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Philippines - Political Parties - 2005

For reasons of stability and coherence, a stronger party system would be a positive development in the Philippines, but there is little sign that parties will trump personalities any time soon. Deep, lasting family ties are an abiding factor in Philippine culture and scions of influential families will continue to prove crucial in the political system, both at the national and local level. In light of this, the relative strength of political parties will continue to ebb and flow mainly according to their links with popular personalities.

The Pro-Arroyo Coalition - 2005

  1. Lakas (Strength) Christian Muslim Democrat Party (aka Lakas CMD or simply Lakas) was the dominant party before the 2007 election, controlling only three (7%) of 24 Senate seats but 79 (37%) of 212 House seats and roughly 50% of all provincial and municipal elective seats. Lakas led a pro-administration coalition under its chief, House Speaker Jose de Venecia. The Lakas-CMD party grew out of the presidential campaign of former president Fidel Ramos in 1992. President Arroyo was Lakas Chair, although party policies and discipline was largely implemented by party president and House Speaker Jose de Venecia. In 2005 Lakas-CMD had seven senators, 75 representatives, and has the broadest national party network. It is probably the single most influential political party in central Luzon, much of the Visayas, and Mindanao, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Most commentators associate Lakas with "Trapos" (traditional politicians), who are experts in backroom politicking, and -- unfortunately for Arroyo -- frequently tainted by public perceptions that they represent entrenched interests or are corrupt. President Arroyo largely stayed out of Lakas-CMD affairs, although she supported an initiative by Speaker de Venecia to call together leaders of the major parties in an effort focused on showing unity against any extra-constitutional efforts to bring down the government. Some members of Lakas-CMD were firmly set against the KAMPI group, which is made up of close Arroyo associates. These Lakas members felt (accurately) that KAMPI was sapping membership away from Lakas.
  2. Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) was the second largest party before the 2007 election, controlling 41 seats (19%) in the House of Representatives and roughly 18% of provincial and municipal elective seats. The party was theoretically a member of the pro-administration coalition in the House but a small faction is nonetheless with the Opposition minority;
  3. Liberal Party (LP) controlled 4 (9.5%) of the 24 Senate seats along with 35 (16.5%) seats in the House and roughly 9% of local seats before the 2007 election. LP belonged to the pro-administration coalition in both houses of Congress until the party split over the issue of allegations of election fraud in 2004 involving the President - the Supreme Court recently ruled that the leadership remained with the LP faction opposing the President;
  4. The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) or Partner of the Free Filipino party was closely associated with President Arroyo. Arroyo originally formed KAMPI as a vehicle for her successful run for vice-president in 1998, but the party was relatively dormant for years. After Arroyo's victory in 2004, however, KAMPI enlisted some 35 members, mostly disgruntled Lakas-CMD politicians or others interested in KAMPI because of its links to the President, the ultimate patron. KAMPI officials have confirmed that the party counted on the close support of President Arroyo, in particular through unofficial links with First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. Observers have asserted that the President uses KAMPI to keep Lakas-CMD stalwart and House Speaker de Venecia's ambitions in check. Media reports suggest that KAMPI has more financial resources than other large parties. KAMPI under President Arroyo (although she was also a titular leader of Lakas) controlled 29 seats in the House but only a few local seats and none in the Senate before the 2007 election;
  5. Nacionalista Party (NP) controlled three seats in the Senate and seven seats in the House before the 2007 election. It had significant presence at the local level. The Nacionalista Party (NP) was led by senators Manuel Villar (the weathiest member of the legislature) and Ralph Recto. In addition to these two senators, it counted 14 representatives as members as of 2005. NP was a key part of the pro-Arroyo coalition during the 2004 elections, although its contrary positions to those of the administration on an array of issues, such as taxation and bilateral ties with the U.S., increasingly strain this connection. NP's visibility rose when Villar assumes the Senate Presidency in December 2005, the result of a power-sharing agreement reached with Senator Drilon of the Liberal Party (LP).
  6. The Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), led in 2005 by well-known businessman and former Marcos associate Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, continued to have strong support in the House of Representatives with some 40 members. House Ways and Means Chairman and NPC Rep. Jesli Lapus had been key in pushing through numerous pieces of fiscal legislation proposed by the Arroyo Administration. However, the defection of a small group of NPC members to the opposition has called into question the party's effectiveness and commitment to the pro-Arroyo coalition.
  7. The Liberal Party (LP) contains many top Filipino politicians, including: Senate President Franklin Drilon; Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan; and Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas, the top vote-getter in the 2004 national senate race. As of 2005 the LP had 34 representatives and the three top-tier senators. Education Secretary Florencio Abad and Environment Secretary Michael Defensor were also members of the party. LP leaders have worked closely with Lakas to support the administration's agenda. Many speculated that the LP was gearing up to support a run by one of its own for president in 2010, with observers frequently mentioning Mar Roxas as a possible candidate;

