Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Martin Romualdez |
| Chairperson | Bong Revilla Jr. |
| Secretary-General | Jose Aquino II |
| President Emeritus | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Founder | Fidel Ramos Raul Manglapus |
| Merger of | Lakas–CMD andKAMPI |
| Headquarters | 3/F, Universal Re Building, 106Paseo de Roxas, Legazpi Village,Makati, 1229Metro Manila |
| Ideology | Conservatism Filipino nationalism Christian democracy Islamic democracy Neoliberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right[1] |
| National affiliation | Bagong Pilipinas (2024–present) UniTeam (2021–2024) Coalition for Change (2016–2021) |
| International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
| Colors | Sky blue,gold,green,orange |
| Senate | 1 / 24 |
| House of Representatives | 111 / 317 |
| Provincial governors | 13 / 82 |
| Provincial vice governors | 22 / 82 |
| Provincial board members | 167 / 840 |
| Website | |
| lakascmd.com | |
Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas–CMD), also known simply asLakas, and previously known asLakas–Kampi until 2011, is apolitical party in the Philippines. Lakas–CMD is considered to be on thecentre-right of the political spectrum and is influenced byChristian democracy andIslamic democracy. Since the2022 elections, Lakas–CMD is currently the biggest party in theHouse of Representatives.[2] The party is a dominant member of theAlyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas led by PresidentBongbong Marcos.
Lakas–CMD has produced onePresident of the Philippines,Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was in power when the party was formed in 2009, and one vice president,Sara Duterte, who was elected in2022.
The political party was founded in 2008, after theoriginal Lakas–CMD merged with theKabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), formingLakas–Kampi–CMD. The party later reverted to its original name and removed KAMPI after many of its members defected to theNational Unity Party (NUP).[3] "Lakas" harkens to the original of the Lakas party, which was "Lakas ng Tao", which translates to "People Power", referring to thePeople Power Revolution of 1986, where party founderFidel V. Ramos was one of the main participants.[4]
After the2010 elections, the party was split into both the majority and minority blocs. By2013, Lakas supported most candidates of the opposition coalitionUnited Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in the2013 Senate election, although the party was still split.[5][6] After the2016 elections, the party joined the majority bloc led byPDP–Laban, the party of the winner of the presidential election,Rodrigo Duterte. In the2019 elections, the party joined theHugpong ng Pagbabago alliance. After the2022 elections, Lakas won the vice presidency and replaced PDP–Laban as the largest party in Congress, leading the majority bloc.[7]
After theHello Garci scandal, the party was split into two main factions in 2006, one led byPresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo and another by former presidentFidel V. Ramos, who had initially supported Arroyo despite the scandal but later called for her resignation.[8]
On January 16, 2008, Lakas spokesman and legal counselRaul Lambino released a list of potential Lakas senatorial bets for 2010. Except for Parañaque Representative Eduardo Zialcita, they were not yet identified.[9]
Former House SpeakerJose de Venecia Jr. resigned his post as president of Lakas on March 10, 2008; he rejected the proposition of former presidentFidel Ramos to give him the title Chairman-emeritus. The then current House SpeakerProspero Nograles was sworn in as the new party president of Lakas andFeliciano Belmonte Jr. as vice president for Metro Manila affairs on the same day.
