The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines (CDP) is a Christian democratic party in the Philippines. Created in 2010, it is headed by Cagayan de Oro representative Rufus Rodriguez. The party aims to "institutionalize an alternative to patronage-oriented political parties".

History

The party recognizes Senators

Manuel Manahan Manuel Perez Manahan (January 1, 1916 – May 18, 1994) was a Filipino politician, journalist, businessman, and rural development advocate. He was a key government official during the administration of president Ramon Magsaysay, best known for h ...

and

Raul Manglapus Raul Sevilla Manglapus (October 20, 1918 – July 25, 1999) was a prominent post–World War II Filipino politician and songwriter. He co-founded the reformist Progressive Party of the Philippines and the Christian Democratic Socialist Movement i ...

as the earliest proponents of Christian democracy in the Philippines. The party also recognizes Ninoy Aquino and

Aquilino Pimentel, Jr Aquilino Quilinging Pimentel Jr. (, December 11, 1933 – October 20, 2019), commonly known as Nene Pimentel, was a Filipino politician and human rights lawyer who was one of the leading political opposition leaders during the regime of Ferdinan ...

as primary proponents of the ideology in the country. Lito Monico Lorenzana, one of the members of the cabinet of President Corazon Aquino, founded the Centrist Democratic Movement (CDM), that would eventually evolve into the CDP. On September 12, 2012, the party was accredited by the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

. A month later, the party, while not putting up candidates for the 2013 Senate election, announced that they are supporting the candidacies of Francis Escudero,

Aquilino Pimentel III Aquilino Martin de la Llana Pimentel III (born January 20, 1964), commonly known as Koko Pimentel, is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as the Senate Minority Leader since 2022. He has been a Senator since 2011 and previously served as ...

and

Bam Aquino Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aguirre Aquino IV (, born May 7, 1977) is a Filipino politician and social entrepreneur who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2013 to 2019. He is a member of the prominent Aquino family in the Philippines. Pre-p ...

, all from Team PNoy. Newly-installed party leader Rufus Rodriguez remarked that the CDP has a "real ideology" unlike other parties, while Lorenzana claimed not to be beholden to anyone, and abhorred patronage politics. Aside from supporting three senatorial candidates, the party has 74 candidates for lower positions. In its campaign for the 2013 elections, the party started a road show for

constitutional reform A constitutional amendment is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly altering the text. Conversely, ...

or charter change (Cha-cha). Rodriguez, who is a proponent of charter change, had earlier written a House of Representatives resolution calling for a shift to federalism, return to a

two-party system A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually refe ...

, regional or state election of senators, amendment of the presidential term of office to four years with one reelection and a four-year term with no term limits for local officials, and lifting of nationalist economic provisions in the constitution. In the 2016 local elections in the town of

Salcedo, Eastern Samar Salcedo (IPA: �sɐlˈsɛdo war, Bungto han Salcedo, tl, Bayan ng Salcedo), officially the Municipality of Salcedo, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...

, Melchor Llego Mergal ran for mayor under the CDP (as a guest candidate of 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 ...

/ Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid and the Coalition for Change/Kilusang Pagbabago) with Maricris "Utay" Duran Fabillar and won. Mergal and Duran eventually became the party's highest-ranking officials.

Electoral performance

Presidential and vice presidential elections

Senate

The CDP has never put up candidates for the Senate but has endorsed candidates from other parties.

House of Representatives

Party president Rufus Rodriguez, the representative from Cagayan de Oro's 2nd congressional district. consistently holds the party's sole seat in the House of Representatives.

References

{{Political parties in the Philippines Centrist parties in the Philippines Liberal parties in the Philippines Political parties established in 2010 Christian democratic parties in Asia