LakasâÂÂChristian Muslim Democrats (), shortened as LakasâÂÂCMD, with being abbreviated and popularly known as Lakas, was a political party in the Philippines. Its ideology and that of its successor is heavily influenced by Christian and Islamic democracy. The party's influence on Philippine society is very strong, especially after the People Power Revolution, which has led the country to elect two presidents from the party, namely Fidel V. Ramos, a United Methodist, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a Roman Catholic.
In May 2009, LakasâÂÂCMD merged with Arroyo's Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, thereby being known as Lakas Kampi CMD, a completely new entity. In May 2012, Lakas Kampi CMD renamed itself again as LakasâÂÂCMD after the separation of KAMPI.
In November 1991, former National Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos joined the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) in order to gain its support for his 1992 presidential bid. LDP was held to nominate the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates for 1992. After losing the presidential nomination to LDP co-founder and House Speaker Ramon Mitra, Ramos bolted the said party and organized the United People Power Movement (UPPM) with then Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia Jr., an LDP member. The new organization was officially named Partido Lakas ng Tao (or Lakas ng EDSA) and formally launched on January 3, 1992, at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan. The name origin of the party is to campaign that Ramos is a hero of the 1986 EDSA People Power, and being an anti to the trapo (traditional politician).
Upon de Venecia's initiative, Ramos merged Lakas ng Tao with the National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD), a cluster of the defunct Progressive Party led by former Senator Raul Manglapus, to form LakasâÂÂNational Union of Christian Democrats (LakasâÂÂNUCD). Some of LDP members were raided by Ramos and De Venecia to join their newly-formed party, which LDP co-founder Peping Cojuangco criticized.
Ramos invited Cebu Governor Lito Osmeña to serve as his running-mate. Ramos won the presidential election, defeating former Agrarian Reform Secretary Miriam Defensor Santiago of the People's Reform Party (PRP), Mitra and four other presidential candidates. On the other hand, Osmeña lost the vice presidential race to Senator Joseph Estrada of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC). Osmeña later appointed as Ramos' economic adviser.
But since he got a low plurality in the election, de Venecia created the Rainbow Coalition and converged Lakas, Mitra's LDP, Cojuangco's NPC and other national parties.
In 1995, LakasâÂÂNUCD formed an alliance with LDP, then known as Laban for the 1995 legislative elections. This coalition, called the LakasâÂÂLaban Coalition, won a majority in both houses of Congress. The coalition later folded after disputes with Laban led by its Senate Leader Edgardo Angara, who also served as Senate President.
In 1997, LakasâÂÂNUCD was joined by the United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (UMDP) of former Ambassador Sanchez Ali, thereby changing the party's name to LakasâÂÂNational Union of Christian DemocratsâÂÂUnited Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (LakasâÂÂNUCDâÂÂUMDP). In November that year, Lakas held a national convention to select its nominees for the 1998 national elections. The long list of contenders for the presidential nomination had been abridged into a close fight between Ramos' two leading political lieutenants, House Speaker de Venecia and former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa, with Bulacan Governor Roberto Pagdanganan, Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, Economic Adviser Lito Osmeña, Lakas Senator and Santiago's former running mate Ramon Magsaysay Jr., and PCSO Chair Manuel Morato also contested in the nomination process. After rounds of secret balloting, de Venecia won the nomination and was officially proclaimed as the Lakas presidential nominee for the 1998 election.
After losing the nomination, de Villa bolted Lakas and formed the Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma with Pangasinan Governor Oscar Orbos as his running mate for vice president. Lito Osmeña, who also lost the presidential nomination, launched his presidential bid under the Probinsya Muna Development Initiative (PROMDI) with Ismael Sueno as his running mate. Meanwhile, Lakas nominated then Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as its candidate for vice president. Arroyo had originally intended to run for president under her party, Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (KAMPI). Pagdanganan joined the Lakas senatorial slate.
De Venecia lost the presidential election to Vice President Joseph Estrada of Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino by a significant plurality. Arroyo won the vice presidency in the same manner as Estrada, defeating Estrada's running mate, Senator Edgardo Angara. Arroyo emerged victorious in the vice presidential race while KAMPI was in hiatus.
In early 2004, the party's name was changed into the current LakasâÂÂChristian Muslim Democrats (LakasâÂÂCMD). However, the meaning of Lakas in the party name was now referred to as "Lakas ng EDSA" ("The Strength of EDSA") from the original "Lakas ng Tao" ("People Power"). This was also the name that the party used when it participated in the 2004 Philippine general election as the leading member of the K4 Coalition.
