Liberal Party (Philippines)


The Liberal Party of the Philippines, abbreviated as the LP, is a liberal political party in the Philippines.
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 regime of Ferdinand Marcos, the party reemerged as a major political party after Marcos's overthrow in 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. The party 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 Nacionalista candidate Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
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. A center-left party on social issues and centrist on economic issues, it is commonly associated with the post-revolution, liberal-democratic status quo of the Philippines in contrast to authoritarianism, neoconservatism, and populism. 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

1946–1972: Third Republic

The Liberal Party was founded on January 19, 1946 by Manuel Roxas, the first President of the Third Philippine Republic. It was formed by Roxas from what was once the "Liberal Wing" of the Nacionalista Party. Two more Presidents of the Philippines elected into office came from the LP: Elpidio Quirino and Diosdado Macapagal. 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.

1972–1986: 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. Not even Marcos' declaration of martial law silenced the LP, and the party continued to fight the dictatorship despite the costs. Many of its leaders and members would be prosecuted and even killed during this time.

1986–2010: Post-EDSA

The LP was instrumental in ending more than half a century of US military presence in the Philippines with its campaign in the Philippine Senate of 1991 to reject a new RP-US Bases Treaty. This ironically cost the party dearly, losing for it the elections of 1992. In 2000, it stood against the corruption of the Joseph Estrada government, actively supporting the Resign-Impeach-Oust initiatives that led to People Power II.
In 2006, the Philippines' ruling political party, Lakas-CMD, with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo serving as its supremo, was influential in "hijacking" the Liberal Party by way of overthrowing the party presidency of Sen. Franklin Drilon at a rump party meeting at the Manila Hotel. With the marching orders and blessing of Lakas, LP members sympathetic to the Arroyo government used the meeting on March 2 to install Manila Mayor Lito Atienza as the party president, thus triggering an LP leadership struggle and party schism. Days later, the Supreme Court proclaimed Drilon the true president of the party, leaving the Atienza wing expelled.

2010–2016: The Benigno Aquino III administration

The Liberal Party regained influence in 2010 when it nominated as its next presidential candidate then-Senator Benigno Aquino III, the son of former President Corazon Aquino, after the latter's death that subsequently showed a massive outpouring of sympathy for the Aquino family. 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. During the fierce campaign battle that followed, 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.

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. The latter won and the former lost. Most of their members either switched allegiance to PDP-Laban, joined a supermajority alliance but retained LP membership, joined 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. 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. Before the scheduled 2019 general elections, the LP formed the Oposisyon Koalisyon, 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. The coalition hopes to drive a new political culture based on political leaders practicing "makiking, matuto, kumilos", each candidate emphasizing the need for government to listen to its citizens. As part of the Liberal Party's efforts to instill this new political culture, it launched Project Makining in October 2018, a modern, nationwide listening campaign using technology and driven by volunteers.

Ideology

The party currently adopts liberalism as its main ideology. According to its values charter, the self-described values of the party are "freedom, justice and solidarity."
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, until the term of Ferdinand Marcos, where it became more liberal.

Current party officials

Electoral performance

President

Vice president

Senate

*in coalition with PDP-Laban

House of Representatives

*does not include candidates who ran as under a Liberal Party ticket along with another party.

Philippine presidents