Liberal Party (Philippines)

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Liberal Party
Partido Liberal
PresidentFrancis Pangilinan
ChairmanLeni Robredo
Secretary-GeneralJose Christopher "Kit" Belmonte
FounderManuel Roxas
Elpidio Quirino
FoundedJanuary 19, 1946; 75 years ago (1946-01-19)
Split fromNacionalista Party
HeadquartersExpo Centro, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Think tankCentre for Liberalism and Democracy[1]
Youth wingLiberal Youth (LY)
Ideology
Political positionCenter[5] to center-left[2][6]
National affiliationOtso Diretso
Regional affiliationCouncil of Asian Liberals and Democrats
International affiliationLiberal International
Colors  Yellow,   red,   blue
  Buff (customary)
SloganBago. Bukas. Liberal.
Seats in the Senate
3 / 24
Seats in the House of Representatives
17 / 304
Provincial governorships
2 / 81
Provincial vice governorships
5 / 81
Provincial board members
54 / 1,023
Website
liberal.ph
  • Politics of Philippines
  • Political parties
  • Elections

The Liberal Party (Filipino: Partido Liberal), abbreviated as the LP, is a liberal democratic political party in the Philippines.[7]

Founded on January 19, 1946, by Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator José Avelino from the breakaway liberal wing of the old Nacionalista Party, the Liberal Party remains the second-oldest active political party in the Philippines after the Nacionalistas, and the oldest continually-active party. The Liberals served as the governing party of four Philippine presidents: Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Diosdado Macapagal, and Benigno Aquino III. As a vocal opposition party against the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, the party reemerged as a major political party after Marcos's overthrow in the People Power Revolution and the establishment of the Fifth Republic. It subsequently served as a senior member of President Corazón Aquino's UNIDO coalition. Upon Corazón Aquino's death in 2009, the party regained popularity, winning the 2010 Philippine presidential election under Benigno Aquino III. The Liberal Party returned to government, serving from 2010 to 2016. The party lost control of the presidency to Rodrigo Duterte of PDP–Laban in the 2016 presidential election and became the leading opposition party; however its vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo won, narrowly beating Nacionalista candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr.[8]

The Liberal Party is currently the political party of the Vice President of the Philippines. As of the 2019 midterm elections, the party is still the primary opposition party of the Philippines, holding three seats in the Senate. The Liberals are the largest party outside of Rodrigo Duterte's supermajority, holding 18 seats in the House of Representatives. In local government, the party holds two provincial governorships and five vice governorships.

The Liberal Party remains an influential organization in contemporary Philippine politics. With center-left positions on social issues and centrist positions on economic issues, it is commonly associated with the post-revolution, liberal-democratic status quo of the Philippines in contrast to authoritarianism, neoconservatism, and Socialism. Aside from presidents, the party has been led by liberal thinkers and progressive politicians including Benigno Aquino Jr., Jovito Salonga, Raul Daza, Florencio B. Abad Jr., Franklin Drilon, and Mar Roxas. Two of its members, Corazón Aquino and Leila de Lima, have received the prestigious Prize for Freedom, the highest international award for liberal and democratic politicians since 1985.[importance?] The Liberal Party is a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and the Liberal International.

History[]

The Liberal Party logo during the term of President Noynoy Aquino from 2010 to 2016.
The Liberal Party logo before 2010 and again from 2016-2021.

1946–1972: Third Republic[]

The Liberal Party was founded on January 19, 1946, by Manuel Roxas,[9][2] the first President of the Third Philippine Republic.[9] It was formed by Roxas from what was once the "Liberal Wing" of the Nacionalista Party.[9] Two more Presidents of the Philippines elected into office came from the LP: Elpidio Quirino and Diosdado Macapagal.[10][11] Two other presidents came from the ranks of the LP, as former members of the party who later joined the Nacionalistas: Ramon Magsaysay and Ferdinand Marcos.[12]

1972–1986: Martial law era[]

During the days leading to his declaration of martial law, Marcos would find his old party as a potent roadblock to his quest for one-man rule. Led by Ninoy Aquino, Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, the LP would hound President Marcos on issues like human rights and the curtailment of freedoms. Not even Marcos' declaration of martial law silenced the LP, and the party continued to fight the dictatorship despite the costs. Many of its leaders and members would be prosecuted and even killed during this time.[2][9]

1986–2010: Post-EDSA[]

The LP was instrumental in ending more than half a century of US military presence in the Philippines with its campaign in the Philippine Senate of 1991 to reject a new RP-US Bases Treaty. This ironically cost the party dearly, losing for it the elections of 1992. In 2000, it stood against the corruption of the Joseph Estrada government, actively supporting the Resign-Impeach-Oust initiatives that led to People Power II.[2][9]