By 2003, Arroyo stated that she will not run for a full term. Because of her statements, Senators Jun Magsaysay, Dr. Juan Flavier, and Loren Legarda declared their intention to get the Lakas presidential nomination. But only Magsaysay and Flavier are those party members who is contenders are willing to give way if Arroyo retracted her statement and run for presidential elections. Flavier also said that if Legarda campaign for presidential nomination, he will withdraw. Legarda that time finds her potential running mate with the likes of Raul Roco, and President Arroyo.
Legarda and Vice President Tito Guingona later leave Lakas to join the opposition, with Legarda as the vice presidential candidate.
President Arroyo was the K4 candidate for president in the 2004 Philippine presidential election, eventually winning over actor Fernando Poe Jr. and Senator Panfilo Lacson.
After Arroyo's victory, she received electoral protest from Poe and his camp. In the protest, his running-mate, Senator Noli de Castro also included which filed by former Senator Loren Legarda. The poll protests were later thrown out by the Supreme Court acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). Later, the controversy arose with Arroyo's controversial call to Garci in 2004.
At the onset of 2006, Lakas was torn by factional rivalry between supporters of President Arroyo and supporters of former President Fidel V. Ramos. Issues include transitory provisions in a proposed Constitution to scrap the 2007 midterm elections ("no-el") and calls for her to step down in time for the elections. The party held its Annual Party Directorate Meeting in January 2006 to discuss these matters.
There are no official results available of the 2007 elections released by LakasâÂÂCMD but according to the House of Representatives, the party held 79 out of 235 seats.
On January 16, 2008, LakasâÂÂCMD spokesman and legal counsel Raul Lambino stated that Lakas officially released the list of senatorial bets for 2010. Except for Parañaque Representative Eduardo Zialcita, they were not yet identified. However, Lambino named incumbent Senators Bong Revilla and Lito Lapid, former senator Ralph Recto and former Congressman Prospero Pichay as among those considered.
De Venecia's resignation
Jose de Venecia resigned his post as president of Lakas on March 10, 2008, and rejected the proposition of Ramos to give him the title of chairman emeritus. House Speaker Prospero Nograles and former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. were sworn as party president and vice president for Metro Manila affairs on the same day, respectively.
On June 18, 2008, President Gloria Arroyo confirmed the historical merger of the LakasâÂÂCMD and the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) parties. Both parties adopted the "equity of the incumbent" principle, as the merger will account for almost 200 national and 8,000 local officials, amid Arroyo's prediction of victory in the 2010 elections. Nograles and KAMPI Chairman Ronaldo Puno signed the covenant at the regional caucus held in Davao City. Ramos, the party chairman-emeritus, announced on February 6, 2008, that LakasâÂÂCMD would be the surviving entity after its merger with KAMPI.
On August 9, 2009, de Venecia and Ramos led fifty members from the LakasâÂÂKampiâÂÂCMD in objecting to its merger with KAMPI. The faction elected de Venecia as president and Ramos as chairman emeritus. However, Ramos later refused the offer of being named in the interim party organization. De Venecia has filed a resolution at the Commission on Elections to declare the merger null and void. However, the Supreme 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 the Commission on Elections in rendering the challenged resolution."
Lakas has always focused on economic growth and development, stronger ties with the United States, creation of jobs, and strong cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government. It is known for its advocacy of a shift from the present presidential system to a parliamentary form of government through constitutional amendments and through establishing peace talks with Muslim separatists and communist rebels. The party democracy is distinct in its ecumenical inclusion of Muslim leaders in its political alliance.
With being associated with Corazon Aquino's presidency, party founder and Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos used yellow as Lakas' party color and campaign color in 1992, especially when Ramos and his running-mate was endorsed by Aquino (who used yellow in her 1986 campaign). Ramos also emphasized the party's name Lakas (English translation to People Power), that he is a hero of the 1986 revolution.
But when Gloria Mapacagal Arroyo assumed presidency, the color of Lakas is associated with her campaign color, which is powder blue.
Lakas put up a full senatorial slate during the May 11, 1998, national elections, as it propels the machinery of its candidates House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency and vice presidency respectively against the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino (Struggle of Patriotic Filipino Masses) coalition of the opposition led by Vice President Joseph Estrada and Senator Edgardo Angara.
Lakas-NUCD-UMDP gained 5 out of 12 possible seats in the Senate namely: (in order of votes received)
LakasâÂÂCMD had coalesced with other parties in the past elections, enabling it to strengthen its political power both in the national and local levels: