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The Liberal Party of the Philippines (, LP) is a liberal
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. Founded on January 19, 1946 by Manuel Roxas,
Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...
, and José Avelino from the breakaway liberal wing of the old Nacionalista, the Liberal remains the second-oldest active political party in the Philippines after the Nacionalista, and the oldest continually active party. The Liberals served as the governing party of four Philippine presidents: Manuel Roxas,
Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...
, Diosdado Macapagal, and Benigno Aquino III. As a vocal opposition party to the dictatorship of their former member
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
, it reemerged as a major political party after the People Power Revolution and the establishment of the Fifth Republic. It subsequently served as a senior member of President
Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...
's
UNIDO The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in ...
coalition. Upon Corazon Aquino's death in 2009, the party regained popularity, winning the 2010 Philippine presidential election under Benigno Aquino III and returning it to government to serve from 2010 to 2016. This was the only instance the party had won the presidency since the end of the Marcos dictatorship, however, as it lost control of the office to
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
of PDP–Laban in the 2016 presidential election and became the leading opposition party once again. Its vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo won in the same election, narrowly beating Marcos' son by a small margin. The Liberal Party was the political party of the immediate past Vice President of the Philippines. In the 2019 midterm elections, the party remained the primary opposition party of the Philippines, holding three seats in the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. The Liberals was the largest party outside of Rodrigo Duterte's supermajority, holding 18 seats in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
after 2019. In local government, the party held two provincial governorships and five vice governorships. The general election of 2022, however, was a setback for the party, which lost both the Presidency and Vice-Presidency, as well as all of its seats in the Senate, and saw its representation in the House of Representatives reduced. The Liberals remains an influential organization in contemporary Philippine politics. With moderately progressive 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 Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...
,
conservatism Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...
, and
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
. Aside from presidents, the party has been led by liberal thinkers and politicians including Benigno Aquino Jr.,
Jovito Salonga Jovito Reyes Salonga, Knights of Rizal, KGCR (; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) also called "Ka Jovy," was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from th ...
, Raul Daza, Florencio Abad, Franklin Drilon, and Mar Roxas. Two of its members, Corazon Aquino and Leila de Lima, have received the prestigious Prize For Freedom, one of the highest international awards for liberal and democratic politicians since 1985 given by Liberal International. The Liberals is a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and
Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberalism, liberal political parties. The political international was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal and progressive democratic parties aim ...
.


History


Third Republic


1946 elections: The Rise of Manuel Roxas

The Liberal Party started as the "Liberal Wing" of the Nacionalista Party, led by Manuel Roxas and
Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...
. The Liberal Wing is formed due to intention of Roxas to run as president for the presidential election which he, and his supporters called and lobbied to the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
to be early. When President
Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...
was officially selected as Nacionalista presidential nominee, Roxas and Quirino officially founded the "Liberal Wing" into Liberal Party in January 19, 1946. Roxas and Quirino where the party's presidential and vice presidential nominee respectively, and became victorious over the administration ticket of Osmeña and Amang Rodriguez. After their presidential election performance, they dominated the House elections won the majority of 49 seats, and the senate race in 1947 winning six over eight seats.


1948: Quirino succeeds Roxas, but facing impeachment attempt

After the death of President Roxas in April 15, 1948 at Clark Air Base, Pampanga, due to multiple heart attacks, Elpidio Quirino assumed the presidency. Riding on the crest of the growing wave of resentment against Liberal, a move was next hatched to indict President Quirino himself. A committee of seven members of the House of Representatives, led by Congressman Agripino Escareal, drafted a five-count complaint that ranged from exorbitant spending to
nepotism Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...
. A seven-member committee led by Representative Lorenzo Sumulong was created by Speaker Eugenio Pérez to investigate the charges before they were submitted to the Senate, serving as an impeachment body. Felix Angelo Bautista, the Solicitor General, arrived as the top executive's defense attorney. Following several hearings, on April 19, 1949, after a rather turbulent session that lasted all night, the congressional committee reached a verdict completely exonerating the President.


1949 elections: Quirino reelected

For the 1949 elections, Quirino got the nomination of the party, while Jose Avelino, the senate leader of the party ran under his own wing of the party. Quirino choose Fernando Lopez as vice presidential nominee while Avelino selected Senator Vicente Francisco. Qurino and Lopez won the election over Nacionalista's Jose P. Laurel (who is the president of the Japanese puppet-Republic) and Manuel Briones, and Avelino and Francisco. But the said election is considered as one of the dirtiest, with violence and fraud taking place. As the news reports said that opponent's supporters are either beaten up by Quirino's supporters or the local police. In the Senate, they swept out the whole 8 member ticket, while still maintaining majority at the House.


1953 elections: Magsaysay out, Liberal stumbled

For the 1953 elections, Liberal stalwart named Ramon Magsaysay, who has been recruited by founding member Roxas to fulfill the party with fresh names, wants to snap the presidential nomination of the party. But Quirino has still plans for re-election. Another Liberal also wants to challenge Quirino as the presidential nominee, the country's representative to the United Nations Carlos P. Romulo. Quirino officially selected by the party, with José Yulo as his running-mate, because Lopez will join Romulo and his supporter's walk-out march out of the party. Magsaysay jumped to Nacionalista and got the party's nomination over one of its stalwarts Senate President
Camilo Osías Camilo Olaviano Osías Sr. (born Camilo Osías y Olaviano; March 23, 1889 – May 20, 1976), was a Filipino people, Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with American Mary A. Lane, Osías ...
(who also jumped to Liberal with Jose Zulueta), in April 12, 1953. Romulo and Lopez founded the Democratic Party in May 29, 1953, with the two founders selected as their presidential and vice presidential nominee. But later, the two cancelled their candidacy and supported Magsaysay's candidacy. Quirino's campaign was bombarded by controversies and issues, like with one of party's member named Negros Occidental Governor Rafael Lacson, a corrupt politician who killed Moises Padilla, his challenger in 1951 elections, and friend of Magsaysay which popularized by a photograph taken with Magsaysay carrying Padilla's dead body, and also being used by the latter in his campaign. A privileged speech by Senator Nene Pimentel delivered at the Senate, August 2001. Another issues like he allegedly own a golden arinola, corruption and nepotism, being out of touch to the mass due to his lavish lifestyle, and unresolving the Huk rebellion. Magsaysay and his running mate Carlos Garcia won the election via landslide. In the
senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, the whole Liberal slate was kicked out in the Magic 8, thus not winning any seats, while in the
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
they only won 31 seats. In 1955 Senate elections, no Liberal again won any seat in the Senate.


1957 elections: Rise of Diosdado Macapagal

After the death of Magsaysay, and succession of Garcia, Liberal fielded their former 1953 Vice Presidential nominee José Yulo, with Kapampangan 1st district Congressman Diosdado Macapagal as his running mate for the 1957 presidential elections. In a four-way race, Yulo lost to incumbent Garcia, but Macapagal managed to defeat former House Speaker Pepito Laurel. For the first time in electoral history of the Philippines, the winning president did not have a vice president who came from the same party.


1961 elections: Liberal prevailed

For the 1961 elections, Ilocano Senator
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...
wants to gain the nomination of the party to challenge Garcia's re-election bid, but Vice President Macapagal also wants to be the nominee of the party. Later, In January 1961, Marcos and Macapagal agreed that the latter will be the presidential nominee, while Marcos will be the new party president replacing Macapagal. Macapagal promised that he will only run for one term, and Marcos will be the nominee in after his term. Macapagal will challenge Garcia, choosing young Senator Emmanuel Pelaez. The two managed to defeat the administration ticket of Garcia and Senator Gil Puyat.


Stonehill Scandal

In 1962, a bribery scandal shocked the whole country which involves some of Liberal politicians, including President Macapagal, and then-Senate President Marcos. Those bribed money are from a businessman named Harry Stonehill, a former military officer of the United States who settled in the Philippines to make business. But, after an argument with Meinhart Spielman, the general manager of his Philippine Tobacco Corporation, he made Spielman suffered physically and the latter revealed to the Senate a "blue book" that listed all of the Filipino politicians bribed. But while Justice Secretary Jose "Pepe" Diokno investigated the scandal, Macapagal ordered the deportation of Stonehill, but the president's trust rating still plummeting. Diokno later run for senate under Nacionalista banner.


1965 elections: Broken promise, Marcos out

After Diosdado Macapagal's announcement of plan for re-election in
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
, Marcos, like what Magsaysay did, jumped into Nacionalista by April 1964, and selected as its presidential nominee. Meanwhile, Macapagal selected
Gerardo Roxas Gerardo Manuel de Leon Roxas Sr. (; August 25, 1923 – April 19, 1982), better known as Gerry Roxas, was a Filipino lawyer and politician. As a representative of the Capiz's 1st congressional district, 1st District of Capiz (1957 to 1963) a ...
, son of the founder to be his running-mate. The campaign of Macapagal and Roxas focused against Marcos' false military medals. The two failed to defeat Marcos, and his running mate Fernando Lopez, who is the Vice President under Quirino, and also a former Liberal.


1967 elections: Rise of Ninoy Aquino

In 1967 elections, the only one from the Liberal slate was elected from the 8 senate seats contested is Ninoy Aquino, a former Nacionalista who is known for being an associate of Ramon Magsaysay. Aquino managed to gather 49.52% of the votes.


1969 elections: Dirty elections faced

For the 1969 elections, Liberal will field Serging Osmeña, son of the Nacionalista founder
Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; zh, c=吳文釗, poj=Gô͘ Bûn-chiau; September 9, 1878 – October 19, 1961) was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, fourth president of the Ph ...
as their presidential nominee. Osmeña ran for vice presidency in 1961 as an independent and placed second. The party also recruited Magsaysay's brother Genaro to be his running-mate. Both of them lost to the incumbents, but the election year was considered as one of the dirtiest elections in history, like 1949.


1971: The Plaza Miranda bombing

After what happened to Plaza Miranda bombing, Liberal won five seats. In Manila mayoral election, the party chose Congressman Ramon Bagatsing instead of incumbent
Antonio Villegas Antonio de Jesus Villegas (January 9, 1928 – November 16, 1984) was a Philippines, Filipino politician who served as the 16th Mayor of Manila from 1962 to 1971. His term was after the term of Arsenio Lacson as mayor of Manila, and before the ...
. Villegas left the party, and Bagatsing won the mayoral election.


Martial law and Fourth Republic era


Being threat to Marcos

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 Jovito Reyes Salonga, Knights of Rizal, KGCR (; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) also called "Ka Jovy," was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from th ...
, Liberal would hound President Marcos on issues like
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
and the curtailment of freedoms. Even after Marcos' declaration of martial law silenced the Liberal, the party continued to oppose the regime, and many of its leaders and members would be prosecuted and even killed during this time.


1978 elections

For the incoming 1978 parliamentary elections, some Liberal members joined the
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan The New Society Movement (, KBL), formerly named the New Society Movement of United Nationalists, Liberals, et cetera (, KBLNNL), is a Right-wing politics, right-wing political party in the Philippines. It was first formed in 1978 as an umbrel ...
, a regime-controlled coalition, while others joined Ninoy Aquino's Lakas ng Bayan (LABAN). With many preferring not to be involved, the ''Liberal'' went to hibernation, but the party became more liberal during this era.


1981 boycott

After Marcos lifted Martial Law with ''Proclamation 2045'', on January 17, 1981, Liberal joined
United Nationalist Democratic Organization The United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) was the main political multi-party electoral alliance of the traditional political opposition during the turbulent last years of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in the mid-1980s. It w ...
(UNIDO), the main coalition of the opposition. But UNIDO and LABAN declared a boycott due to Marcos did not accept the demand of UNIDO like to clean the voters' list, revamping of 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 ...
(COMELEC), and accreditation of UNIDO as the minority. This caused for Marcos to be reportedly dismayed as he could not legitimize the election without a viable opposition candidate.


