The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines

Article 1. National Territory

The national territory comprises the Philippine archipelago, with all the islands and waters embraced therein, and all other territories over which the Philippines has sovereignty or jurisdiction, consisting of its terrestrial, fluvial and aerial domains, including its territorial sea, the seabed, the subsoil, the insular shelves, and other submarine areas. The waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.

Preamble, 1987 Philippine Constitution

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.


EXPLANATION:

The preamble generally contains the origin and the purpose of the Philippine Constitution. More specifically, the preamble provides spirit to the constitution. It also gives information on the authors of the constitution, for whom it has been promulgated, the general purposes which are to be achieved as well as the basic principles of the constitution. The preamble also serves as an aid in determining the meaning of the provisions in the Philippine Constitution (De Leon, 2005).

Reference:

De Leon, H. S. (2005). Textbook on the Philippine Constitution. Philippines: Rex Printing Company Incorporated