The Official Gazette is the official journal

Public journal

A public journal is a day-by-day record of the business and proceedings of a public body....

 and main publication of the government of the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

History

The Official Gazette was created on June 14, 1941 under Commonwealth Act No. 638, "An Act to Provide for the Uniform Publication and Distribution of the Official Gazette" and is edited under the Office of the President of the Philippines

President of the Philippines

The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...

. Executive Order No. 200 of 1987 issued by President Corazon C. Aquino

Corazon Aquino

Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...

 states “Laws shall take effect after fifteen days following the completion of their publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines”. On July 26, 2010, the online version of the Official Gazette was launched.

Contents

According to Section 1 of Commonwealth Act No. 638, the contents of the Official Gazette include the following:

• all important legislative acts and resolutions of a public nature of the Congress of the Philippines
  Congress of the Philippines
  The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
  
  ;
• all executive and administrative orders and proclamations, except such as have no general applicability;
• decisions or abstracts of decisions of the Supreme Court
  Supreme Court of the Philippines
  The Supreme Court of the Philippines is the Philippines' highest judicial court, as well as the court of last resort. The court consists of 14 Associate Justices and 1 Chief Justice...
  
   and the Court of Appeals
  Philippine Court of Appeals
  The Court of Appeals of the Philippines is the Philippines' second highest judicial court, just after the Supreme Court. The court consists of 68 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
  
   as may be deemed by said courts of sufficient importance to be so published;
• such documents or classes of documents as may be required so to be published by law; and
• such documents or classes of documents as the President of the Philippines
  President of the Philippines
  The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
  
  shall determine from time to time to have general applicability and legal effect, or which he may authorize so to be published

External links

• Official website: The Official Gazette (beta) - Edited at the Office of the President of the Philippines Under Commonwealth Act No. 638