The Progressive Movement for the Devolution of Initiatives or Probinsya Muna Development Initiative (; ), abbreviated as PROMDI or Abag-Promdi, is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
based in
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
.
The party was founded in 1997 by
Lito Osmeña
Emilio Mario Renner Osmeña Jr. (September 11, 1938 – July 19, 2021), better known as Lito Osmeña, was the grandson of Philippine President Sergio Osmeña. He was the Governor of Cebu, Philippines from 1988 to 1992. He was the founder and chai ...
, a former governor of Cebu, for his
1998 presidential campaign. Their main ideology is
devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
.
In 2021, PROMDI formed an alliance with
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
's
PDP–Laban
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party al ...
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
and the
People's Champ Movement
The People's Champ Movement (PCM) is a political party in the Philippines, currently affiliated with the PROMDI and previously the United Nationalist Alliance. It is led by Manny Pacquiao, who founded the party, and is mainly based in General Sa ...
(PCM), dubbed as the MP3 alliance. They officially nominated Pacquiao as their candidate in the
2022 Philippine presidential election
The 2022 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on May 9, 2022, as part of the 2022 general election. This was the 17th direct presidential election and 16th vice presidential election in the Philippines since 1935, ...
.
History
PROMDI was founded in 1997 by
Lito Osmeña
Emilio Mario Renner Osmeña Jr. (September 11, 1938 – July 19, 2021), better known as Lito Osmeña, was the grandson of Philippine President Sergio Osmeña. He was the Governor of Cebu, Philippines from 1988 to 1992. He was the founder and chai ...
, who served as governor of
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
(1988–1992) and chief economic adviser to President
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...
(1993–1997), and was Ramos' unsuccessful running mate in the
1992 presidential election.
A former officer of
Lakas, Osmeña formed PROMDI for his unsuccessful presidential bid in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
; his running mate was former
South Cotabato
South Cotabato ( hil, Bagatnan Cotabato; ceb, Habagatang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pagabagatan Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤاڬابڬتن كوتاواتو; tl, Timog Cotabato), officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a province in the Philippine ...
governor
Ismael Sueno
Ismael "Mike" Dres Sueno (born July 1947 or 1948) is the former Secretary of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government. He was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to replace Mel Senen Sarmiento starting June 30, 2016. A ...
.
In the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, PROMDI won four district seats and a
party-list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
seat represented by
Joy Augustus Young
Joy Augustus Go Young is a Filipino politician currently serving as a member of the City Council representing Cebu City's North District. He served as Vice Mayor of Cebu City from 2010 to 2013 and was a member of the Philippine House of Repres ...
.
In 2001, President
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...
was ousted in the
Second EDSA Revolution
The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...
and Vice President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...
ascended to the presidency. PROMDI joined the pro-Arroyo
People Power Coalition
People Power Coalition (PPC), formerly called "EDSA Forces", was a Philippine administration-based political multi-party electoral alliance in the May 14, 2001 midterm Legislative elections. The coalition was created after the EDSA Revolution o ...
(PPC) alongside Lakas,
Reporma,
Aksyon, the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
, and
PDP-Laban. The party won three district seats in the House. However, they were disqualified from the party-list election for failing to meet the criteria of representing the "marginalized and underrepresented" in accordance with the Party-list System Act (R.A. 7941). In
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...
, PROMDI's
Tomas Osmeña
Tomas dela Rama Osmeña (; born July 26, 1948), known as Tommy Osmeña, is a Filipino politician who served as the Mayor of Cebu City thrice: first from 1987 to 1995, again from 2001 to 2010, and lastly from 2016 to 2019. He also served as Congr ...
and
Mike Rama
Michael Lopez Rama (born October 28, 1954) is a Filipino politician serving as Mayor of Cebu City since 2021, a position he previously held from 2010 to 2016. He served as the Vice Mayor of Cebu City from 2001 to 2010 and from 2019 to 2021, and ...
were elected mayor and vice mayor, respectively.
The
2004 election was dominated by two major coalitions: the pro-Arroyo
K4 and the opposition
KNP KNP may refer to:
*Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, a political party in the Philippines
*Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, a political alliance in the Philippines
* Kayan National Party, a political party in Myanmar
*Kenya National Party, a d ...
