POLITICAL PARTIES

There many and diverse political parties in the Philippines. Most party
memberships consists primarily of political figures and leaders, with little or no
grassroots membership.
The Philippines has a multi-party system with numerous political parties, in
which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must
work with each other to form coalition government for political expediency and
convenience. Since no political parties have sustaining membership to which party
leaders are developed, most of the political parties have the rise-and-fall-and-rise
character.
There are three types of parties in the Philippines. These are: (a) major
parties, which typically correspond to traditional political parties; (b) minor parties
or party-list organizations, which rely on the Party list system to win Congressional
seats; and (c) regional or provincial parties, which correspond to region-wide or
province-wide organizations, respectively.

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES

The Communist Party of the Philippines (Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas)

is a leading communist party in the Philippines. It has been fighting a guerrilla war
against the state since the late 1960s. It remains an underground political
organization since its founding on December 26, 1968 and has been operating in
clandestine manner since its founding. It aims to overthrow the Philippine
government through armed revolution with its direct leadership over the New
Peoples Army and National Democratic Front.
History

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was reestablished on December 26,
1968, coinciding with the 75th birthday of Mao Zedong, the Chinese communist
leader of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).
Amado Guerrero, then a central committee member of Partido Komunista ng
Pilipinas or PKP-1930, lead the reestablishment of the party. Jose Maria Sison,
allegedly the man behind the nom de guerre Amado Guerrero, confirmed its birth
at Barangay Dulacac in the tri-boundary of Alaminos, Bani and Mabini in the
province of Pangasinan. This is where the CPP's "Congress of Reestablishment"
was held on December 26, 1968, at a hut near the house of the Navarettes, the
parents-in-law of Arthur Garcia, one of the CPP founders.
Jose Maria Sison is the central figure behind the CPP and its formation. According
to Party documents, in the 1960s, a massive leftist unrest called First Quarter
Storm occurred in the country to protest against the government policies, graft
and corruption and decline of the economy during the presidency of Ferdinand
Marcos. The unrest was also inspired by the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution., the Vietnam War and other revolutionary struggles abroad against
United States imperialist aggression. One of the leaders of this leftist movement
was Jose Maria Sison, a founder of Kabataang Makabayan. He was soon recruited
to be a member of Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930). During that time the

new PKP members, independently from the incumbent PKP members, were
conducting clandestine theoretical and political education on Marxism-Leninism,
with special attention dedicated to workers, peasants and youth. This would
eventually lead to a significant split between the PKP members. The new members
advocated to resume what they regarded as the unfinished armed revolution
against foreign and feudal domination, referring to the legacy and de facto
continuation of the Philippine American War of 1899, combat subjectivism and
opportunism in the history of the old merger party and fight modern revisionism
then being promoted by the Soviet Union. This ideology was the basis for the split
from the PKP-1930, the (re)creation of the CPP, and the subsequent "Congress of
Reestablishment."

IDEOLOGY
The Communist Party of the Philippines, Marxist-Leninist-Maoism (MLM), is a
revolutionary proletarian party that looks upon the legacies of past Philippine
rebellions and revolutions and of the theories of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels,
Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. It assists the progress of theory and practice in the
world Proletarian Revolution that is guided by Marxism-Leninsism-Maoism
(Preamble, Constitution of the Communist Party of the Philippines, 1968).

So long as it resolutely, militantly and thoroughly carries out its ideolo

Armando Liwanag, Chairman, Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines

Communist Party of the Philippines

Chairperson

Armando Liwanag

Founded

December 26, 1968

Preceded by

Partido Komunista ng
Pilipinas-1930

Military wing

New Peoples Army

Ideology

Marxism-Leninism-Maoism

Political
Position

Far-left

National
affiliation

National Democratic Front,

National Democracy
Movement, Bayan

International
affiliation

International Conference of
Marxist-Leninist Parties and
Organizations (International
Newsletter)

