Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, abbreviated as Lakas–CMD and also known simply as Lakas, is a political party in the Philippines. Lakas–CMD is considered to sit on the

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the right of the political spectrum, but are closer to the centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure and the economy, moving away from the nobility and me ...

of the political spectrum, and is influenced by

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern Democracy, d ...

and

Islamic democracy There exist a number of perspectives on the relationship of Islam and democracy among Islamic political theorists, the general Muslim public, and Western authors. In 2021, a number of Muslim majority countries are Islamic and secular democr ...

. Since the 2022 elections, Lakas–CMD is currently the biggest party in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, with the party's president,

Martin Romualdez Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez (, born November 14, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, lawyer and politician serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since July 25, 2022. He is also serving as the Representative for the 1st dis ...

, serving as Speaker of the House.

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Sara Duterte Sara Vicenta Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (, ; born May 31, 1978), commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who is the 15th and current vice president of the Philippines. She is the third female vice president, the third ...

is the party's

chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

, and the party is a dominant member of the

UniTeam Alliance The UniTeam Alliance is an electoral alliance in the Philippines formed to support the candidacies of Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte in the 2022 presidential and vice-presidential elections and their allies in the 2022 Philippine general el ...

led by President

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. ( , , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials PBBM or BBM, is a Filipino politician who is the 17th and current president of the Philippines. He previously served as a sena ...

. Lakas–CMD has produced one

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

, who was in power when the party was formed in 2009, and one vice president, Sara Duterte, who was elected in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

. Lakas–CMD was founded in 2008, after the original Lakas–CMD party merged with the

Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), formerly known as the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, was a political party in the Philippines. It is the main party of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In June 2008, Kampi merged into the Lak ...

(KAMPI), forming Lakas Kampi CMD. The party later reverted to its original name and removed KAMPI after many of its members defected to the National Unity Party (NUP). After the 2010 elections, the party was split into both the majority and minority blocs. By

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, Lakas supported most candidates of the opposition coalition

United Nationalist Alliance The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA; ) is a political party in the Philippines. It was created as a multi-party electoral alliance replacing the former United Opposition (UNO) coalition for the 2013 midterm elections, before it was launche ...

in the 2013 Senate election, although the party was still split. After the 2016 elections, the party joined the majority bloc led by

PDP–Laban Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party alliance from 1986 to 1992 under the administ ...

, the party of the winner of the presidential election,

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...

. In the 2019 elections, the party joined the

Hugpong ng Pagbabago Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP; ) is a regional political party and former political alliance in the Philippines. Formed in 2018 by Sara Duterte, the party was established in support of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, and was the administrat ...

alliance. After the 2022 elections, Lakas won the vice presidency and replaced PDP–Laban as the largest party in Congress, leading the majority bloc.

History

Origins

After the Hello Garci scandal, the party was split into two main factions in 2006, one led by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

and another by former president

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

, who had initially supported Arroyo despite the scandal but later called for her resignation. On January 16, 2008, Lakas spokesman and legal counsel Raul Lambino released a list of potential Lakas senatorial bets for 2010. Except for Parañaque Representative Eduardo Zialcita, they were not yet identified. Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. resigned his post as president of Lakas–CMD on March 10, 2008; he rejected the proposition of former president

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

to give him the title Chairman-emeritus. The then current House Speaker Prospero Nograles was sworn in as the new president of Lakas–CMD party and

Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Fernando Feliciano "Sonny" Racimo Belmonte Jr., KGCR (born October 2, 1936) is a Filipino politician who served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives for the Fourth District of Quezon City from 1992 to 2001 and from 2010 to 201 ...

as vice president for Metro Manila affairs on the same day. On June 18, 2008, President Arroyo confirmed the merger of the original Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas–CMD) and the

(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 the

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land ...

regional

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

. 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. 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 the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

to declare the merger null and void. However, the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

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 the

in rendering the challenged resolution."

Majority to minority (2010–2016)

In the 2010 elections, the party suffered several losses, and was split into both the majority and minority blocs. It lost the 2010 presidential election with Gilberto Teodoro as its presidential nominee while only two of its candidates in the 2010 Senate election won; the two joined the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

–led majority coalition. In the 2010 House of Representatives election, it won 47% of the seats contested in the district election. However, after

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and Colloquialism, colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, 15th presid ...

was sworn in as president on June 30, 2010, the majority of the former legislative members of Lakas were sworn as members of the reborn

, Aquino's party. Other members led by Pablo P. Garcia established the neutral National Unity Party in December 2010. After the split, the party's new chairman,

Edcel Lagman Edcel Castelar Lagman Sr. (, born May 1, 1942) is a Filipino human rights lawyer and politician from the province of Albay. He was elected as a member of the House in 1987 up to the present. He served as Minority Floor Leader of the House of R ...

, declared that the Lakas Kampi CMD coalition has "ceased to exist". On May 11, 2012, the party decided to revert to its original name and drop Arroyo's KAMPI from the coalition. It became one of the parties in the opposition after the 2010 elections. The party weakened following Arroyo's arrest under charges of

electoral fraud Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...

