Liberal Party (Philippines)

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

Liberal Party
Partido Liberal
AbbreviationLP
PresidentFrancis Pangilinan
ChairmanLeni Robredo
Secretary-GeneralJose Christopher "Kit" Belmonte
FounderManuel Roxas
Elpidio Quirino
FoundedJanuary 19, 1946 (1946-01-19)
Split fromNacionalista Party
HeadquartersBalay Expo Centro, Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Think tankCenter for Liberalism and Democracy[1]
Youth wingLiberal Youth (LY)
Ideology
Political position
Regional affiliationCouncil of Asian Liberals and Democrats
International affiliationLiberal International
Colors  Yellow,   red,   blue
  Buff (customary)
SloganBago. Bukas. Liberal. (since 2020)[6]
Seats in the Senate
3 / 24
Seats in the House of Representatives
12 / 304
Provincial governorships
2 / 81
Provincial vice governorships
5 / 81
Provincial board members
54 / 1,023
Website
liberal.ph

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

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

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

History
The Liberal Party logo during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal from 1961 to 1965.
The Liberal Party logo from 1971 to 2010 and again from 2016 to 2021.
The Liberal Party logo during the term of President Noynoy Aquino from 2010 to 2016.

Founding

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

Martial law era

During the days leading to his declaration of martial law, Marcos would find his old party as a potent roadblock to his quest for one-man rule. Led by Ninoy Aquino, Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, the LP would hound President Marcos on issues like human rights and the curtailment of freedoms. Even after Marcos' declaration of martial law silenced the LP, the party continued to oppose the regime, and many of its leaders and members would be prosecuted and even killed during this time.[2][9]

Post-EDSA

After democracy was restored after the People Power Revolution, the LP 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. This ironically cost the party dearly, losing for it the elections of 1992. In 2000, it was in opposition of the Joseph Estrada administration, actively supporting the Resign-Impeach-Oust initiatives that led to People Power II.[2][9]

On March 2, members of the LP installed Manila Mayor Lito Atienza as the party president, which triggered an LP leadership struggle and party schism. The Supreme Court later proclaimed Drilon the true president of the party, leaving the Atienza wing expelled.[9][2]

The Benigno Aquino III administration

The Liberal Party regained influence when it nominated as its next presidential candidate then-Senator Benigno Aquino III,[9] the son of former President Corazon Aquino, for the 2010 Philippine presidential election after the latter's death that subsequently showed a groundswell of support for his candidacy.[13] Even though the party had earlier nominated Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II to be its presidential candidate for the 2010 Philippine general election, Roxas gave way to Aquino and instead ran for vice president. The party was able to field new members breaking away from the then-ruling party Lakas–Kampi–CMD to become the largest minority party in Congress.[2][9][14] Aquino would later win by plurality, and the LP would become the majority party in Congress.[15]

2016–present

In 2016 presidential elections, Liberal Party nominated Mar Roxas, former DOTC and DILG secretary and Leni Robredo, a representative from Naga City and widow of former DILG secretary Jessie Robredo. Leni Robredo won, while Mar Roxas lost. Most of their members either switched allegiance to PDP–Laban,[16][17][18] joined a supermajority alliance but retained LP membership (with some defecting later), joined the minority, or created an opposition bloc called "Magnificent 7".

As early as February 2017, the leaders of the Liberal Party chose to focus on rebuilding the party by inviting sectoral membership of non-politicians.[19] The party has been inducting new members who are non-politicians since then, some of whom applied online through the party's website, Liberal.ph.[20][21][22] Before the scheduled 2019 general elections, the LP formed Otso Diretso an electoral coalition led by the party that also comprises members of the Magdalo Party-List, Akbayan Citizens Action Party, and Aksyon Demokratiko along with independent candidates, and fielded eight candidates for the senate race.[23][24][25] None of the eight senatorial candidates under Otso Diretso won a seat. It was the first time in the history of the current bicameral 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 Party-led coalition suffered a great loss since 1955.

For the 2022 Philippine presidential election, the Liberal Party nominated Leni Robredo and Francis Pangilinan for the presidential and vice presidential posts, respectively.[26][27]

Ideology

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

LP is often simply referred to as "centrist" or "liberal" in the media, but the party has officially put forward "social liberal".[31] However, LP has historically been evaluated as a "conservative" party, so there is controversy over whether it is a "social liberal" party.[32][33] According to its values charter, the self-described values of the party are "freedom, justice and solidarity (bayanihan)."[34][35]

