Lakas–CMD (1991)

Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, abbreviated as Lakas–CMD 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, Lakas–CMD 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 Lakas–CMD after the separation of KAMPI.

Early days and Ramos administration


In 1986, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), Lakas ng Bayan (LABAN), and Lakas ng Bansa parties united to form the United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO). The coalition supported the candidacies of Corazon Aquino and Salvador Laurel for president and vice president in the 1986 snap elections. The PDP formally merged with LABAN, founded in 1978 by former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., to form the PDP–Laban.

In the 1987 legislative elections, UNIDO became the dominant party in both houses of Congress under the name Lakas ng Bayan. Palawan Representative Ramon Mitra Jr. was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives. UNIDO would be dissolved soon after.

In September 1988, PDP–Laban was split into two factions: the Pimentel wing of Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and the Cojuangco wing led by Tarlac Representative Jose Cojuangco Jr. The Cojuangco wing merged with the Lakas ng Bansa to form the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).

In 1991, former National Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos joined the LDP in order to gain its support for his 1992 presidential bid.

On November 30, 1991, the LDP National Convention was held to select the presidential and vice presidential nominees for 1992. After losing the presidential nomination to Speaker Ramon Mitra Jr., Ramos bolted the LDP and organized the United People Power Movement (UPPM) together with then Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia Jr. The new party was officially named Lakas ng Tao and formally launched on January 3, 1992, at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.

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, to form the Lakas ng Tao–National Union of Christian Democrats. Ramos invited then Cebu Governor Emilio Osmeña Jr. 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, Mitra and four other presidential candidates. Osmeña lost the vice presidential race to Senator Joseph Estrada of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC).

Since Ramos got a low plurality in the election, de Venecia created the Rainbow Coalition and converged Lakas, LDP, NPC, and other national parties. In 1995, Lakas–NUCD formed an alliance with LDP for the 1995 legislative elections. This coalition, calles the Lakas-Laban Coalition, won a majority in both houses of Congress.

1998 elections
In 1997, Lakas–NUCD was joined by the United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (UMDP) of former Ambassador Sanchez Ali, thereby changing the party's name to Lakas ng Tao–National Union of Christian Democrats–United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (Lakas–NUCD–UMDP). In November of the same 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 Jose de Venecia Jr. and former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa. After rounds of secret balloting, de Venecia won the nomination and was officially proclaimed as the Lakas presidential nominee for the 1998 elections.

After losing the nomination, de Villa bolted Lakas and formed Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma. He selected Pangasinan Governor Oscar Orbos as his running-mate for the 1998 polls. De Villa's Reporma and Orbos' Lapiang Manggagawa coalesced to form the Reporma-LM Coalition. Former Cebu governor Lito Osmeña, who also lost the Lakas 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).

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.

Arroyo administration
In early 2004, the party's name was shortened and changed into the current Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas–CMD). However, the meaning of Lakas in the party name is usually now referred to as "Lakas ng EDSA" ("The Strength of EDSA") than the original "Lakas ng Tao" ("The Strength of the People"/"People Power"). This is also the name that the party used when it participated in the May 10, 2004, general elections as a leading member of the K4 Coalition. President Gloria Arroyo, who succeeded the deposed President Joseph Estrada, was the K4 Coalition candidate for President in the May 2004 presidential election, eventually winning over her opponents primarily movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. and Senator Panfilo Lacson.

After Poe's unsuccessful bid to the presidency, his supporters, which also included Estrada supporters, viewed the election results as fraudulent, and came under legal protest by Poe and his vice-presidential running-mate, former senator Loren Legarda. The poll protest was later thrown out by the Supreme Court acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, as well as Legarda's protest.

At the onset of 2006, Lakas–CMD 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 mid-term elections (or "no-el") set for 2007 and calls for her to step down in time for the elections, which is related to the "no-el" controversy. The party held its Annual Party Directorate Meeting on January 14, 2006, to discuss these matters.

There are no official results available of the May 2007 elections released by the party, but according to the Philippine House of Representatives, the party held 79 out of 235 seats.

On January 16, 2008, Lakas–CMD spokesman and legal counsel Raul Lambino stated that Lakas–CMD 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 Ramon Revilla Jr. and Lito Lapid, former senator Ralph Recto and former Congressman Prospero Pichay as among those considered.

De Venecia's resignation

Former House Speaker de Venecia resigned his post as president of Lakas on March 10, 2008, and rejected the proposition of former President Ramos to give him the title Chairman Emeritus. The current Speaker of the House Prospero Nograles (Davao City–1st District) was sworn-in as the new party president and former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. as Vice President for Metro Manila Affairs on the same day.

Merger with KAMPI
On June 18, 2008, President Gloria Arroyo confirmed the historical merger of the Lakas–CMD 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 President Arroyo's prediction of May 2010 elections victory. Lakas–CMD President Prospero 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 Lakas–CMD would be the surviving entity after its merger with KAMPI.

On August 9, 2009, de Venecia Jr. and Ramos led fifty members from the Lakas–Kampi–CMD in objecting to its merger with KAMPI on May 28, 2009. The faction made de Venecia its President with Ramos as its Chairman Emeritus. However, Ramos later refused the offer of being the party's chairman-emeritus after being named in the interim party organization. De Venecia has filed a resolution at the Commission on Elections to declare null and void the merger. 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.”

The logo is still used by its merger as of.

Ideology
Lakas-CMD 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.

For senator
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)


 * Loren Legarda
 * Renato Cayetano
 * Robert Barbers
 * Ramon Revilla Sr.
 * Teofisto Guingona Jr. (appointed vice-president in 2001)

Coalitions
Lakas–CMD had coalesced with other parties in the past elections, enabling it to strengthen its political power both in the national and local levels:
 * Lakas–Kampi–CMD, the dominant majority party in the 2010 national elections.
 * TEAM Unity, the name of the pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2007 midterm elections.
 * Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4, Coalition of Truth and Experience for the Future), the name of the pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2004 national elections.
 * People Power Coalition, the name of pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2001 midterm elections.
 * Lakas-Laban Coalition, the name of the pro-Ramos coalition in the 1995 midterm elections.

Notable members

 * Fidel V. Ramos (12th President of the Philippines; party chairman-emeritus and former party chairman; co-founder)
 * Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (14th President of the Philippines; party chairperson)
 * Martin Romualdez (Representative, Leyte's 1st District; current party president)
 * Bong Revilla Jr. (Senator; former party chairman)
 * Teofisto Guingona Jr. (former Vice President of the Philippines; former party president)
 * Raul Manglapus (Senator; co-founder)
 * Loren Legarda (Senator)
 * Leticia Ramos-Shahani (Senate President pro tempore)
 * Ramon Magsaysay Jr. (Senator)
 * Franklin Drilon (Senator)
 * Sergio Osmeña III (Senator)
 * Robert Barbers (Senator)
 * Renato Cayetano (Senator)
 * Ramon Revilla Sr. (Senator)
 * Robert Jaworski (Senator)
 * Jose de Venecia Jr. (Speaker of the House of Representatives; former party president and co-founder)
 * Joker Arroyo (Senator)
 * Ralph Recto (Senator)
 * Eduardo Ermita (executive secretary)
 * Juan Flavier (Secretary of Health; senator)
 * Ariel Magcalas (former Mayor of Santa Cruz, Laguna)
 * Lito Lapid (former Governor of Pampanga, senator)
 * Pia Cayetano (Senator)
 * Richard J. Gordon (Senator)