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. On February 5, 2013, senator

Bong Revilla Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (; born Jose Mari Bautista; September 25, 1966) and commonly known as Bong Revilla, is a Filipino actor, television presenter and politician serving as a Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. The ...

succeeded Lagman and became the party's chairperson, while 1st district representative of

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

, became the party's president. In the 2013 Senate election, the party mostly supported several candidates from the

(UNA), which counts previous Lakas members among its candidates, such as

Juan Miguel Zubiri Juan Miguel "Migz" Fernandez Zubiri (; born April 13, 1969) is a Filipino businessman and politician serving as the Senate President of the Philippines since July 25, 2022. Since 2016, he has been on his second stint in the Senate, first servin ...

, Dick Gordon, and Mitos Magsaysay. Three out of nine UNA candidates were elected. In 2016, the party initially planned to field senator Revilla for the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

. However, he would be detained at the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currentl ...

custodial center at

Camp Crame Camp General Rafael T. Crame () is the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) located along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City. It is situated across EDSA from Camp Aguinaldo, the national headquarters of ...

due to his alleged involvement in the

pork barrel scam The Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, also called the PDAF scam or the pork barrel scam, is a political scandal involving the alleged misuse by several members of the Congress of the Philippines of their Priority Development Assistance ...

. By August 2015, Lakas reportedly eyed to form an alliance with UNA and support vice president Jejomar Binay's candidacy for president. However, by February 2016, the party failed to reach a consensus on who to support, eventually opting not to endorse any candidate for president. The party supported the candidacy of

for vice president, who lost.

Recovery under the Duterte administration (2016–2022)

After then Davao City mayor

won the presidential election, Lakas signed a coalition agreement with Duterte's party,

, on May 18, 2016, joining several other political parties in the Coalition for Change, the administration's coalition. 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." In September 2018, House Minority Leader

Danilo Suarez Danilo "Danny" Etorma Suarez (born December 20, 1942) is a Filipino politician and former Governor of Quezon. He served as Minority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines representing the 3rd District of Quezon. He m ...

, who had rejoined Lakas, announced that the party is rebuilding to restore its dominance before Arroyo stepped down as president. On November 6, 2018, the party joined

, with Revilla joining the coalition's senatorial slate for the 2019 Senate election. Revilla was reelected, marking Lakas' return to the upper chamber. The party also won a dozen seats in the 2019 House of Representatives elections. After the 2019 elections, several politicians joined the party. Arroyo returned to the party on March 9, 2020. On November 17, 2021,

became the chairperson of the party, succeeding Revilla. Following her move to Lakas, she announced her candidacy for

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

in the 2022 vice presidential election, becoming the running mate of

. On November 29, 2021, the party formed the

with three other parties to support the candidacies of Marcos and Duterte. The tandem won the elections, becoming the first presidential ticket to win together since Arroyo's victory along with her running mate in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Return to dominance (2022–present)

Following the

2022 Philippine general election The 2022 Philippine general election took place on May 9, 2022, for executive and legislative branches of the government – national, provincial, and local, except for the barangay officials. At the top of the ballot is the election for succe ...

, 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. By the time the 19th 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. Prominent members of the party were elected to various leadership positions in the lower house; Romualdez was elected as the House Speaker while Arroyo and

Isidro Ungab Isidro Tom Ungab (born May 8, 1961) is a Filipino politician, a former banker, and a former local legislator of the City of Davao. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the Third District of ...

became deputy speakers.

Ideology

Lakas–CMD adheres to the

and

ideologies, adopting the same ideologies of its predecessor party, and is a member of the Centrist Democrats International (CDI). The party also advocates for a shift from the present

presidential system A presidential system, or single executive system, is a form of government in which a head of government, typically with the title of president, leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch in systems that use separati ...

to a parliamentary form of government through constitutional amendments and through establishing peace talks with

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

separatists and communist rebels. Lakas–CMD has always focused on economic growth and development, stronger ties with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, 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. The party has tended to be more popular in the

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

provinces.

Current party officials

* President Emerita:

* National President:

* Chairperson:

* Co-Chairpersons: **

** Jose de Venecia Jr. * Secretary-General: Prospero Pichay Jr.

List of party chairpersons

* Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2008–2009) * Gilberto Teodoro (2009–2010) * Amelita Villarosa (2010) * Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2010–2011) * Edcel Lagman (2011–2012) * Bong Revilla, Jr. (2012–2021) * Sara Duterte (2021–present)

Candidates for Philippine general elections

2010

Presidential ticket

Gilbert Teodoro Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Cojuangco Teodoro Jr. (born June 14, 1964), nicknamed Gilbert or Gibo (), is a Filipino lawyer, politician and business executive who served as the Secretary of National Defense (Philippines), Secretary of National Def ...

for president – lost *

Edu Manzano Eduardo "Edu" Manzano (; born September 14, 1955) is a Filipino-American actor, fashion model, TV commercial model, comedian, politician, United States Air Force veteran and television game host. He was previously the host of game shows ''The We ...

for vice president – lost

For senator

* Silvestre Bello III – lost * Ramon Guico Jr. – lost * Raul Lambino – lost *

Rey Langit Reynante Magat Langit (; born September 20, 1948) is a Filipino journalist. He is a longtime columnist for Philippine newspapers ''Tempo'', ''Balita'', ''People's Tonight'', and '' Pilipino Mirror''. He is also the main anchorman for the nati ...