Colours

Red

NEW PEOPLES ARMY

The New People's Army (NPA) (Bagong Hukbong Bayan) is the armed wing
of the Communist Party of the Philipines (CPP) It was formed and founded by
Bernabe Buscayno A.K.A. "Commander Dante" on March 29, 1969. The Maoist NPA
conducts its armed guerilla struggle based on the strategical line of protracted
'Peoples War'.
The NPA collects "Revolutionary tax" in areas where it operates mostly from
businesses. This includes mining and logging operations - especially foreign owned
enterprises that provides employment to the people with the belief that crippling
the country's economy would give favor for a revolution to occur . The Communist
Party of the Philippines refers to the NPA as "the tax enforcement agency of the
peoples revolutionary government". In 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala,

speaking for the Armed Forces of the Philippines said "[the communist rebels] have
lost their ideological mooring and now engaged in extortion [activities]."
The NPA is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State
Department and as a terrorist group by the European Union Common Foreign and
Security Policy. The Government of the Philippines, however, has delisted the NPA
as a terrorist organization in 2011 and has resumed preliminary peace talks
pending formal negotiations with the NPA's parent political organization, the CPP.
There have been reports of the Communist Party of China shipping arms to the
NPA. Due to this, the NPA got an unknown number of Type 56 assault rifle.
Peace negotiations have recently reached an impasse. The Philippine
government has specifically drafted a "new framework" which seeks to end the 27year-long stalemate in the talks, hoping to build ground with the leftists rebels that
is more comprehensive than human rights, the only issue on which the negotiating
parties agree.

New People's Army

Logo of the New People's Army

Native name

Bagong Hukbong Bayan

Dates of

March 29, 1969

operation

Leader(s)

Bernabe Buscayno

Motives

Proletarian Revolution

Active

Philippines

region(s)

Ideology

Maoism
Marxism-Leninism

Notable

U.S. Army Colonel James N. Rowe

attacks

assassination

Status

Designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization

by the US State Department
Designated as terrorist group by European
Union Common Foreign and Security Policy

MORO ISLAMIC LIBERATION FRONT

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF: Jabhat Tahrr
Moro al-Islmiyyah) is a moro people group located in the southern
Philippines. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, the
Sulu Archipelago, Palawan, Basilan, and other neighboring islands.
HISTORY

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is a Moro and Lumad group
formed in the 1960s following the Jabidah massacre to achieve greater Moro
people autonomy in the southern Philippines. The MNLF took part in terrorist

attacks and assassinations to achieve their goals. The government in Manila sent
troops into the southern Philippines to control the insurgency. In 1976, Libyan
leader

Muammar

Gaddafi

brokered

negotiation

between

the

Philippine

government and MNLF Leader Nur Misuari which led to the signing of the MNLFGRPH Tripoli Agreement of 1976 wherein the MNLF accepted the Philippine
government's offer of semi-autonomy of the regions in dispute.
The signing of this agreement brought about a serious rift in MNLF
leadership, leading to the formation of a breakaway group in 1977 by Hashim
Salamat and 57 MNLF officers. The group was initially known as "The New
Leadership". Misuari expelled Salamat in December 1977, after which Salamat
moved his new organization first to Egypt and then, in 1980, to Lahore, Pakistan,
where it engaged in diplomatic activities. This organization was formally
established in 1984 as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Muammar Gaddafi
became a longstanding supporter of the MILF after its emergence.
In January 1987, the MNLF accepted the Philippine government's offer of
semi-autonomy of the regions in dispute, subsequently leading to the establishment
of the ARMM. The MILF, however, refused to accept this offer and continued their
insurgency operations. A general cessation of hostilities between the government
in Manila and the MILF was signed in July 1997 but this agreement was abolished
in 2000 by the Philippine Army under the administration of Philippine President
Joseph Estrada. In response, the MILF declared a Jihad (strived and struggled)
against the government, its citizens and supporters. Under President Gloria
Arroyo, the government entered into a cease-fire agreement with the MILF and
resumed peace talks.
Despite peace negotiations and the cease-fire agreement, the MILF attacked
government troops in Maguindanao resulting in at least twenty-three deaths in
January 2005. The combined armies of the MILF and Abu Sayaff were involved in
days of fighting which necessitated government troops using heavy artillery to
engage rebel forces.
The bombing incident in Davao Airport in 2003 which the Philippine government
blamed on MILF members, raised speculation that the peace negotiations might be
ineffectual in bringing peace to Mindanao if the MILF is unable to control its
operatives. The MILF denies ties with terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, although
Jemaah Islamiyah is considered to have provided them with training facilities in
areas they control. The MILF also continues to deny connections with Al-Qaeda,