1986 snap elections

Liberal stalwarts joined UNIDO with Nacionalista, and PDP-Laban members, they supported the candidacy of Cory Aquino and Doy Laurel for the 1986 election. In the said election, violence was rampant and cheating scandals and controversies arose, with COMELEC officers walked out of the PICC, the place where COMELEC transmission of data happens. The election victory of Marcos prompted People Power Revolution in February 25 of the same year.


Post-EDSA & Fifth Republic


Under Aquino Administration

After democracy was restored after the People Power Revolution, some of the Liberal stalwarts was instrumental in ending more than half a century of US military presence in the Philippines with its campaign in the 1991 senate to reject a new RP-US Bases Treaty which mainly led by their veteran
Jovito Salonga Jovito Reyes Salonga, Knights of Rizal, KGCR (; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) also called "Ka Jovy," was a Filipino people, Filipino lawyer and politician, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from th ...
. This ironically cost the party dearly, losing for it the elections of 1992.


1992 elections

Liberal and the PDP–Laban formed a coalition named Koalisyong Pambansa, it also supported the candidacy of Salonga, as president and Nene Pimentel as vice president for the 1992. But both of them lost to Aquino's preferred candidate and Defense Secretary
Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR, 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 officer to reached ...
, and Senator Joseph Estrada.


1995 elections

Liberal won 5 seats in the House elections, but the party did not have any senatorial candidate.


1998 elections: Alfredo Lim

In
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, Liberal fielded Manila Mayor
Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician, police officer and lawyer who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007, He also served as the 20th Mayor of ...
as their presidential candidate, with Serge Osmeña as his running mate. Serge Osmeña is the son of the party's former presidential nominee. The two is supported by former president Corazon Aquino. But the tandem lost to Vice President Joseph Estrada and Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, daughter of their 1961 presidential nominee respectively.


EDSA Dos

In 2000, it was in opposition to the Estrada administration, actively supporting the Resign-Impeach-Oust initiatives that led to People Power II.


2001: People Power Coalition

After Estrada being kicked out of the Presidency, Liberal joined the administration's People Power Coalition for the 2001 elections, with former Quezon City councilor Kiko Pangilinan and former Senator Bobby Tañada as the party's senatorial candidate. Among the two, Pangilinan only managed to win, placing 8th with 10,971,896 votes.


2004: K-4 and Rise of Mar Roxas

For the 2004 elections, Liberal joined the K-4 coalition of President Arroyo, with former Congressman and Gerry Roxas' son Mar and Senator Rodolfo Biazon are the candidates of the Liberal. Both of them won, with Roxas placed 2nd, while Biazon placed 12th. Biazon's victory was protested by 13th placer Senator Robert Barbers (who is also a K-4 member), but the case filed by Barbers later dismissed.


2007 elections: GO and Noynoy

After the revelation that Arroyo cheated in the presidential elections, many Liberal members who are part of the cabinet of Arroyo resigned in 2005, thus joining the opposition. For the 2007 elections, Liberal fielded a candidate, the son of Ninoy and Cory, Tarlac Congressman Noynoy Aquino. Kiko Pangilinan also ran for re-election in senate, but as an independent and still under Liberal. Aquino managed to win the senate elections, placing 6th and Pangilinan placed 5th.


Drilon-Roxas wing vs Atienza wing

On March 2, 1998, some Liberal members installed Manila Mayor Lito Atienza as the party president, which triggered an LP leadership struggle and party schism. Liberal met on November 27, 2007, to decide who would succeed Franklin Drilon as the party president and to hold an election for his replacement. Both Noynoy Aquino and his Senate colleague Mar Roxas received nominations, but Aquino emerged victorious as the party's president, while Roxas is set to be the presidential nominee. The former chairman and head of the "Atienza faction" or "Pro-Arroyo faction," DENR secretary Lito Atienza, congratulated him, but he later condemned the election and referred to Drilon and his supporters as a "merry cabal of destabilizers". He added that the other group had disregarded the Supreme Court's injunction to maintain the status quo. Later, Supreme Court recognized the Drilon Wing as the sole legitimate wing of the Liberal.


2010: Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III administration

Liberal regained influence when it nominated as its next presidential candidate then-Senator Benigno Aquino III, the son of former President
Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...
, for the 2010 Philippine presidential election after the latter's death that subsequently showed a groundswell of support for his candidacy. Even though the party had earlier nominated Mar Roxas to be its presidential candidate for the
2010 Philippine general election Elections for all positions in the Philippines above the barangay (except for Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional level) were held on May 10, 2010. The elected president is Benigno Aquino III, the 15th President of the Philippines, s ...
, Roxas gave way to Aquino and instead ran for vice president. The party was able to field new members breaking away from the then-ruling party Lakas–Kampi–CMD, becoming the largest minority party in Congress. Aquino would later win by plurality, and Liberal would become the majority party in Congress. But, some incidents like the appointment of party president Jun Abaya and mismanagement of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) cost the party's next presidential elections.


2016 elections: Oras Na, Roxas Na!

In the 2016 presidential elections, the Liberal nominated Mar Roxas, former Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) and
Department of the Interior and Local Government The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards ...
(DILG) secretary, and Leni Robredo, a representative from Naga City and widow of Jesse Robredo, the DILG secretary who preceded Roxas, as the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates. Roxas defeated by former member
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
of PDP–Laban, but Robredo managed to win. Most of the party's members either switched allegiance to PDP–Laban, joined a supermajority alliance but retained their Liberal membership (with some defecting later), joined the "recognized minority", or created an opposition bloc called "Magnificent 7".


Post-2016 elections

After its loss in the 2016 elections, as early as February 2017, the leaders of the Liberal chose to focus on rebuilding the party by inviting sectoral representation of non-politicians in its membership numbers. Since then the party had been inducting new members who were non-politicians, some of whom applied online through the party's website.


2019 elections: Otso Diretso

Before the scheduled 2019 general elections, the Liberal formed Otso Diretso, an electoral coalition of eight candidates for the senate race; led by the party, the coalition field also comprised members of the Magdalo, Akbayan, and Aksyon. None of the eight senatorial candidates under Otso Diretso won a seat, however; it was the first time in the history of the current
bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate Deliberative assembly, assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate ...
composition of the Philippine Congress under the 1987 Constitution that the opposition failed to win a seat in one of the chambers, and the second time that a Liberal-led coalition suffered a great loss since 1955.


2022: Leni Robredo's presidential campaign

For the 2022 Philippine presidential election, the Liberal nominated Leni Robredo and
Francis Pangilinan Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 a ...
for the presidential and vice presidential posts, respectively. The party led the Team Robredo–Pangilinan alliance, which included incumbent senator De Lima, other members of the Liberal, and several guest candidates from other parties such as Akbayan, as well as independents. Robredo ran as an independent candidate whilst remaining affiliated with Liberal. Both candidates lost the election to
Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...
and Sara Duterte, respectively, finishing second. While some candidates from the Liberal-led alliance were elected, no candidate from the party won a seat in the senatorial elections, for the first time since the 1995 elections.


2025: KiBam and Mamamayang Liberal

In 2024, some Liberal led by De Lima formed a sectoral wing called Mamamayang Liberal (ML) for the 2025 House of Representatives elections for party-list seats. De Lima, who was released from detainment in November 2023, was selected as ML's first nominee. Former senator and vice presidential candidate Kiko Pangilinan will be the Liberal's sole candidate for the senatorial elections. Pangilinan and Liberal will form a coalition with Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino to form a coalition duo with Bam Aquino for the 2025 senate election. The duo won the senate race and entered in the magic 12 as Aquino ranked 2nd and Pangilinan ranked 5th, resulting that they will returning in the senate chamber. Also the Mamamayang Liberal won the party-list race garnering with 500,000+ votes and have 1 seat, which will be representing by De Lima.


Ideology

While the Liberal Party defines its ideology as
social liberalism Social liberalism is a political philosophy and variety of liberalism that endorses social justice, social services, a mixed economy, and the expansion of civil and political rights, as opposed to classical liberalism which favors limited g ...
, the party has often been described as a " centrist" or " liberal" party. Historically, the Liberal Party has been evaluated as a "
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
" party, with an ideology similar to or indistinguishable from the Nacionalista Party's ideology, until it became the opposition party under the Marcos dictatorship, wherein it became more liberal. Being a founding member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and a full member of
Liberal International Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberalism, liberal political parties. The political international was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal and progressive democratic parties aim ...
, the Liberal Party advocates the values of "
freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
,
justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
and
solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
('' bayanihan'')," as described in the party's values charter. Although this may be deemed theoretically true since the party's founding in 1946, it became more tangible through the party's position of continuing dissent during the Marcos dictatorship. Since 2017, the party has opened party membership to the general public and to key sectors of society, aiming to harness a large
volunteering Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...
base. According to the party, this aims to ostensibly build on "the promise of becoming a true people's party".


Symbols

The Liberal Party is associated with the color
yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
, a political color commonly associated with
liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
. During the People Power Revolution, opposition parties against the Marcos dictatorship, including the Liberal, used yellow ribbons as a symbol of resistance and support for Ninoy Aquino, one of the leading politicians against the regime. The color would later be co-opted by his son, Benigno Aquino III, as well as the Liberal, for his presidential campaign in 2010, which he later won. After his presidency, yellow continued to be associated with the party, which became the leading opposition party against the presidency of their former member Rodrigo Duterte. The
pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...
term '' dilawan'' (), associated with the liberal elite, has been used against the party and other critics of the Duterte administration. In an effort to distance herself from the negative connotations of the color and unite various opposition groups, then party chair Leni Robredo adopted the color
pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
for her presidential campaign. Both pink and yellow are currently used by the party.


Current political positions

The party has declared policies geared toward inclusiveness and people empowerment. It also advocates and supports secure jobs,
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
, shelter,
universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized a ...
, public education access, and other
social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...
, and is against extrajudicial killings, any challenge to the
rule of law The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
, and curtailments of
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
strictures. The party also aims to form an open government with
participatory democracy Participatory democracy, participant democracy, participative democracy, or semi-direct democracy is a form of government in which Citizenship, citizens participate individually and directly in political decisions and policies that affect their ...
, positions that have been supported by the party's recent leaders.


Economic policy

* Improve
social safety net A social safety net (SSN) consists of non-contributory assistance existing to improve lives of vulnerable families and individuals experiencing poverty and destitution. Examples of SSNs are previously-contributory social pensions, in-kind and foo ...
s. * Impose 1%
wealth tax A wealth tax (also called a capital tax or equity tax) is a tax on an entity's holdings of assets or an entity's net worth. This includes the total value of personal assets, including cash, bank deposits, real estate, assets in insurance and ...
on individuals with net value
asset In financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value of ownership that can b ...
s exceeding
The Philippine peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol used for the Philippine peso, the official currency of the Philippines. The symbol resembles a Latin script, Latin letter P with two horizontal strokes. It differs from the currency symbol u ...
1 billion. * Create
tax exemption Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...
s for selected products. * Maximize the budget windfall of
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
s for antipoverty projects. * Increase
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
s. * Declare and address an "education crisis", increase the education budget to 6% of GDP, streamline
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
s' function, and establish
special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
(SPED) centers in all public schools. * Develop an inter-sectoral approach and convergence of roles for the attainment of a functioning
universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized a ...
, provide due fixed allowances and statutory benefits to barangay health workers, and fix the corruption in PhilHealth. * Prioritize
infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...
for spurring
rural development Rural development is the process of improving the quality of life, quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Often, rural regions have experienced rural povert ...
, transportation, water resource management, and
climate resilience Climate resilience is a concept to describe how well people or ecosystems are prepared to bounce back from certain climate hazard events. The formal definition of the term is the "capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardou ...
, funded through public-private partnerships rather than loans. * Upgrade
science and technology Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...
research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...
funding and promote
data-driven Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous value (semiotics), values that convey information, describing the quantity, qualitative property, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols t ...
agriculture. * Invest in subsidies to promote renewable energy and implement better
waste disposal Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final Waste disposal, disposal. This includes the Waste collection, collection, transport, Sewage treatment, treatm ...
to mitigate sea pollution. * Prioritize a
job guarantee A job guarantee is an economic policy proposal that aims to create full employment and price stability by having the state promise to hire unemployed workers as an employer of last resort (ELR). It aims to provide a sustainable solution to inf ...
program and expand coverage of the SSS and Pag-Ibig. * Promote financial literacy. * Offer voucher programs for access to private colleges and universities. * Enact a law calling for equal participation of women in the economy and in decision-making positions, both in
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
and private organizations. * Addressing systemic corruption in government.


