Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats

The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, also more popularly known as simply Lakas or Lakas-CMD is the current ruling political party in the Philippines. It is known for being Conservative, and its ideology is very similar to that of the Republican Party of the United States and the Canadian Conservative Party.

There are no results available of the last elections for the House of Representatives, but according to the website of the House, the party holds 79 out of 235 seats. The party was at the 2004 elections a member of the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4, Coalition of Truth and Experience for Tomorrow), the coalition that supported president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who won the 2004 presidential elections. After the elections, some legislators joined the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, also a K-4 partner.

History

Lakas was formed in December 1991 for the 1992 Presidential elections as retired General, former Defense Secretary and former President Fidel V. Ramos and former Cebu Governor Emilio Mario R. Osmeña were running for President and Vice-President respectively. It was also formed When Ramos bolted from the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, after he had lost in the bid for the presidency under that said banner.

The party was formed out of two parties: Ramos's Partido Lakas ng Tao (People Power Party) and the National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD) of Raul Manglapus. As they coalesced, the party became known as Lakas ng Tao-National Union of Christian Democrats, with Lakas ng Tao usually just shortened to "Lakas" and abbreviated as Lakas-NUCD.

In 1994, it formed a coalition government with the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of Democratic Filipinos) for the 1995 legislative elections. This coalition, dubbed the "Lakas-Laban Coalition", won a majority in both Houses of Congress. In the 1997 Lakas National Convention, the party nominated House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. of Pangasinan after a close nominal fight with then Defense Secretary Renato de Villa as its nominee to the presidency against oppositionist Vice President Joseph Estrada in the 1998 elections. By this time, it was joined by the Union of Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (UMDP) to form Lakas ng EDSA - National Union of Christian Democrats- Union of Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (Lakas-NUCD-UMDP).

Secretary de Villa eventually bolted the party and formed Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma-Lapiang Manggagawa (Democratic Reform Party) for the 1998 presidential elections. Lakas also nominated then-Senator Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga as its candidate as Vice-President. De Venecia lost to Vice-President Estrada by a wide majority, while Arroyo took the vice presidency in the same manner while Kampi is in hiatus.

In the 2004 elections, the name changed again to the current Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, or Lakas-CMD. However, the meaning of Lakas in the party name is usually now referred to as "Lakas ng EDSA" which means "The Strength of EDSA" than the original Lakas ng Tao which means "The Strength of the People." This is also the name that it used when it ran in 2004 elections under the K-4 coalition. President Arroyo, who succeeded the deposed President Joseph Estrada, was the Lakas-KAMPI Coalition candidate for president in the 2004 election, eventually winning over her opponents primarily Fernando Poe, Jr. and Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Now the 60 seat-Lakas-CMD party joined forces with 80 seat-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) to form the House Majority Rainbow Coalition.

Merger

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 18, 2008, confirmed the historical merger of the Lakas-Christian-Muslim-Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) parties. Both parties adopted the “equity of the incumbent” principle, as the merger will account for almost 200 national and 8,000 local officials, amid Mrs. Arroyo's prediction of 2010 elections victory. Prospero Nograles, Lakas President and Kampi Chair Ronaldo Puno signed the covenant at the Davao City regional caucus.

1998 Senatorial Slate

Lakas put up a full senatorial slate during the May 11, 1998 national elections, as it propels the machinery of its candidates House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency and vice presidency respectively against the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (Struggle of Patriotic Filipino Masses) coalition of the opposition led by Vice President Joseph Estrada and Senator Edgardo Angara.

Name	Occupation
Lisandro Abadia	former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Rolando Andaya	Representative from Camarines Sur
Robert Z. Barbers	former Secretary of Interior and Local Government
Renato L. "Compañero" Cayetano	Lawyer, former Presidential Legal Adviser, TV and radio personality
Roberto de Ocampo	former Secretary of Finance
Ricardo T. Gloria	former Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports
Teofisto Guingona, Jr.	former Secretary of Justice
Loren B. Legarda	Journalist, TV personality
Roberto M. Pagdanganan	Governor of Bulacan and 1998 Lakas Presidential Candidate (nomination lost to Jose de Venecia, Jr.)
Hernando B. Perez	Representative from Batangas
Santanina T. Rasul	former Senator from Sulu
Ramon B. Revilla, Sr.	Senator from Cavite

Results

The Lakas slate gained 5 out of 12 possible seats in the Senate namely: (in order of votes received)

• Loren Legarda
• Renato Cayetano
• Robert Barbers
• Ramon Revilla Sr.
• Teofisto Guingona Jr.