On June 18, 2008, President Arroyo confirmed the merger of theoriginal Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas–CMD/Lakas) and theKabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) parties. Both parties adopted the "equity of the incumbent" principle, as the merger would account for almost 200 national and 8,000 local officials, amid Arroyo's prediction of 2010 elections victory. The party's president,Prospero Nograles, and KAMPI chairperson,Ronaldo Puno, signed the covenant at theDavao City regionalcaucus.[10][11] Ramos announced on February 6, 2008, that the Lakas–CMD name would be retained even after the merger, and asserted that de Venecia will remain as the party's president.[12]
On August 9, 2009, de Venecia and Ramos led fifty members from Lakas in objecting to its merger with KAMPI on May 28, 2009. The faction retained de Venecia its president with Ramos as the Chairman Emeritus. Ramos refused the offer to become the Chairman Emeritus of the new party after being named in the interim party organization. De Venecia filed a resolution at theCommission on Elections to declare the merger null and void.[13] However, theSupreme Court ultimately upheld the legality of the merger, citing the failure of de Venecia "to sufficiently show that any grave abuse of discretion was committed by theCommission on Elections in rendering the challenged resolution."[14][15]
By 2008,MMDAChairmanBayani Fernando wants to get the nomination of the party, but some party members want to field then-Vice PresidentNoli de Castro, or former House SpeakerSonny Belmonte as nominee. SenatorDick Gordon also considered if de Castro declined.[16] But Parañaque CongressmanEduardo Zialcita said that the party did not have popular of "winnable" candidate for presidency, and also stated that de Castro declined to join the party.[17]
In 2009,Defense SecretaryGilbert "Gibo" Teodoro resigned fromhis uncle'sNPC to sworn in as new member of newly merged Lakas–Kampi. Teodoro's admission to Lakas will be a possible sign for seeking nomination for president.[18] FormerPNP chief andDPWH SecretaryHermogenes "Jun" Ebdane, even though not a party member, wants to seek party nomination.[19] Actor and SenatorBong Revilla was rumored to be the party's nominee.[20] In September of that year, Teodoro submits his name to the party nomination process. Fernando insisted that the party should choose an "original" and "loyal" member.[21] Also in the same month, former Speaker and party co-founder de Venecia said that the newly merged party can't field any candidates because the party did not have already been recognized officially by COMELEC.[22] The party also shortlisted the party's choices between Teodoro and Fernando.[23]
In October, when Teodoro was rumored to be picked,Ronaldo Puno was poised to be his running mate.[24] In November, Teodoro was officially picked by his party as nominee for presidential election in 2010.[25] Teodoro picked actor, TV host, and former Makati Vice MayorEdu Manzano as his running mate.[26][27] Fernando will bolt out and run as vice president.[28]
In the2010 elections, the party suffered several losses, and was split into both the majority and minority blocs. It lost the2010 presidential election withGilberto Teodoro as its presidential nominee while only two of its candidates in the2010 Senate election won; the two joined theLiberal Party–led majority coalition. In the2010 House of Representatives election, it won 47% of the seats contested in the district election. However, after Teodoro's cousinBenigno Aquino III of Liberal was sworn in as president on June 30, 2010, the majority of the former legislative members of Lakas were sworn as members of the Liberal reborn, Aquino's party. Other members from Kampi faction led byPablo P. Garcia established the neutralNational Unity Party (NUP) in December 2010.[29] After the split, the party's new chairman,Edcel Lagman, declared that the Lakas–Kampi coalition has "ceased to exist".[30] On May 11, 2012, the party decided to revert to its original name and drop Arroyo's KAMPI from the coalition.[3] It became one of the parties in the opposition after the 2010 elections.
The party weakened following Arroyo's arrest under charges ofelectoral fraud in 2011 which were later dismissed, and again in 2012, on charges of misuse of $8.8 million in state lottery funds; she would later be acquitted in 2017.[31] On February 5, 2013, senatorBong Revilla succeeded Lagman and became the party's chairperson, while1st district representative ofLeyte,Martin Romualdez, became the party's president.[32] In the2013 Senate election, the party mostly supported several candidates from theUnited Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which counts previous Lakas members among its candidates, such asMigz Zubiri,Dick Gordon, and CongresswomanMitos Magsaysay. Three out of nine UNA candidates were elected.
In 2016, the party initially planned to field senator Revilla for thepresidential election.[33][34] However, he would be detained at thePhilippine National Police custodial center atCamp Crame due to his alleged involvement in thepork barrel scam.[35] By August 2015, Lakas reportedly eyed to form an alliance with UNA and support vice presidentJejomar Binay's candidacy for president.[36] However, by February 2016, the party failed to reach a consensus on who to support, eventually opting not to endorse any candidate for president.[37] The party supported the candidacy ofBongbong Marcos for vice president, who lost.[38][39]