Social

* Cleaner air and
water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
and sustainable arable land as well as extensive programs against climate change.


Legal issues

Senator Leila de Lima, who led an investigation into alleged extrajudicial deaths in the early months of Duterte's war on drugs, was issued an arrest warrant in 2017 based on charges linked to the New Bilibid Prison drug trafficking scandal, which the party claimed was based on trumped-up charges, labelling the arrest "patently illegal". While on the whole, de Lima's investigation was seen by some pundits as an adversarial investigation that was a strategic mistake, others in the party simply saw it as a call to a review of the party's principles and how members have adhered to them. Senator De Lima has been fully acquitted of all criminal charges on June 24, 2024, marking the end of her legal battle and detention that lasted over six years. De Lima, a prominent critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, described the charges as politically motivated to silence her investigations into Duterte's controversial drug war and alleged human rights abuses. In 2019, the party, along with other groups, was accused of planning a coup against the Duterte government. The party denounced the allegation and called it a state-sponsored threat of
legal abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...
, demanding the government provide evidence to back the claims.


Liberal presidents

As of 2024, there have been a total of 4 Liberal presidents. Those who won presidency under other parties are not included.


Notes


Party leadership


Current party officials

*President: Vacant *Vice President: Erin Tañada, former Quezon's 4th district representative (2022–present) *Chairperson:
Francis Pangilinan Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who is a Senate of the Philippines, senator-elect of the Philippines. He previously served as senator from 2001 to 2013 a ...
, former
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
(2022–present) *Vice Chairperson: Kit Belmonte, former Quezon City's 6th district representative (2022–present) *Secretary-General: Teddy Baguilat, former Ifugao's lone district representative (2022–present) *Treasurer: Alfonso Umali Jr., Oriental Mindoro's 2nd district representative (2022–present) *Spokesperson: Leila de Lima, former
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
(2023–present)


Party presidents


Electoral performance


Presidential elections


Vice presidential elections


Legislative elections


1946–1972


= Senate

=


House of Representatives (1946–1972)


Batasang Pambansa


1987–present


Notes


Notable Liberals


Philippine presidents

* Manuel Roxas (5th President of the Philippines; one of the co-founders) *
Elpidio Quirino Elpidio Rivera Quirino (; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was a Philippine nationality law, Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 6th President of the Philippines from 1948 to 1953. A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered p ...
(6th President of the Philippines) – also the 2nd Vice President of the Philippines * Ramon Magsaysay (7th President of the Philippines) – Magsaysay won in 1953 as the Candidate of the Nacionalista, although he was former Liberal member and in fact he served as President Quirino's Secretary of Department of National Defense. * Diosdado Macapagal (9th President of the Philippines) * Ferdinand Marcos Sr. (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 joined after failing to get the LP nomination. * Joseph Estrada (13th President of the Philippines) – A member of the Liberal Party when he was a senator from 1987 to 1991. * Benigno Aquino III (15th President of the Philippines) *
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
(16th President of the Philippines) – A former party chair of
Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...
chapter from 2009, Duterte left the party in 2015. He won the presidency in 2016 under the PDP–Laban ticket.


Philippine vice presidents

* Fernando Lopez (3rd and 7th vice president of the Philippines) – Lopez was a Liberal when he was the 3rd Vice President, while a Nacionalista member as the 7th Vice President * Emmanuel Pelaez (6th vice president of the Philippines) * Leni Robredo (14th vice president of the Philippines)


Others

* List of Liberal Party (Philippines) members


References


External links

* {{Authority control
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
Liberal parties in the Philippines Social liberal parties Political parties established in 1946