though it has admitted to sending around 600 volunteers to Al-Qaeda training

camps in Afghanistan and that Osama Ben Laden sent money to the Philippines,
though the group denies directly receiving any payment.
From June 28 to July 6, 2006, conflict between the MILF and armed civilian
volunteers under the Maguindanao province governor Andal Ampatuan, Sr who
were supported by the Philippine Armyhad been reported. The fighting began after
governor Ampatuan blamed the MILF for a June 23 bomb attack on his motorcade,
which killed five in his entourage. The MILF denied responsibility, but Ampatuan
sent police and civilian volunteers to arrest MILF members connected to the
attack. Four thousand families were reported displaced by the fighting that
followed, which was ended by a cease-fire agreement signed on July 10 and July
11.
Talks between the MILF and the government collapsed in 2008 after a
Supreme Court of the Philippines decision in Sema vs. COMELEC which rejected a
preliminary accord that would have expanded the ARMM. In 2011, the MILF
withdrew their demands for independence, instead saying that they would pursue
substate status, likened to a federated state instead of independence from the
Philippines.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Participant in Moro insurgency in the Philippines

Flag of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Active
Ideology
Leaders

1978 2014 (As a fighting force)

Islamic Democracy
Hadji Murad Ibrahim

Area of
operations

Southern Philippines

Opponentss

Government of the Philippines

1978 2014

Moro Islamic Liberation Front

The MILF is the vanguard of the Islamic movement in the Bangsamoro homeland
in Mindanao and the neighbouring islands. The MILF was formed in 1977 when
Hashim Salamat, supported by ethnic Maguindanaos from Mindanao, split from the
Moro National Liberation Front, advocating a more moderate and conciliatory
approach toward the government. In January 1987, the MNLF signed an
agreement relinquishing its goal of independence for Muslim regions and
accepting the government's offer of autonomy. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front,
the next largest faction, refused to accept the accord and initiated a brief offensive
that ended in a truce later that month. The Mindanao-based Moro Islamic
Liberation Front fields around 2,900 troops.
Islam in the Philippines has absorbed indigenous elements, much as has
Catholicism. Moros thus make offerings to spirits (diwatas), malevolent or benign,
believing that such spirits can and will have an effect on one's health, family, and
crops. They also include pre-Islamic customs in ceremonies marking rites of
passage--birth, marriage, and death. Moros share the essentials of Islam, but
specific practices vary from one Moro group to another. Although Muslim Filipino
women are required to stay at the back of the mosque for prayers (out of the sight
of men), they are much freer in daily life than are women in many other Islamic
societies.
Because of the world resurgence of Islam since World War II, Muslims in the
Philippines have a stronger sense of their unity as a religious community than they
had in the past. Since the early 1970s, more Muslim teachers have visited the
nation and more Philippine Muslims have gone abroad--either on the hajj or on
scholarships--to Islamic centers than ever before. They have returned revitalized in
their faith and determined to strengthen the ties of their fellow Moros with the
international Islamic community. As a result, Muslims have built many new
mosques and religious schools, where students (male and female) learn the basic
rituals and principles of Islam and learn to read the Quran in Arabic. A number of
Muslim institutions of higher learning, such as the Jamiatul Philippine al-Islamia in
Marawi, also offer advanced courses in Islamic studies.
Divisions along generational lines have emerged among Moros since the 1960s.
Many young Muslims, dissatisfied with the old leaders, asserted that datu and
sultans were unnecessary in modern Islamic society. Among themselves, these
young reformers were divided between moderates, working within the system for
their political goals, and militants, engaging in guerrilla-style warfare. To some
degree, the government managed to isolate the militants, but Muslim reformers,
whether moderates or militants, were united in their strong religious adherence.
This bond was significant, because the Moros felt threatened by the continued
expansion of Christians into southern Mindanao and by the prolonged presence of
Philippine army troops in their homeland.

LIBERAL PARTY

The Liberal Party of the Philippines (Partido Liberal ng Pilipinas) is the

ruling political party and a liberal parties in the Philippines, founded by then
senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio
Quirino, and former 19th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24,
1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the Nacionalista Party. It is the current
ruling party after the Philippine Presidential Election of Noynoy Aquino as the
President of the Philippines. The Liberals control the House of the Representatives,
while they are part of a coalition government in the Senate.
The Liberal Party is the second-oldest extant political party in the
Philippines in terms of date of establishment, and the oldest continually-active
political party in the Philippines. The party has been led by respected liberal
thinkers

and

pro-development

politicians

like

Manuel

Roxas,

Elpidio

Quirino, Diosdado Macapagal, Gerry Roxas, Benigno Aquino, Jovito Salonga, Raul
Daza, Florencio B. Abad, Jr., Franklin Drilon, Mar Roxas, and Benigno Aquino III.

Liberal Party

1946-2011
President

Joseph Amilio Abaya

Chairman

Noynoy Aquino

Secretary-General

Mel Senen Sarmiento

Slogan

Sa daang matuwid, asensong walang

patid. (At the straight path, progress

continues.)
Founded

November 24, 1945

Split from

Nacionalista Party

Headquarters

Expo Centro, Araneta

EDSA

Youth Wing

Center,

Cubao, Quezon City ,

Liberal Party Youth Network

Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas
Filipino Liberal Youth

Ideologies

Liberalism

Political Spectrum

Centrism

International

Liberal International.

affiliation

Council of Asian Liberals and

Democrats

Colors
Seats in the Senate
Seats in the House of

Yellow and Blue

4 / 24
111 / 292

Representative
Provincial

38 / 80

Governorships
Provincial vice

35 / 80

Governorships
Provincial Board
Members

318 / 926

HISTORY
The Liberal Party (LP) was founded on November 24, 1945 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 old Nacionalista Party. Two more
Presidents of the Philippines elected into office came from the LP: Elpidio Quirino
and the redoubtable Diosdado Macapagal. Two other presidents came from the
ranks of the LP, as former members of the party who later chose to follow a
different path by joining the Nacionalistas: Ramon Magsaysay and Ferdinand
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 dectatorship. Led by Ninoy Aquino,
Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, the LP would time and again hound the would-be
dictator on issues like human rights and the curtailment of freedom. 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.
In recent times, 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 Philippine Senate Election 1992. Despite the loss, in 2000 it again
showed its mettle by standing against the corruption of the Presidency of Joseph
Estrada, 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 Mayor of Manila 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.
The Liberal Party regained new 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 latters death that subsequently showed a
massive outpouring of sympathy for the Aquino family. Even though the party had
earlier nominated Sen. Manuel Roxas II to be its presidential candidate for
the 2010 Philippine general election, Roxas chose to give way to Aquino and ran
for vice president instead. 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.

Liberalism is

a political

of Liberty (which

is

philosophy or

especially

worldview

stressed

founded

in classical

on

ideas

liberalism)

and

Egalitarianism (which is more evident in social liberalism). Liberals espouse a wide

array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally
they support ideas such as democracy, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom
of religion, free trade, and private property.
Liberalism

first

became

distinct

political

movement

during

the age

of

enlightenment, when it became popular among philosopher and economist in

the Western world. Liberalism rejected the notions, common at the time,
of nobility, state of religion, absolute monarchy and the Divine Right of King. The
17th-century philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a
distinct philosophical tradition. Locke argued that each man has a natural life to
life, liberty and private property and according to the social contract, governments
must not violate these rights. Liberals opposed traditionalist conservatism and
sought to replace absolutism (European history) in government with democracy
and the Rule of Law.
The revolutionaries of the Glorious Revolution, American Revolution, segments of
the French Revolution, and other liberal revolutionaries from that time used liberal
philosophy to justify the armed overthrow of what they saw as Tyrant rule. The
19th century saw liberal governments established in nations across Liberalism in
Europe, Liberalism and Conservatism in Latin America, and Liberalism in the

United States. In this period, the dominant ideological opponent of classical

liberalism was classical conservatism.
Liberalism also survived major ideological challenges from new opponents, such
as Fascism and Communism. During the 20th century, liberal ideas spread even
further, as Liberal Democracy found themselves on the winning side in both world
wars. In Europe and North America, there was also the rise of Social
Liberalism which is related with Social Democracy in Europe. The meaning of the
word "liberalism" began to diverge in different parts of the world. According to
the Encyclopedia Britannica, "In the United States, liberalism is associated with
the Welfare state policies of the new deal program of the Democratic Party (United
States) administration of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, whereas Liberalism in
EUrope it is more commonly associated with a commitment to limited government
and Laissez-faire economic policies." Consequently in the U.S., the ideas
of individualism and laissez-faire economics previously associated with classical
liberalism,

became

the

basis

for

the

emerging

school

of libertarianism thought. Today, Liberal Party remain a political force with varying
degrees of power and influence on many countries (see liberalism by country).
Liberalism is
of Liberty (which

a political
is

philosophy or

especially

worldview

stressed

founded

in classical

on

liberalism)

ideas
and

Egalitarianism (which is more evident in social liberalism). Liberals espouse a wide

array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally
they support ideas such as democracy, civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom
of religion, free trade, and private property.