Establishment The council was first established during the
American colonial period by
Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison upon the recommendation of
Senate President Manuel L. Quezon and
House Speaker Sergio Osmeña. Harrison issued an
executive order on October 16, 1918, creating the first Council of State in the Philippines "to harmonise the executive and legislative departments". It was composed of the governor-general as chairman, the House Speaker, the Senate President, and members of the
Cabinet. It was the council's duty to advise the Governor-General on matters such as the creation of policies for administering government offices. The council's mandate included the provision that all executive bureaus except Public Instruction (presently the
Department of Education) be headed by
Filipinos, and that these agencies assist the
Philippine Legislature in creating laws. Filipinos now had equal say in all aspects of policymaking and budget preparation. During
World War II, it also performed administrative functions under the
Japanese-sponsored government of President
José P. Laurel. Shortly after the
independence of the Philippines in 1946, President
Manuel Roxas restored the original Council, and it became a feature of succeeding administrations during the
Third Republic. In 1970, President
Ferdinand Marcos abolished the Council of State and organized the Council of Leaders through Executive Order No. 222 with the following members: the
Vice President, the
Senate President, the
House Speaker, the President of the Governors and City Mayors League of the Philippines, former Presidents of the Philippines, the Presidents of the political parties which had candidates on a nation-wide scale in the last elections, the Chairman of the Committees of both Houses of Congress whose functions are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the council, and members of the Cabinet the functions of whose departments are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the council. After a year, this was amended by Executive Order 349, s. 1971, which expanded the membership to include the
Senate President Pro Tempore, the Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, the Majority Floor Leaders of both Houses of Congress, the Minority Floor Leaders of both Houses of Congress, the chairman and the ranking minority member of the Committee of both Houses of Congress whose functions are relevant to the subject matter to be discussed in the council and such other government officials as the President may designate.
Fourth Republic On February 22, 1986, Marcos revived the Council of State through Executive Order No. 1093 and, with the President as chairman, designated the following as members: the Vice-President as Vice Chairman, and the
Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, the
Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the
Minister of Finance, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the
Minister of National Defense, the
Speaker, the Speaker Pro-Tempore, the Majority Floor Leader and Minority Floor Leader of the
Batasang Pambansa, the former Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Republic of the Philippines, and a representative from the dominant opposition party as nominated by that party. However, the
People Power Revolution removed him from power three days later.
Fifth Republic The council was reorganized in 1987 composed of the following members: the President as chairman, the
Vice President, the
President of the Senate, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the
Executive Secretary, the
Secretary of National Defense, the
Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, members of
Congress, the
Cabinet and the private sector who, in the opinion of the President, are knowledgeable about the issues and problems to be discussed by the council. However, it lapsed into disuse without being formally abolished. In 2003, President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reconstituted the council through Executive Order No. 168. The membership of the council was expanded to include former Presidents, the Majority and Minority Floor Leaders of the
Senate, the Majority and Minority Floor Leaders of the
House of Representatives, the President of the
League of Provinces, the President of the
League of Cities, the President of the
League of Municipalities. It also includes other members of the
Cabinet, representatives from the private sector, and other persons that the president may appoint from time to time. The council was last convened on January 26, 2006, in an attempt of Arroyo to seek dialogue and cooperation with her political enemies following the
Hello Garci scandal of 2005. The meeting was not attended by members of the opposition and those who called for Arroyo's resignation such as former President Aquino, Senate President
Franklin Drilon, Senate Minority Floor Leader
Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and House Minority Floor Leader
Francis Escudero. ==Composition==