13th Congress of the Philippines
| July 26, 2004 – June 8, 2007 | |
| President | Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo |
|---|---|
| Vice President | Noli de Castro |
| Senate President |
Franklin Drilon (2004-2006) Manuel Villar, Jr.(2006-2007) |
| Senate President pro tempore | Juan Flavier |
| Majority leader | Francis Pangilinan |
| Minority leader | Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. |
| Members | 24 |
| House Speaker | Jose de Venecia, Jr. |
| Deputy Speakers |
|
| Majority leader | Prospero Nograles |
| Minority leader | Francis Escudero |
The Thirteenth Congress of the Philippines (Filipino: Ikalabintatlong Kongreso ng Pilipinas) was the meeting of the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines, composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives. The convening of the 13th Congress follows the 2004 national elections, which replaced half of the Senate membership, and the entire membership of the House of Representatives.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in her several State of the Nation Addresses has repeatedly called on Congress to pave the way for the amending of the 1987 Constitution to provide for a unicameral–parliamentary–federal form of government. On December 8, 2006, the administration-dominated House of Representatives, bypassing the Senate, passed in haste House Resolution 1450, which called on Congress to convene into a Constituent Assembly (ConAss) to propose amendments to the Constitution. The House move however, was faced with stiff opposition from the outmaneuvered members of the opposition and all but 1 member of the Senate, which was later bolstered by support from several sectors of the civil society and the influential Roman Catholic Church, which threatened to hold nationwide protest rallies to denounce the House move. Succumbing to the mounting opposition and the apparent withdrawal of support of the President,House Speaker Jose De Venecia later on scrapped the entire resolution and called instead for a constitutional convention, challenging the Senate to concur it in 72 hours. But this too was rejected by the Senate, which preferred to hold a constitutional convention after the 2007 elections. Efforts to amend the constitution during the 13th Congress were eventually shelved.
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