PEOPLE

People is defined as the mass of population living within a state constituting the body politic or they are simply referred as the inhabitants of the state.

People are the basic component of a state. Without people, there can be no functionaries to govern and no subjects to be governed. The people forming the state need not share common racial, culture, ideological or commercial interests. What is important is they have common political ends.

There are two interpretations on the term people. Some refers the term people to the voters only because it is only through voting that the consent of the people is obtained. On the other hand, some considers people as a collective unit because they believe that as an aggregate or mass of individuals who constitute the state, in them lodged the political power, and this power is considered to be inherent. It is but another way of stating the fundamental truth on which free institutions are based, the right of the majority to rule. It is in this context that the term people is used in Section 1, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It says: "The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them." In a representative government all powers of government belong ultimately to the people in their sovereign corporate capacity.

There is no requirement as to the number of people that should compose a state. But it is important that they be numerous enough to be self-sufficing and to defend themselves and small enought to be easily administered and sustained. As to date, China has the biggest population with 1.3 billion. Vatican City has the smallest with only 836 citizens who are mostly clerics and Swiss guards. Currently, the Philippines has 97,976,603 population. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004379.html

(photo above courtesy of http://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/LCC/INTERNET/RESOURCES/IMAGES/CommunityConsultation.jpg)