Current party officials

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

Electoral performance

President
Election Candidate Number of votes Share of votes Outcome of election
1946 Manuel Roxas 1,333,392 54.94% Won
1949 Elpidio Quirino (Quirino wing) 1,803,808 50.93% Won
1949 José Avelino (Avelino wing) 419,890 11.85% Lost
1953 Elpidio Quirino 1,313,991 31.08% Lost
1957 José Yulo 1,386,829 27.62% Lost
1961 Diosdado Macapagal 3,554,840 55.00% Won
1965 Diosdado Macapagal 3,187,752 42.88% Lost
1969 Sergio Osmeña Jr. 3,143,122 38.51% Lost
1981 Boycotted
1986 Supported Corazon Aquino who became president
1992 Jovito Salonga 2,302,123 10.16% Lost
1998 Alfredo Lim 2,344,362 8.71% Lost
2004 Supported Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who won
2010 Benigno Aquino III 15,208,678 42.08% Won
2016 Mar Roxas 9,978,175 23.45% Lost
2022 Leni Robredo[lower-alpha 1] Election will be on May 9, 2022
Notes
  1. Leni Robredo will run as an independent candidate in coalition with the LP, but is still the chairperson of the party.[38]

Vice president
Election Candidate Number of votes Share of votes Outcome of election
1946 Elpidio Quirino 1,161,725 52.36% Won
1949 Fernando Lopez (Quirino wing) 1,341,284 52.19% Won
1949 Vicente J. Francisco (Avelino wing) 44,510 1.73% Lost
1953 José Yulo 1,483,802 37.10% Lost
1957 Diosdado Macapagal 2,189,197 46.55% Won
1961 Emmanuel Pelaez 2,394,400 37.57% Won
1965 Gerardo Roxas 3,504,826 48.12% Lost
1969 Genaro Magsaysay 2,968,526 37.54% Lost
1986 Eva Estrada-Kalaw (Kalaw wing) 662,185 3.31% Lost; main wing supported Salvador Laurel who became vice president
1992 Supported Aquilino Pimentel Jr. who lost
1998 Sergio Osmeña III 2,351,462 9.20% Lost
2004 Supported Noli de Castro who won
2010 Mar Roxas 13,918,490 39.58% Lost
2016 Leni Robredo 14,418,817 35.11% Won
2022 Francis Pangilinan Election will be on May 9, 2022

Senate
Election Number of votes Share of votes Seats won Seats after Outcome of election
1946 8,626,965 47.7%
8 / 16
9 / 24
 Led the majority bloc
1947 12,241,929 54.5%
7 / 8
15 / 24
 Won
1949 12,782,449 52.5%
7 / 8
18 / 24
 Won
1951 8,764,190 39.9%
0 / 9
12 / 24
 Won
1953 8,861,244 36.0%
0 / 8
7 / 24
 Lost
1955 7,395,988 28.9%
0 / 9
0 / 24
 Lost
1957 8,934,218 31.8%
2 / 8
2 / 24
 Lost
1959 10,850,799 31.7%
2 / 8
4 / 24
 Lost
1961 14,988,931 37.9%
4 / 8
8 / 24
 Lost
1963 22,794,310 49.8%
4 / 8
10 / 24
 Led the majority bloc
1965 23,158,197 46.9%
2 / 8
10 / 24
 Led the minority bloc
1967 18,127,926 37.1%
1 / 8
7 / 24
 Lost
1969 21,060,474 39.1%
2 / 8
5 / 24
 Lost
1971 33,469,677 57.4%
5 / 8
8 / 24
 Lost
1987 Won under the LABAN coalition
1992[lower-alpha 1] 19,158,013 6.9%
1 / 24
1 / 24
 Lost
1995 Did not participate
1998 5,429,123 2.6%
0 / 12
0 / 24
 Lost
2001 19,131,732 7.9%
1 / 13
1 / 24
 Joined the majority bloc
2004 30,008,158 12.0%
2 / 12
4 / 24
 Led the majority bloc
2007 28,843,415 10.7%
2 / 12
4 / 24
 Joined the majority bloc
2010 78,227,817 26.34%
3 / 12
4 / 24
 Joined the majority bloc
2013 33,369,204 11.32%
1 / 12
4 / 24
 Joined the majority bloc
2016 100,512,795 31.30%
5 / 12
6 / 24
 Split into majority and minority blocs[39]
2019 43,273,583 11.97%
0 / 12
3 / 24
 Led the minority bloc
2022
0 / 12
0 / 24
 Election is on May 9
  1. In coalition with PDP–Laban as Koalisyong Pambansa

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

7 / 226
 Joined the majority bloc
1998[lower-alpha 1] 1,773,124 7.3%
15 / 257
 Joined the minority bloc
2001
19 / 256
 Joined the majority bloc
2004
29 / 261
 Joined the majority bloc
2007
23 / 271
 Joined the majority bloc
2010 6,802,227 19.93%
47 / 286
 Led the majority bloc
2013 10,557,265 38.27%
111 / 293
 Led the majority bloc
2016 15,552,401 41.72%
115 / 297
 Split into majority and minority blocs
2019 2,321,759 5.78%
18 / 304
 Joined the minority bloc
2022
0 / 316
 Election is on May 9
  1. Does not include candidates who ran as under a Liberal Party ticket along with another party.
  2. In coalition with PDP–Laban
  3. Bottom figure is for candidates who ran as under a Liberal Party ticket along with another party.

