‘If men were angels, no government would be necessary,’ stated James Madison, which briefly explains the value of a state’s constitution. Reflecting back to the state of nature, men enter into social contracts and form governments to protect their natural rights, which serves as the primary purpose of governments. In this sense, citizens give their consent by accepting the government’s laws and services, and the essence of the Constitution serves as the foundation for these laws. The Constitution is more than just a document that lays out the do’s and don’ts of a given state; aside from the fact that it is the document where laws and statutes were outlined; it also has other functions, such as empowering and authorizing regulations for public institutions and defining the limitations on how representatives can obtain power. The constitution, according to Hedling (2017), is a collection of fundamental precepts that specifies the overall organization and administration of the state and contains ess
ential concepts and standards that support and guide all government action. Hedling further said that because the constitution is the foundation of the state’s actions and decisions, it should be anticipated to last a long time and govern indefinitely. Accordingly, the definition by Malcolm and Laurel, Philippine Constitutional Law states that the constitution is a written instrument by which the government’s essential powers are founded, limited, and defined, and by which those powers are dispersed among the several departments for safe and useful implementation for the benefit of the people. With that, according to Calilung and Bunquin (2014), the Philippine constitution is a living proof of the people’s sovereignty, a by-product of the fight against tyranny and dictatorship, and, most importantly, an embodiment of the Filipino people’s reignited faith and confidence in democratic values, as well as the sanctity and significance of democratic institutions, which are truly a spectrum of empowerment.