– lost *

Lito Lapid Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor and politician serving as a Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He started his political career in Pampanga, serving as vice governor from 1992 to 1995 ...

– won *

– won

2016

For senator

* Greco Belgica (candidate for

and Miriam-Bongbong party) – lost * Romeo Maganto – lost *

(candidate for

Partido Galing at Puso The Partido Galing at Puso coalition ( PGP), was the political multi-party electoral alliance of the political parties and coalition opposition in the Philippines during the 2016 general elections.The coalition was composed of the Aksyon Demok ...

and Miriam-Bongbong party) – lost *

(candidate for

and Miriam-Bongbong party) – lost

2019

For senator

(also running under

) – won *

Willie Ong Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scre ...

– lost *

Larry Gadon Lorenzo "Larry" Gacilo Gadon (born March 1, 1958) is a Filipino lawyer. He ran for a senatorial seat in 2016, 2019 and 2022 election under UniTeam senatorial slate of Bongbong Marcos, all of which were unsuccessful. He is famously known on ...

(guest candidate from

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The New Society Movement ( fil, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, KBL), formerly named the New Society Movement of United Nationalists, Liberals, et cetera ( fil, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, KBLNNL), is a r ...

and Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino) – lost

2022

Presidential ticket

for president (adopted candidate from the

Partido Federal ng Pilipinas Partido Federal ng Pilipinas ( en, Federal Party of the Philippines; PFP) is a national political party in the Philippines. It is chaired by Bongbong Marcos, president of the Philippines who won by a landslide in the 2022 election. During the r ...

) – won *

for vice president – won

Electoral performance

Presidential elections

Vice presidential elections

Legislative elections

Senate

House of Representatives

Current members, 18th Congress

House of Representatives

District Representatives

* Majority leader

(Leyte, D1) * Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay, Jr. (Surigao del Sur, D2) * Juan Miguel Arroyo (Pampanga, D2) * Christopher de Venecia (Pangasinan, D4) * Ramon Guico III (Pangasinan, D5) * Aleta Suarez (Quezon, D3) * Vincent Frasco (Cebu, D5) * Paz Radaza (Lapu lapu City, LD) * Marilou Arroyo (Negros Occidental, D5) * Christian Unabia (Misamis Oriental D1) *

Fredenil Castro Fredenil Hernaez Castro (born April 27, 1951) is a Filipino politician serving as the Governor of Capiz since 2022. He was the Representative of Capiz's 2nd district from 2001 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2022. He had served as a House Deputy Spe ...

(Capiz, D2) * J.F. Felipe Nograles (Rizal, D4-Montalban) * Hector Sanchez (Catanduanes LD) * Roger Mercado (Southern Leyte, D2) * Gerardo Espina, Jr. (Biliran LD) *

Geraldine Roman Geraldine Batista Roman (born April 23, 1967) is a Filipina journalist and politician serving as the Representative of Bataan's 1st district since 2016. She is the first transgender person elected to the Congress of the Philippines. She was n ...

(Bataan, D1) * Leonardo Babasa, Jr. (Zamboanga del Sur D2) * Wilter Palma II (Zamboanga Sibugay D2)

Allied Partylist Representatives

* Rodante Marcoleta (Sagip) * Yedda Romualdez (Tingog Sinirangan) *

Mike Defensor Michael Tan Defensor (, born June 30, 1969) is a Filipino politician who most recently served as the Party-list Representative for Anakalusugan from 2019 to 2022. He is also the CEO of Pax Libera Mining, Inc. Defensor began his political car ...

(AnaKalusugan) * Sonny Lagon (Ako Bisaya) * Alfredo Garbin ( Ako Bicol) * Elizalde Co ( Ako Bicol) * Ana Marie Villaraza-Suarez (Alona) * Adriano Ebcas (Ako Padayon Pilipino) * Romeo Momo (CWS) * Jose Gay Padiernos (Galing sa Puso P * Presley de Jesus (PHILRECA) * Sergio Dagooc (

APEC The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

) * Alfred delos Santos (

Ang Probinsyano ''FPJ's Ang Probinsyano'' (lit. ''FPJ's The Provincial Man''; abbreviated as ''FPJAP'' and internationally known as ''Brothers'') is a 2015 Philippine action drama television series under ABS-CBN Entertainment replacing '' Nathaniel''. Bas ...

) * Jose Teves, Jr. (TGP)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lakas-CMD 2008 establishments in the Philippines Centrist parties in the Philippines Christian democratic parties in Asia Conservative parties in the Philippines Federalist parties Islamic democratic political parties Political parties established in 2008