Neither has any special privilege in the matter of initiating legislation, and affirmative action by both is required in order to pass it.

The Moro Province, the Mountain Province and the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Agusan are not represented in the assembly, nor are they subject to the jurisdiction of the Philippine Legislature.

The Philippine Commission alone has legislative jurisdiction over them, their population being largely composed of Moros, or members of other non-Christian tribes.
The provinces may be divided into regularly organized provinces governed under the provincial government act, and specially organized provinces, which include the Moro Province, the Mountain Province and the provinces of Mindoro, Palawan, Agusan and Nueva Vizcaya, of which the first is governed under a special law and the remaining four are governed under a different one known as "The Special Provincial Government Act." Regularly organized provinces have a governor and a treasurer.

The governor is elected, and the treasurer is appointed by the governor-general with the approval of the commission.

These two officials, with another known as the third member, constitute a provincial board.