The 1987 Constitution for the NAPOLCOM exam: the Bill of Rights a police officer enforces against, and the section that created the PNP.
A police officer's daily work runs against the Bill of Rights: every arrest, search and interrogation is measured against Article III. The NAPOLCOM exam tests the Constitution accordingly, weighting the sections an officer must apply over the ones a civil servant memorises. This page covers the provision that created the PNP, the rights that govern police conduct, and the structural facts the exam still asks, in that order of weight.
- Last reviewed
- Worked examples
- 3
- Subtest
- NAPOLCOM Exam Philippine Constitution Reviewer
Or drill napolcom exam philippine constitution reviewer (included with a paid plan).
Quick facts
- Ratified
- 2 February 1987
- Police provision
- Article XVI, Section 6
- Bill of Rights
- Article III, 22 sections
- Most tested
- Sections 1, 2, 3, 12, 13, 14 of Article III
- Public office
- A public trust (Article XI, Section 1)
Primary keyword: philippine constitution reviewer napolcom
Article XVI, Section 6: one civilian national police
The single most quoted constitutional sentence on the NAPOLCOM exam: 'The State shall establish and maintain one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission. The authority of local executives over the police units in their jurisdiction shall be provided by law.'
Every phrase has been an item. One police force is why the Constabulary and the INP were merged. National in scope is why there are regional offices rather than independent city forces. Civilian in character is why the PNP is not part of the Armed Forces. Administered and controlled by a national police commission is NAPOLCOM's constitutional basis. And the last sentence is why RA 6975 and RA 8551 give mayors and governors defined authority over local police units.
Article III: the rights an officer must respect
The Bill of Rights has twenty-two sections. The exam draws most heavily on the ones that bind police conduct, and it tests them by scenario as well as by recall: what may an officer do, and what may an officer not do.
| Section | The right | What it means at the station |
|---|---|---|
| Sec. 1 | No deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process; equal protection | The baseline every other section builds on |
| Sec. 2 | Security against unreasonable searches and seizures; warrants only on probable cause determined personally by a judge | A search or arrest needs a warrant unless an exception applies |
| Sec. 3 | Privacy of communication and correspondence; evidence obtained in violation is inadmissible | The exclusionary rule |
| Sec. 12 | Rights of a person under investigation: to remain silent, to competent and independent counsel, to be informed of these rights; no torture, force or intimidation; uncounselled confessions inadmissible | The custodial investigation rights, reinforced by RA 7438 |
| Sec. 13 | Right to bail before conviction, except for offences punishable by reclusion perpetua when evidence of guilt is strong | Who may be released pending trial |
| Sec. 14 | Due process in criminal cases; presumption of innocence; right to be heard, to counsel, to a speedy and public trial | The accused's rights at trial |
| Sec. 18 | No detention solely by reason of political beliefs; no involuntary servitude | Limits on detention |
| Sec. 19 | No excessive fines; no cruel, degrading or inhuman punishment | Limits on punishment |
The structure of government, briefly
The Constitution's structural facts still appear, and they are quick marks: three branches, with legislative power in a bicameral Congress (24 senators, six-year terms; district and party-list representatives, three-year terms), executive power in a President elected for a single six-year term with a Vice-President, and judicial power in the Supreme Court and the lower courts. Article XI, Section 1 states that public office is a public trust, which the exam pairs with RA 6713. Article II carries the declaration of principles, including civilian supremacy over the military (Section 3) and the maintenance of peace and order as a prime duty of the State (Section 5).
The DILG, NAPOLCOM and the PNP sit in the executive branch. Congress writes the police laws; the courts issue the warrants Article III requires.
Worked examples
These items are written specifically for this guide. The actual practice bank pulls from a separate pool of original NAPOLCOM-style items reviewed by passers.
Item 01
Under Article XVI, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution, the police force shall be:
- ANational in scope and military in character
- BLocal in scope and civilian in character
- CNational in scope and civilian in characterCorrect
- DRegional in scope and paramilitary in character
Explanation. National in scope and civilian in character, administered and controlled by a national police commission. The wrong options each change one of the two words the section actually uses.Item 02
A person under custodial investigation has which of the following rights under Article III, Section 12?
- AThe right to remain silent and to competent and independent counsel, preferably of their own choiceCorrect
- BThe right to bail regardless of the offence charged
- CThe right to a jury trial
- DThe right to be released after twelve hours
Explanation. Section 12 guarantees silence, counsel and being informed of both, and bars torture and uncounselled confessions. Bail is Section 13 and is not absolute; the Philippines has no jury trial; detention periods come from the Revised Penal Code, not the Constitution.Item 03
Which of the following may issue a warrant of arrest under the 1987 Constitution?
- AA chief of police, on probable cause
- BA judge, after personally determining probable causeCorrect
- CA prosecutor, after preliminary investigation
- DA mayor, in the exercise of authority over local police units
Explanation. Article III, Section 2 requires probable cause 'to be determined personally by the judge'. Prosecutors find probable cause to file a case, not to arrest; police and mayors have no warrant power.
Want twenty more like these, under a clock?
The napolcom exam philippine constitution reviewer drill runs ten or twenty items with full explanations and tracks which traps you fall for most often. Included with a paid plan.
Study tactics that actually move the score
- 01
Memorise Article XVI, Section 6 word for word. It is quoted in items with one word changed.
- 02
For Article III, learn the section numbers of the six police-facing rights (1, 2, 3, 12, 13, 14) and one sentence for each. Items name the section.
- 03
Think of each right as a scenario: what may an officer do at a checkpoint, at an arrest, in the interview room. The exam asks it that way.
- 04
Keep the structure facts to a card: 24 senators, six years; representatives, three years; President, one six-year term; the Supreme Court. They are quick marks.
Frequently asked questions
How much of the Constitution is on the NAPOLCOM exam?
Enough to matter, concentrated in Article III (the Bill of Rights) and Article XVI, Section 6 on the police. The structure of government appears as quick recall items. You do not need the whole text; you need those sections well.
What does 'civilian in character' mean?
That the police force is not part of the military. It is the constitutional reason the PNP was separated from the Armed Forces when the Constabulary was merged into it under RA 6975.
Which rights apply during custodial investigation?
Under Article III, Section 12: the right to remain silent, to competent and independent counsel preferably of one's own choice, and to be informed of those rights; freedom from torture, force, violence, threat or intimidation; and inadmissibility of any confession obtained in violation. RA 7438 restates them in statute.
Stop reading. Find your floor.
Forty questions across all four subtests, forty minutes, and a per-subject breakdown against the 80.00 pass mark.