Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (), abbreviated as Lakas–CMD and popularly known as Lakas, was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area'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, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Its ideology and that of its successor is heavily influenced by

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and Islamic democracy. The party's influence on

Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

society is very strong, especially after the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

, which has led the country to elect two presidents from the party, namely

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR, 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 officer to reached ...

, a United Methodist, and

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. 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.

History

Formation

In November 1991, former National Defense Secretary

joined the

Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP; ) is a political party in the Philippines founded by Ramon Mitra Jr. and Peping Cojuangco. LDP was more commonly referred to as Laban during its early years. History Early years and formation In Septembe ...

(LDP, then known as Laban) in order to gain its support for his 1992 presidential bid. The Laban was held to nominate the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates for

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. After losing the presidential nomination to Laban co-founder and House Speaker Ramon Mitra, Ramos bolted the Laban and organized the United People Power Movement (UPPM) with then

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...

Representative Jose de Venecia Jr., a Laban member. The new organization was officially named Partido Lakas ng Tao (or Lakas ng

EDSA Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, commonly referred to by its acronym EDSA (), is a major Ring road, circumferential road around Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It passes through 6 of Metro Manila's 17 local government units or citi ...

) and formally launched on January 3, 1992, at the Club Filipino in

Greenhills, San Juan Greenhills is an Urban area, urban barangay in San Juan, Metro Manila, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the largest barangay in San Juan, covering a total area of and spanning over a third of San Juan's total land area. Centered and ...

. The name origin of the party is to campaign that Ramos is a hero of the 1986 EDSA People Power, and being an anti to the ''trapo'' (traditional politician). 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 led by former Senator Raul Manglapus, to form Lakas–National Union of Christian Democrats (Lakas–NUCD). Some of Laban members were raided by Ramos and De Venecia to join their newly-formed party, which Laban co-founder Peping Cojuangco criticized.

1992 elections: Ed sa '92

Ramos invited Cebu Governor Lito Osmeña 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. On the other hand, Osmeña lost the vice presidential race to Senator

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, who served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 until his resignation in 2001. ...

of the

Nationalist People's Coalition The Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) is a conservatism, conservative political party in the Philippines which was founded in 1992 by presidential candidate Danding Cojuangco. History Formation In 1990, amid political and economic unce ...

(NPC). Osmeña later appointed as Ramos' economic adviser. But since he got a low plurality in the election, de Venecia created the '' Rainbow Coalition'' and converged Lakas, Mitra's Laban, Cojuangco's NPC and other national parties.

1995 election: Lakas–Laban

In 1995, Lakas–NUCD formed an alliance with Laban for the 1995 legislative elections. This coalition, called the

Lakas–Laban Coalition The Lakas–Laban Coalition was the multi-party electoral alliance supported by the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos for the 1995 Philippine midterm legislative and local elections. It was a coalition of two major parties in the Phil ...

, won a majority in both houses of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

. The coalition later folded after disputes with Laban led by its Senate Leader

Edgardo Angara Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as Senate President from 1993 to 1995. Angara had the second longest tenure in the history of the Senate, serving four terms and a ...

, who also served as Senate President.

1998 election: Victory '98

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–National Union of Christian Democrats–United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (Lakas–NUCD–UMDP). In November that 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 de Venecia and former Defense Secretary

Renato de Villa Renato "Rene" Salud de Villa (born July 20, 1935) is a Filipino former police and military officer and government official. He served as Chief of Philippine Constabulary, Director-General of the Integrated National Police, and Chief of Staff o ...

, with Bulacan Governor Roberto Pagdanganan also contested in the nomination process. After rounds of secret balloting, de Venecia won the nomination and was officially proclaimed as the Lakas presidential nominee for the 1998 election. After losing the nomination, de Villa bolted Lakas and formed the Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma with Pangasinan Governor Oscar Orbos as his running mate for vice president. Lito Osmeña, who also lost the presidential nomination, launched his presidential bid under the Probinsya Muna Development Initiative (PROMDI) with Ismael Sueno as his running mate, Lakas logo in 1992

Meanwhile, Lakas nominated then Senator

as its candidate for vice president. Arroyo had originally intended to run for president under her party, Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (KAMPI). Pagdanganan joined the Lakas senatorial slate. De Venecia lost the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

to Vice President Joseph Estrada of

Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino The Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino () was the umbrella political opposition coalition during the 1998 Philippine general election that led to the election of then Vice President Joseph Estrada as President of the Philippines. It was the la ...

by a significant plurality. Arroyo won the vice presidency in the same manner as Estrada, defeating Estrada's running mate, Senator

. Arroyo emerged victorious in the vice presidential race while KAMPI was in hiatus.

2004: Arroyo administration

Renaming

In early 2004, the party's name was changed into the current Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas–CMD). However, the meaning of Lakas in the party name was now referred to as "''Lakas ng EDSA''" ("The Strength of EDSA") from the original "''Lakas ng Tao''" ("People Power"). This was also the name that the party used when it participated in the

2004 Philippine general election Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won a full six-year term as president, with a margin of j ...

as the leading member of the K4 Coalition.