. However, PROMDI opted to join Aksyon and Reporma (former Arroyo supporters) to form a third smaller coalition, the
''Alyansa ng Pag-asa'' (Alliance of Hope). They supported the presidential bid of Aksyon's
Raul Roco
Raul Sagarbarria Roco (October 26, 1941 – August 5, 2005) was a political figure in the Philippines. He was the standard-bearer of ''Aksyon Demokratiko'', which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential bids in 1998 and 2004. He was ...
. In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Osmeña unsuccessfully ran for a Senate seat.
In June 2021, Osmeña announced the revival of PROMDI and their plans to contest the
2022 election at national level.
Osmeña died the following month. His son, Mimo, became the new party president.
On September 18, PROMDI signed an alliance agreement with the
Pacquiao–Pimentel wing of PDP-Laban and the
People's Champ Movement
The People's Champ Movement (PCM) is a political party in the Philippines, currently affiliated with the PROMDI and previously the United Nationalist Alliance. It is led by Manny Pacquiao, who founded the party, and is mainly based in General Sa ...
(PCM), dubbed the MP3 alliance. On September 26, Senator
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
took his oath as member of PROMDI and was named their honorary chairperson. The party then nominated him as their presidential candidate for
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
. When Pacquiao filed his candidacy on October 1, he declared PROMDI as his party, but asserted that he was not abandoning the leadership dispute of PDP-Laban. Pacquiao's running mate, House Deputy Speaker
Lito Atienza
Jose "Lito" Livioko Atienza Jr. (; born August 10, 1941) is a Filipino politician. He served as a Party-list Representative for Buhay from 2013 to 2022, and was a House Deputy Speaker from 2020 to 2022. He served as the Secretary of Environment ...
of
Buhay
The buhay ( uk, бугай) (also known as a bugai, buhai, berebenytsia, bika, buga, bochka) is a musical instrument that is used in Ukraine and is classified as a friction drum. ''Buhay'' is the Ukrainian word for great bittern (Botaurus ste ...
party-list, also filed his candidacy under PROMDI.
Name and symbols
''Promdi'' is a Filipino
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
referring to people from the provinces or rural areas. It is derived from the accented pronunciation of "from the province" and it used to be a derogatory term for Filipinos living outside
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
, who were stereotyped as unsophisticated or socially awkward.
Political positions
In June 2021, PROMDI declared three major platforms: "the
devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
of power and initiative, a responsive and relevant educational system, and advanced and tactical
nuclearization".
The party calls for devolution "to ensure that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and business they affect".
They criticize the
unitary system of government based in
Imperial Manila
Imperial Manila is a pejorative epithet used by sectors of Philippine society and non- Manileños to express the idea that all the affairs of the Philippines, whether in politics, economy and business or culture, are decided by what goes on in the ...
as "highly bureaucratic, inefficient, and unresponsive", accusing it of neglecting the provinces.
They also want to reform the education system to be "responsive to the needs and wants" of localities. As such, the imposition of national academic standards and assessments should be reviewed.
They encourage
vocational education
Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...
and call for the defunding of
for-profit education
For-profit education (also known as the education services industry or proprietary education) refers to educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking businesses. For-profit education is common in many parts of the world, making up ...
. They also push for the transition to
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
.
Lastly, they call for the acquisition of
nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
s as deterrence, since the Philippines is a "small nation" that must defend itself from "advances by
superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural s ...
s".
Organization and structure
PROMDI claims to have 3 million members nationwide as of June 2021.
Party leadership
*As of September 26, 2021 (Osmeña & Pacquiao); June 4, 2021 (other officers)
*Sources:
Party presidents
*
Lito Osmeña
Emilio Mario Renner Osmeña Jr. (September 11, 1938 – July 19, 2021), better known as Lito Osmeña, was the grandson of Philippine President Sergio Osmeña. He was the Governor of Cebu, Philippines from 1988 to 1992. He was the founder and chai ...
(1997–2021)
* Mimo Osmeña (2021–present)
Electoral performance
Presidential elections
Vice presidential elections
Senate elections
House of Representatives elections
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
{{Philippine political parties
Regionalist parties in the Philippines
Politics of Cebu