After thenDavao City mayorRodrigo Duterte won the presidential election, Lakas signed a coalition agreement with Duterte's party,PDP–Laban, on May 18, 2016, joining several other political parties in theCoalition for Change, the administration's coalition.[40] In October 2017, Arroyo and two of her allies joined PDP–Laban. According to Arroyo, the move was done to "consolidate support for the president."[41] In September 2018, House Minority LeaderDanilo Suarez, who had rejoined Lakas, announced that the party is rebuilding to restore its dominance before Arroyo stepped down as president.[42] On November 6, 2018, the party joinedHugpong ng Pagbabago,[43][44] with Revilla joining the coalition's senatorial slate for the2019 Senate election. Revilla was reelected, marking Lakas' return to the upper chamber. The party also won a dozen seats in the2019 House of Representatives elections. After the 2019 elections, several politicians joined the party.[45][46] Arroyo returned to the party on March 9, 2020.[47]
On November 17, 2021,Sara Duterte became the chairperson of the party, succeeding Revilla.[48] Following her move to Lakas, she announced her candidacy forvice president in the2022 vice presidential election, becoming the running mate ofBongbong Marcos.[49] On November 29, 2021, the party formed theUniTeam alliance with three other parties to support thecandidacies of Marcos and Duterte.[50] The tandem won the elections, becoming the first presidential ticket to win together since Arroyo's victory along with her running mate in2004.[51]
Following the2022 Philippine general election, which saw Lakas winning 26 seats in the House of Representatives as well as the vice presidency, 38 politicians moved to the party, most of whom belonged to the weakening PDP–Laban.[52] By the time the19th Congress was opened, the party's seats in the House of Representatives increased from 12 in the 18th Congress to 64, replacing PDP–Laban as the dominant party in the lower house.[53][7] Prominent members of the party were elected to various leadership positions in the lower house; Romualdez was elected as theHouse Speaker while Arroyo andIsidro Ungab becamedeputy speakers.[54] As of May 2023, the party has 71 members in the lower chamber.[55]
On May 17, 2023, Arroyo was demoted from senior deputy speaker to deputy speaker, reportedly due to her plotting to oust Romualdez from his position.[56] Arroyo has subsequently denied the allegations.[57][58] She was replaced byAurelio Gonzales Jr. of PDP–Laban. The party later also signed a partnership agreement with PDP–Laban.[59] Following Arroyo's demotion, vice president and party chair Duterte resigned from the party on May 19, 2023. She stated that her leadership "cannot be poisoned by political toxicity."[60][61]
Lakas–CMD adheres to theChristian democracy andIslamic democracy ideologies, adopting the same ideologies of its predecessor party, and is a member of theCentrist Democrats International (CDI). The party also advocates for a shift from the presentpresidential system to aparliamentary form of government through constitutional amendments and through establishing peace talks withMuslim separatists andcommunist rebels.[62]
Lakas–CMD has always focused on economic growth and development, stronger ties with theUnited States andCanada, creation of jobs, and strong cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government. The party is distinct in its ecumenical inclusion of Muslim leaders in its political alliance.[63] The party has tended to be more popular in theMindanao provinces,[citation needed] and pushes forfederalism of the country.[64][65]
Running underAlyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas
| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | Result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Gilbert Teodoro | 4,095,839 | 11.33 | Lost | Benigno Aquino III (Liberal) won |
| 2016 | None | — | Rodrigo Duterte (PDP–Laban) won | ||
| 2022 | None; Duterte's running mate wasBongbong Marcos (PFP) | 31,629,783 | 58.77 | Won | Bongbong Marcos (PFP) won |
| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | Result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Edu Manzano | 807,728 | 2.30 | Lost | Jejomar Binay (PDP–Laban) won |
| 2016 | None; endorsedBongbong Marcos (Independent) | — | Leni Robredo (Liberal) won | ||
| 2022 | Sara Duterte | 32,208,417 | 61.53 | Won | Sara Duterte won |
| Year | House Seats won | +/– | Result | Year | Senate Seats won | +/– | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 106 / 286 |  16 | Split | 2010 | 2 / 12 | 2 | Split |
| 2013 | 14 / 292 | 92 | Split | 2013 | Did not participate | 2 | Minority |
| 2016 | 4 / 297 | 10 | Majority | 2016 | 0 / 12 | 2 | Lost |
| 2019 | 12 / 304 |  8 | Majority | 2019 | 1 / 12 | 1 | Majority |
| 2022 | 26 / 316 | 14 | Majority | 2022 | Did not participate |  0 | Majority |
| 2025 | 103 / 317 | 77 | Majority | 2025 | 1 / 12 | 0 | Majority |
The following are the oath taken by new members of Lakas:
I, (name), having been accepted as a member of Lakas–CMD, do solemnly swear that I shall faithfully discharge all the duties and obligations, and obey all rules and regulations imposed upon by in the party. Let us all engage in peaceful dealing in democratic pursuit and exercising political power. That I shall actively to promote the ideals and programs of the party and exclusively support the campaign for the official candidates of the party in all elections. These I pledged freely and impose upon myself without mental reservation or purpose of evasion. [So help me God.]
Meanwhile, de Venecia filed a resolution at the Commission on Elections for the Lakas-KAMPI merger to be nullified. The Supreme Court denied the appeal and upheld the legality of the resolution.
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