A Fragmented Opposition - circa 2005

  1. Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) is led by former president Estrada. The party has attempted to reinvigorate party rolls, its organization, and its reputation as the party of the "masa". Two senators counted themselves members of the party in 2005 , including Loi Estrada (the wife of Estrada) and Jinggoy Estrada (a son). Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jamby Madrigal were active PMP members, but had declared themselves to be independents. Both still retained some links to the party, however. PMP had limited reach in the House with only two members in 2005. PMP mounts vigorous public relations efforts but remained seriously debilitated by the fact that party chairman Estrada was under house arrest and on trial, accused of corruption and plunder;
  2. The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) party was in disarray in 2005, although respected Senator Edgardo Angara retaind his position as head of the party. Once one of the stronger parties, only seven representatives remained in the LDP. Popular former LDP members such as Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Rep. Ronaldo Zamora have become independents after much-publicized rows with Angara;
  3. Partido Demokratikong ng Pilipino (PDP-Laban) was led by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel. The other senator in PDP-Laban is Cebu-based Sergio Osmena III. Rep. Teodoro Locsin was the party's only House member as of 2005. This group derived clout due to Pimentel's standing as a senior statesman from Mindanao and copious financial support provided by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and Locsin, two wealthy party members.
  4. Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) was led by Rep. Imee Marcos, the articulate daughter of former president Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda Marcos. KBL began as provincial party, and by 2005 only had Marcos as a member in the House and no representation in the Senate. Marcos has roundly criticized the administration in both public and private forums. According to Marcos, her value to the opposition is to provide name recognition, youth, and energy. Her brother, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is the governor of Ilocos Norte Province in northern Luzon island;

The Legal Left

Various leftist "party list" groups linked with the CPP-NPA are active in the House -- and on the streets. These groups have been relatively effective at rallying public support, organizing protests to oppose tax legislation, and against job cuts and cost of living increases. As of 2005 there were now 24 members of the House of Representatives elected by the "party list" system -- roughly half of whom are leftists. Groups within this rubric include:

  1. Rep. Satur Ocampo, a long-time leftist, heads Bayan Muna (BM), which has three representatives. A more moderate representative, Teodoro "Teddy" Casino, is also a party member. BM often takes the lead in organizing protests along with other leftist groups. BM representatives have recently accused elements of the GRP's security forces of systematically killing BM leaders across the country;
  2. Anak Pawis, Gabriela, and Partido ng Manggagawa are closely allied with Bayan Muna and, overall, have four members in the House. Led by representatives Crispin Beltran, Liza Maza, and labor organizer Renato Magtubo, these three groups focus on youth, women, and labor issues, respectively;
  3. Of the leftist parties in the House, Akbayan is the most important one that is not associated with the CPP-NPA. It has three members in the House and is led by long-time human rights activist Rep. Loretta Ann Rosales. Akbayan has a history of very frosty relations with Bayan Muna, with Rosales complaining that she had received death threats from the NPA.



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