The President of the Philippines is the head of state and government of the Republic of the Philippines. The President of the Philippines in Filipino is referred to as Ang Pangulo or Pangulo ("Presidente," informally). The executive power is vested in the President of the Philippines.
The current incumbent President as of February 3, 2008 is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Under Article 7, Section 2 of the Philippine Constitution, In order to serve as President, an individual must be at least 40 years of age, a registered voter, able to read and write, a Filipino citizen by birth, and a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years prior to election.
The official title of the president is the "President of the Philippines," as specified in the present Constitution of the Philippines (1987). The honorific for the President of the Philippines is "Your Excellency" or "His/Her Excellency", adopted from the title of the Governor-General of the Philippines during Spanish and American occupation. The term "President of the Republic of the Philippines" is commonly, but erroneously, used, dating back to when President José P. Laurel wanted to express the difference between his government and the previous Commonwealth government (then in exile) under President Manuel L. Quezon. The restoration of the Commonwealth in 1945 and the subsequent independence of the Philippines led to the restoration of the constitutionally-sanctioned title "President of the Philippines" until President Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed martial law and once more wanted to differentiate his government from those that came before. It was then that "President of the Republic of the Philippines" was adopted and indeed, specified in the 1973 Constitution of the Philippines. However, that Constitution was superseded by a new one in 1987 which restored the more traditional "President of the Philippines."