflicts and intense political
rivalries still continue to divide our nation; and
• The word “independence”, to emphasize that
ours is a free nation which does not owe
allegiance to any superior foreign power.