The Grand Alliance (GA) was a political multi-party

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

in the Philippines that existed from 1959 to 1965. It was composed of members of the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

and defectors from the

Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party ( Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ...

and 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 ...

.Tubangui, Helen R., Bauzon, Leslie E., Foronda, Marcelino Jr. A., Ausejo, Luz U. ''The Filipino Nation: A Concise History of the Philippines''. Grolier International, 1982.

History

Formation

In 1959, the Liberal Party, led by Vice-President

Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the ninth president of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth vice president, serving from 1 ...

and Senate President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

, negotiated with members of the Progressive Party for a possible alliance with the two parties. Under the terms of the negotiation,

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 ...

would be included in the senatorial slate of the Liberal Party for the 1959 senatorial elections. According to Macapagal, Manahan initially agreed to the coalition.Macapagal, Diosdado P. ''From nipa hut to presidential palace: autobiography of Diosdado P. Macapagal''. Philippine Academy for Continuing Education and Research, 2002. However, the Progressive camp wanted Senator

Emmanuel Pelaez Emmanuel Neri Pelaez (November 30, 1915 – July 27, 2003) was a Filipino public servant and politician who served as the 6th Vice President of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965. Early life and career Pelaez was born in Medina, Misamis (now ...

and former Defense Secretary Jesus Vargas. This eventually found the support of Senator

Ambrosio Padilla Ambrosio Bibby Padilla (December 7, 1910 – August 11, 1996The Philippine Daily Inquirer, In Loving Memory on the 7th Death Anniversary of Ambrosio Padilla', The Philippine Daily Inquirer, B.14 (11 augustus 2003)) was a Filipino basketball ...

from the Liberal Party. Due to a disagreement with the terms, the proposed coalition broke down. According to Manglapus, this also resulted in Padilla being ousted from the Liberal Party.Manglapus, Raul S. ''Revolt against tradition: the challenge of change and the Filipino's drive to greatness''. Manila, 1964. With negotiations with the Liberal Party failing to move forward, the Progressive Party and defectors of both the Nacionalista Party and Liberal Party formed the Grand Alliance (GA).

1959 election

The GA put up its own six-man slate for the 1959 senatorial elections. Manahan, Manglapus, and Vargas represented the Progressive wing of the alliance. Pelaez represented the Nacionalista wing, while Narciso Pimentel, Jr. and Osmundo Mondoñedo represented the Liberal wing.Constantino, Renato and Constantino, Letizia R. ''The Philippines: the continuing past''. The Foundation for Nationalist Studies, 1978. By the end of the election, none of them were successful in acquiring a Senate seat.

Members

The following had served as members of the Grand Alliance:Manglapus, Raul S. ''Faith in the Filipino: The Ripening Revolution''. Regal Publishing, 1961. *Vicente Araneta *

Rogelio de la Rosa Regidor Lim de la Rosa"Filipinos in History Vol. 3", page 75. (November 12, 1916 – November 26, 1986), professionally known as Rogelio de la Rosa, was one of the most popular Filipino matinee idols of the 20th century.Garcia, J., ''A Movie Q ...

*Osmundo Mondoñedo *

*Rodrigo Perez *Narciso Pimentel, Jr. *

Francisco Soc Rodrigo Francisco "Soc" Aldana Rodrigo (January 29, 1914 – January 4, 1998) was a Filipino playwright, lawyer, broadcaster, and a Senator of the Philippines from 1955 to 1967. In honor of in the struggle against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, hi ...

* Jesus Vargas

References

{{Reflist Defunct political party alliances in the Philippines Political parties established in 1959 Political parties disestablished in 1965