Laws, generally

Law in its jural and generic sense refers to the whole body or system of law. In its jural and concrete sense, law means a rule of conduct formulated and made obligatory by legitimate power of the state. It includes statutes enacted by the legislature, presidential decrees and executive orders issued by the President in the exercise of his legislative power (under certain constitutions), other presidential issuances in the exercise of his ordinance power, rulings of the Supreme Court construing the law, rules and regulations promulgated by administrative or executive officers pursuant to a delegated power, and ordinances passed by local government units. (Agpalo, Ruben, 2008. Statutory Construction. Reprinted 2008. Rex Printing Company, Inc. Page 1)

In the general or abstract sense, law has been defined as "the science of moral rules, founded on the rational nature of man, which govern his free activity, for the realization of the individual and social ends, of a nature both demandable and reciprocal. (Sanchez Roman) Briefly, it is the mass of obligatory rules established for the purpose of governing the relations of persons in society. (1 Salvat 1-3)In a specific or material sense, law has been defined as a "juridical proposition or an aggregate of juridical propositions, promulgated and published by the competent organs of the State in accordance with the Constitution." (1-I Ennecerus, Kipp & Wolf 136) It is a norm of human conduct in social life, established by a sovereign organization and imposed for the compulsory observance of all. (1 Ruggiero 5-6).

Sanchez Roman defines it as "a rule of conduct, just, obligatory, promulgated by the competent authority for the common good of a people or nation, which constitutes an obligatory rule of conduct for all its members."

NEXT: STATUTES, GENERALLY.