Lakas-led Political Coalitions

• TEAM Unity, the name of the pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2007 midterm elections.
• Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4, Coalition of Truth and Experience for Tomorrow), the name of the pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2004 national elections.
• People Power Coalition, the name of pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2001 midterm elections.
• Lakas-Laban Coalition, the name of the pro-Ramos coalition in the 1995 midterm elections.

Recent events

At the onset of 2006, Lakas was torn by factional rivalry between supporters of President Arroyo and supporters of former President Fidel V. Ramos. Issues include transitory provisions in a proposed Constitution to scrap mid-term elections (or "no-el") set for 2007 and calls for her to step down in time for the elections, which is related to the "no-el" controversy.

The party held its Annual Party Directorate Meeting on January 14, 2006 to discuss these matters.

Also, Lakas-CMD, together with its coalition partner Kampi, are leading the move to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

In the May 14, 2007 election, the party won 70 seats.

On January 16, 2008, Lakas spokesman and legal counsel Raul Lambino stated that Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats officially released the list of senatorial bets for 2010--spokesman in 2010. Except for Parañaque Representative Eduardo Zialcita, they were not yet identified. But Lambino named incumbent Senators Ramon Revilla, Jr. and Lito Lapid, former senator Ralph Recto and former Congressman Prospero Pichay as among those considered.

2010 Wish List

On January 21, 2008, Parañaque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita, a vice chair of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats released the WISH LIST of 2010 possible senatorial candidates:

• Parañaque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita
• Deputy Speakers Raul del Mar of Cebu
• Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao
• House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor of Iloilo
• House budget panel chair Edcel Lagman of Albay
• House Speaker and Davao representative Prospero Nograles
• Former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay
• Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte
• Palawan Governor Joel Reyes
• Camarines Sur Governor Luis Raymond Villafuerte and
• Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles, Lakas-CMD president released on June 2, 2008, its tentative 2010 senatorial elections line-up: • Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. • Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid • Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap • Health Secretary Francisco Duque III • Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando • Quezon City Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte • Representative Ed Zialcita, 1st District Parañaque • Representative Edcel Lagman, 1st District Albay • Representative Monico Puentevella, Bacolod City • Former senator Ralph Recto • Former representative Prospero Pichay • Representative Art Defensor, Iloilo • Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson • Optical Media Board chairman Edu Manzano • Representative Abraham Baham Mitra, 2nd District Palawan • Former presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor

De Venecia Resignation

Former Speaker of the House Jose de Venecia, Jr. (Pangasinan -4th District) resigned his post as President of Lakas-CMD on March 10, 2008; he rejected the proposition of former president Fidel Ramos to give him the title Chairman-emeritus. The current Speaker of the House Prospero Nograles (Davao -1st District) was sworn it as the new president of Lakas-CMD party and former Speaker of the house Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. as vice president for Metro Manila affairs on the same day.

Merger with KAMPI

Former President and Lakas-CMD Chairman Emeritus Fidel Ramos announced on February 6, 2008 that Lakas-CMD would be the surviving entity after its merger with KAMPI.

Notable members

• Fidel V. Ramos (12th President of the Philippines; Chairman Emeritus)
• Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo 14th President of the Philippines (Chairman); (Also the chairperson emeritus of her mother party Kampi)
• Juan Miguel Zubiri (12th Senator; current Secretary General)
• Jose de Venecia Jr. former House of Representatives Speaker (former Party President)
• Prospero Nograles Speaker of the House of Representatives (Current Party President)
• Vilma Santos Governor of Batangas
• Eduardo Ermita - executive secretary
• Ignacio Bunye - press secretary
• Juan Flavier - Senator (10th to 13th Congress)
• Bayani Fernando - MMDA Chairman

References