Notable members

Philippine presidents

Others

Coalition

References
  1. "Home - CLD". Cld.ph. January 31, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  2. Dayley, Robert (2016). Southeast Asia In The New International Era. ISBN 9780813350110. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. Hutchcroft, P. (2016). Mindanao: The Long Journey to Peace and Prosperity Mandaluyong, Philippines: Anvil Publishing, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  4. Timberman, David G. (September 16, 2016). A Changeless Land: Continuity and Change in Philippine Politics. Routledge. p. 237. ISBN 9781315487151. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  5. Macaraeg, Pauline (January 27, 2019). "Liberal Party is center to center-left". Esquire. Philippines. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  6. In the Filipino language, bago means "new", while bukas means either "tomorrow" (if used as a noun) or "open" (if used as either an adjective or a verb). Liberal has no equivalent in the Filipino language.
  7. "Frequently Asked Questions on joining Partido Liberal – Liberal Party of the Philippines". Liberal Party of the Philippines. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  8. "Duterte, Robredo win in final, official tally". Jovan Cerda. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  9. "'Melted?' Liberal Party meets for 71st anniversary". Rappler. January 21, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  10. Molina, Antonio. The Philippines: Through the centuries. Manila: University of Sto. Tomas Cooperative, 1961. Print.
  11. "Common Man's President". Time. November 24, 1961. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
  12. "Ramon Magsaysay." Microsoft Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.
  13. "Candidate Profiles: Benigno Simeon 'Noynoy' Cojuangco Aquino III". The-diplomat.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  14. "Aquino backs interior minister Roxas to be next president". The Straits Times. August 1, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  15. "Aquino promises justice as Philippines president - Yahoo! News". Archived from the original on June 15, 2010.
  16. "Key LP members jump ship to PDP–Laban". GMA News. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  17. "More LP lawmakers, local officials jump ship to admin party". CNN Philippines. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  18. Avendaño, Christine O. "LP disowns Agusan del Sur execs who jumped ship to PDP–Laban". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  19. "LP rebuilding to focus on non-politicians: Robredo". ABS-CBN News. February 9, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  20. "Robredo swears in new Liberal Party members in Negros Occidental". Rappler. June 15, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  21. "New blood: Liberal Party welcomes 'non-politicians' into fold". Rappler. November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  22. "Robredo administers oath to 67 new LP members from Negros Occidental". SunStar. June 15, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  23. "Forecasting the 2019 campaign". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  24. "Strengthen human rights awareness of Filipinos, say opposition bets". Rappler. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  25. "Benigno Aquino III, Leni Robredo endorse opposition Senate 12". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  26. Tan, Lara (October 7, 2021). "VP Robredo to run for president in 2022". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  27. Panti, Llanesca (October 7, 2021). "Kiko Pangilinan is Robredo's running-mate in Eleksyon 2022 —sources". GMA News Online. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  28. "The decline of Philippine political parties". BusinessWorld. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  29. Daniel B., Schimer (1987). The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship and Resistance. South End Press. pp. 150. ISBN 9780896082755.
  30. "What Is Liberalism, and Why Is It Such a Dirty Word?". Esquiremag.ph. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  31. Values Charter – Liberal Party of the Philippines
  32. Roger C. Thompson, ed. (2014). The Pacific Basin since 1945: An International History. Routledge. p. 36. ISBN 9781317875307. ... The investment parity provision aroused much Filipino opposition and was only accepted because of a narrow electoral victory in April 1946 by the conservative pro-American Liberal Party. Smear tactics and money power assisted this ...
  33. Jennifer Franco, ed. (2020). Elections and Democratization in the Philippines. Routledge. ISBN 9781136541919. ... the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party, were the exclusive domain of the Philippine elite and exhibited similarly conservative orientations in ...
  34. "LP Statement Archives – Liberal Party of the Philippines". Liberal Party of the Philippines. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  35. "Frequently Asked Questions on joining Partido Liberal – Liberal Party of the Philippines". Liberal Party of the Philippines. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  36. "Liberal Party holds 1st official meeting post-2016 elections". Rappler. August 10, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  37. "LP appoints Baguilat, Tañada to key party posts". Liberal Party of the Philippines. August 16, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  38. Ramos, Christia Marie (October 8, 2021). "Robredo says running as independent is 'symbolic way' of showing inclusivity". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  39. "It's final: LP completes 12-person Senate slate". Rappler. October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  40. "Archived copy". rappler.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  41. "Archived copy". rappler.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  42. "LOOK: Leni Robredo takes oath of office as Vice President of the Philippines". CNN Philippines. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
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