In 2006, the Philippines' ruling political party, Lakas–CMD, with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo serving as its supremo, was influential in "hijacking" the Liberal Party by way of overthrowing the party presidency of Sen. Franklin Drilon at a rump party meeting at the Manila Hotel. With the marching orders and blessing of Lakas, LP members sympathetic to the Arroyo government used the meeting on March 2 to install Manila Mayor Lito Atienza as the party president, thus triggering an LP leadership struggle and party schism.[unbalanced opinion?] Days later, the Supreme Court proclaimed Drilon the true president of the party, leaving the Atienza wing expelled.[2][9]

2010–2016: The Benigno Aquino III administration[]

The Liberal Party regained influence in 2010 when it nominated as its next presidential candidate then-Senator Benigno Aquino III,[9] the son of former President Corazon Aquino, after the latter's death that subsequently showed a massive outpouring of sympathy for the Aquino family. Even though the party had earlier nominated Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II to be its presidential candidate for the 2010 Philippine general election, Roxas gave way to Aquino and instead ran for vice president. During the fierce campaign battle that followed, the party was able to field new members breaking away from the then-ruling party Lakas–Kampi–CMD to become the largest minority party in Congress.[2][9][6]

2016–present: Opposition under Duterte rule[]

In 2016 presidential elections, Liberal Party nominated Mar Roxas, former DOTC and DILG secretary and Leni Robredo, a Representative from Naga City and widow of former DILG secretary Jessie Robredo. Leni Robredo won, while Mar Roxas lost. Most of their members either switched allegiance to PDP–Laban,[13][14][15] joined a supermajority alliance but retained LP membership (with some defecting later), joined minority, or created an opposition bloc called "Magnificent 7".

As early as February 2017, the leaders of the Liberal Party chose to focus on rebuilding the party by inviting sectoral membership of non-politicians.[16] The party has been inducting new members who are non-politicians since then, some of whom applied online through the party's website, Liberal.ph.[17][18][19] Before the scheduled 2019 general elections, the LP formed the Oposisyon Koalisyon (Opposition Coalition or OK), an electoral coalition led by the party that also comprises members of the Magdalo Party-List, Akbayan Citizens Action Party, and Aksyon Demokratiko along with independent candidates.[20][21][22] The coalition hopes to drive a new political culture based on political leaders practicing "makiking, matuto, kumilos" (listen, learn, take action), each candidate emphasizing the need for government to listen to its citizens.[23] As part of the Liberal Party's efforts to instill this new political culture, it launched Project Makining in October 2018, a modern, nationwide listening campaign using technology and driven by volunteers.[24][25]

Ideology[]

The party currently adopts liberalism as its main ideology. According to its values charter, the self-described values of the party are "freedom, justice and solidarity (bayanihan)."[26][27][non-primary source needed]

Historically, the party's ideology during its early years was noted by some political observers to be similar to or indistinguishable from the Nacionalista Party,[28][29] until the dictatorial term of Ferdinand Marcos, where it became more liberal.[30]

Current party officials[]

  • President: Senator Francis Pangilinan
  • Chairperson: Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo (2016–present)[31]
  • Vice Chair: Senator Franklin Drilon (2017–present)[31]
  • Vice President for Internal Affairs: Former Representative Teddy Baguilat (Lone District of Ifugao) (2017–present)[32]
  • Vice President for External Affairs: Former Representative Lorenzo Tañada III (Quezon) (2017–present)[32]
  • Secretary-General: Representative Jose Christopher "Kit" Belmonte (Quezon City) (2016–present)
  • Treasurer: Representative Josephine Ramirez-Sato (Occidental Mindoro) (2017–present)[31]

Presidents[]

Term in Office Name
January 19, 1946 – April 15, 1948 Manuel Roxas[9]
January 19, 1946 – May 8, 1949 José Avelino
April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1950 Elpidio Quirino
December 30, 1950 – December 30, 1957 Eugenio Pérez
December 30, 1957 – December 30, 1965 Diosdado Macapagal
May 1964 – May 10, 1969 Cornelio T. Villareal
May 10, 1969 – April 19, 1982 Gerardo Roxas
April 20, 1982 – June 1, 1993 Jovito Salonga
June 2, 1993 – October 17, 1994 Wigberto Tañada
October 18, 1994 – September 19, 1999 Raul A. Daza
September 20, 1999 – August 9, 2004 Florencio Abad
August 10, 2004 - November 5, 2007 Franklin Drilon
November 6, 2007 – September 30, 2012 Mar Roxas
October 1, 2012 – August 7, 2016 Joseph Emilio Abaya
August 8, 2016 – present Francis Pangilinan

Electoral performance[]

President[]

Election Candidate Number of votes Share of votes Outcome of election
1946 Manuel Roxas 1,333,392 54.94% Won
1949 Elpidio Quirino (Quirino wing) 1,803,808 50.93% Won
1949 José Avelino (Avelino wing) 419,890 11.85% Lost
1953 Elpidio Quirino 1,313,991 31.08% Lost
1957 José Yulo 1,386,829 27.62% Lost
1961 Diosdado Macapagal 3,554,840 55.00% Won
1965 Diosdado Macapagal 3,187,752 42.88% Lost
1969 Sergio Osmeña Jr. 3,143,122 38.51% Lost
1981 N/A N/A N/A Boycotted
1986 N/A N/A N/A Supported Corazon Aquino who became president
1992 Jovito Salonga 2,302,123 10.16% Lost
1998 Alfredo Lim 2,344,362 8.71% Lost
2004 N/A N/A N/A Supported Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who won
2010 Benigno Aquino III 15,208,678 42.08% Won
2016 Mar Roxas 9,978,175 23.45% Lost

Vice president[]

Election Candidate Number of votes Share of votes Outcome of election
1946 Elpidio Quirino 1,161,725 52.36% Won
1949 Fernando Lopez (Quirino wing) 1,341,284 52.19% Won
1949 Vicente J. Francisco (Avelino wing) 44,510 1.73% Lost
1953 José Yulo 1,483,802 37.10% Lost
1957 Diosdado Macapagal 2,189,197 46.55% Won
1961 Emmanuel Pelaez 2,394,400 37.57% Won
1965 Gerardo Roxas 3,504,826 48.12% Lost
1969 Genaro Magsaysay 2,968,526 37.54% Lost
1986 Eva Estrada-Kalaw (Kalaw wing) 662,185 3.31% Lost; main wing supported Salvador Laurel who became vice president
1992 N/A N/A N/A Supported Aquilino Pimentel Jr. who lost
1998 Sergio Osmeña III 2,351,462 9.20% Lost
2004 N/A N/A N/A Supported Noli de Castro who won
2010 Mar Roxas 13,918,490 39.58% Lost
2016 Leni Robredo 14,418,817 35.11% Won

Senate[]

Election Number of votes Share of votes Seats won Seats after Outcome of election
1946 8,626,965 47.7%
8 / 16
9 / 24
Coalition
1947 12,241,929 54.5%
7 / 8
15 / 24
Won
1949 12,782,449 52.5%
7 / 8
18 / 24
Won
1951 8,764,190 39.9%
0 / 9
12 / 24
Won
1953 8,861,244 36.0%
0 / 8
7 / 24
Lost
1955 7,395,988 28.9%
0 / 9
0 / 24
Lost
1957 8,934,218 31.8%
2 / 8
2 / 24
Lost
1959 10,850,799 31.7%
2 / 8
4 / 24
Lost
1961 14,988,931 37.9%
4 / 8
8 / 24
Lost
1963 22,794,310 49.8%
4 / 8
10 / 24
Won
1965 23,158,197 46.9%
2 / 8
10 / 24
Lost
1967 18,127,926 37.1%
1 / 8
7 / 24
Lost
1969 21,060,474 39.1%
2 / 8
5 / 24
Lost
1971 33,469,677 57.4%
5 / 8
8 / 24
Lost
1987 N/A N/A N/A N/A Won under the LABAN coalition
1992* 19,158,013 6.9%
1 / 24
1 / 24
Lost
1995 N/A N/A N/A N/A Did not participate
1998 5,429,123 2.6%
0 / 12
0 / 24
Lost
2001 19,131,732 7.9%
1 / 13
1 / 24
Independent-led coalition
2004 30,008,158 12.0%
2 / 12
4 / 24
Liberal Party-led coalition
2007 28,843,415 10.7%
2 / 12
4 / 24
Nacionalista Party-led coalition
2010 78,227,817 26.34%
3 / 12
4 / 24
PMP-led coalition
2013 33,369,204 11.32%
1 / 12
4 / 24
Liberal Party-led coalition
2016 100,512,795 31.30%
5 / 12
6 / 24
Split; PDP–Laban-led coalition, lost[33]
2019 43,273,583 11.97%
0 / 12
3 / 24
Lost

*in coalition with PDP–Laban as Koalisyong Pambansa.

House of Representatives[]

Election Number of votes Share of votes Seats Outcome of election
1946 1,129,971 47.06%
49 / 98
Won
1949 1,834,173 53.00%
60 / 100
Won; majority government
1953 1,624,571 39.81%
31 / 102
Lost
1957 1,453,527 30.16%
19 / 102
Lost
1961 2,167,641 33.71%
29 / 104
Lost
1965 3,721,460 51.32%
61 / 104
Won; majority government
1969 2,641,786 41.76%
18 / 110
Lost
1978 N/A N/A N/A Boycotted; most members ran under the LABAN that lost
1984 N/A N/A N/A Boycotted; most members ran under the LABAN that lost
1987* 2,101,575 10.5%
16 / 214
Lakas ng Bansa-led coalition
1992** 1,644,568 8.8%
11 / 216
Lakas-NUCD-UMDP-led coalition
1995*** 358,245
661,796
1.9%
3.4%
5 / 226

7 / 226
Lakas-NUCD-UMDP-led coalition
1998* 1,773,124 7.3%
15 / 257
Lost
2001
19 / 256
Lakas-NUCD-UMDP-led coalition
2004
29 / 261
Lakas–CMD-led coalition
2007
23 / 271
Lakas–CMD-led coalition
2010 6,802,227 19.93%
47 / 286
Liberal Party-led coalition
2013 10,557,265 38.27%
111 / 293
Liberal Party-led coalition
2016 15,552,401 41.72%
115 / 297
Split; PDP–Laban-led coalition, lost
2019 2,321,759 5.78%
18 / 304
Lost

*Does not include candidates who ran as under a Liberal Party ticket along with another party.
**in coalition with PDP–Laban
***Bottom figure is for candidates who ran as under a Liberal Party ticket along with another party.

Notable members[]

Philippine presidents[]

  • Manuel Roxas (5th President of the Philippines; one of the co-founders)
  • Elpidio Quirino (6th President of the Philippines)
  • Diosdado Macapagal (9th President of the Philippines)
  • Ferdinand Marcos (10th President of the Philippines) – Marcos won in 1965 as the candidate of the Liberal Party's rival Nacionalista Party, the party to which Marcos defected after failing to get the LP nomination.
  • Benigno Aquino III (15th President of the Philippines)

Others[]

  • Gerardo Roxas Sr. (Senator; Liberal Party leader during the Marcos dictatorship)
  • Macario Peralta Jr. (World War II Hero, Philippine Army General, Senator of the Philippines, Secretary of National Defense)
  • Cesar Climaco (Mayor of Zamboanga City, vocal critic and opponent of Martial Law)
  • Benigno Aquino Jr. (Senator of the Philippines)
  • Eva Estrada-Kalaw (Senator of the Philippines)
  • Eddie Ilarde (Senator of the Philippines)
  • Ramon Mitra Jr. (16th Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives)
  • Narciso Ramos (Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs; one of the co-founders)
  • Ramon Bagatsing (longest-serving Mayor of Manila, Plaza Miranda bombing survivor)
  • Emmanuel Pelaez (Vice-President of the Philippines, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs; Philippine Ambassador to the United States of America, Senator of the Philippines)
  • Rashid Lucman (former Representative of Lanao del Sur, Exposed the Jabidah massacre and other Marcos abuses in Congress)
  • Jovito Salonga (former Senate President of the Philippines, survived the Plaza Miranda bombing)
  • Manuel Roxas II (former Interior and Local Government Secretary and Transportation Secretary)
  • Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (former Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives)
  • Jesse Robredo (former Mayor of Naga City & former Interior and Local Government Secretary)
  • Leni Robredo (14th Vice President of the Philippines, former Representative of Camarines Sur, Wife of former DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo & Party Chairman in Naga City)[34]
  • Herbert Bautista (former Mayor of Quezon City)
  • Alfredo Lim (former Senator & Mayor of Manila)
  • Rafael Nantes (former Governor of Quezon Province & Former Treasurer of the Liberal Party)
  • Evelyn Fuentebella (Mayor of Sagñay, Camarines Sur)
  • Cornelio Villareal (Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Former Representative of the 2nd District of Capiz)
  • Jaime Fresnedi (Mayor of Muntinlupa)
  • Sergio H. Loyola (Representative of the 3rd District of Manila)
  • Romulo Peña Jr. (former Mayor and Representative of the 1st District of Makati)

Coalition[]

References[]

  1. ^ http://cld.ph/
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Dayley, Robert (2016). Southeast Asia In The New International Era. ISBN 9780813350110. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Hutchcroft, P. (2016). Mindanao: The Long Journey to Peace and Prosperity Mandaluyong, Philippines: Anvil Publishing, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  4. ^ Values Charter – Liberal Party of the Philippines
  5. ^ Timberman, David G. (September 16, 2016). A Changeless Land: Continuity and Change in Philippine Politics. Routledge. p. 237. ISBN 9781315487151. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
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  11. ^ "Common Man's President". Time. November 24, 1961. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  12. ^ "Ramon Magsaysay." Microsoft Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
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  15. ^ Avendaño, Christine O. "LP disowns Agusan del Sur execs who jumped ship to PDP–Laban". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
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  29. ^ Daniel B., Schimer (1987). The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship and Resistance. South End Press. pp. 150. ISBN 9780896082755.
  30. ^ "What Is Liberalism, and Why Is It Such a Dirty Word?". Esquiremag.ph. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
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  34. ^ "LOOK: Leni Robredo takes oath of office as Vice President of the Philippines". CNN Philippines. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.

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