Presidential nomination

By 2003, Arroyo stated that she will not run for a full term. Because of her statements, Senators Jun Magsaysay, Dr. Juan Flavier, and Loren Legarda declared their intention to get the Lakas presidential nomination. But only Magsaysay and Flavier are those party members who is contenders are willing to give way if Arroyo retracted her statement and run for presidential elections. Flavier also said that if Legarda campaign for presidential nomination, he will withdraw. Legarda that time finds her potential running mate with the likes of Raul Roco, and President Arroyo. Legarda and Vice President Tito Guingona later leave Lakas to join the opposition, with Legarda as the vice presidential candidate.

Gloria Arroyo's campaign and Gloriagate

President Arroyo was the K4 candidate for president in the

2004 Philippine presidential election The 2004 Philippine presidential and vice presidential elections were held on May 10, 2004. Incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was elected to a full six-year term with a margin of over one million votes over her leading opponent, movi ...

, eventually winning over actor Fernando Poe Jr. and Senator Panfilo Lacson. After Arroyo's victory, she received electoral protest from Poe and his camp. In the protest, his running-mate, Senator Noli de Castro also included which filed by former Senator Loren Legarda. The poll protests were later thrown out by the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). Later, the controversy arose with Arroyo's controversial call to Garci in 2004. At the onset of 2006, Lakas 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 the 2007 midterm elections ("''no-el''") and calls for her to step down in time for the elections. The party held its Annual Party Directorate Meeting in January 2006 to discuss these matters. There are no official results available of the 2007 elections released by Lakas–CMD but according to the House of Representatives, the party held 79 out of 235 seats.

Future senatorial lineup

On January 16, 2008, Lakas–CMD spokesman and legal counsel Raul Lambino stated that Lakas officially released the list of senatorial bets for

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. Except for

Parañaque Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque (, ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

Representative Eduardo Zialcita, they were not yet identified. However, Lambino named incumbent Senators

Bong Revilla Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (; born Jose Mari Mortel Bautista; September 25, 1966) is a Filipino actor, director, producer, television presenter and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, senator since 2019, and previously from ...

and

Lito Lapid Manuel "Lito" Mercado Lapid (; born October 25, 1955) is a Filipino actor, director and politician serving as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator since 2019, and previously from 2004 to 2016. He started his political career in Pampanga, serv ...

, former senator

Ralph Recto Ralph Gonzalez Recto (; born January 11, 1964) is a Filipino politician currently serving as the 33rd secretary of finance since 2024, under President Bongbong Marcos. He previously served as the representative for Batangas' 6th district a ...

and former Congressman Prospero Pichay as among those considered. De Venecia's resignation Jose de Venecia resigned his post as president of Lakas on March 10, 2008, and rejected the proposition of Ramos to give him the title of chairman emeritus. House Speaker Prospero Nograles and former House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. were sworn as party president and vice president for Metro Manila affairs on the same day, respectively.

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 Arroyo's prediction of victory in the 2010 elections. Nograles and KAMPI Chairman

Ronaldo Puno Ronaldo Villanueva Puno (born April 25, 1948), also known as Ronnie Puno, is a politician, campaign manager and strategist in Philippine politics. He supported the presidential bids of eventual winners Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria ...

signed the covenant at the regional

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

held in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

. 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 and Ramos led fifty members from the Lakas–Kampi–CMD in objecting to its merger with KAMPI. The faction elected de Venecia as president and Ramos as chairman emeritus. However, Ramos later refused the offer of being named in the interim party organization. De Venecia has filed a resolution at 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 ...

to declare the merger ''null and void''. However, the

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

in rendering the challenged resolution.”

Ideology

Lakas-CMD has always focused on economic growth and development, stronger ties with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 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 A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

to a parliamentary form of government through constitutional amendments and through establishing peace talks with

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

separatists and

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

rebels. The party democracy is distinct in its ecumenical inclusion of Muslim leaders in its political alliance.

Branding

Lakas initially used the yellow as their primary color in their campaign, as its founder Fidel Ramos emphasized that he is one of the heroes of the People Power in 1986, and his connection with Corazon Aquino's presidency (who used yellow), especially when he was appointed as her defense secretary and being endorsed by her. Later, when Gloria Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001 following People Power 2, the yellow color is used again until 2004, when she shifted the party's main color into her signature dress color of light blue.

Electoral performance

Presidential election

Vice Presidential election

Legislative elections

Candidates for Philippine general elections

1998

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

to the presidency and vice presidency respectively against the

(''Struggle of Patriotic Filipino Masses'') coalition of the opposition led by Vice President

and Senator

. Lakas-NUCD-UMDP gained 5 out of 12 possible seats in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

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 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 Revolut ...

, the name of pro-Arroyo coalition in the 2001 midterm elections. *

, the name of the pro-Ramos coalition in the 1995 midterm elections.

Notable members

Presidents

(12th President of the Philippines; party chairman-emeritus and former party chairman; co-founder) *

(14th President of the Philippines; party chairperson)

Legislators

Martin Romualdez Ferdinand Martin Gomez Romualdez (, born November 14, 1963) is a Filipino businessman, lawyer, and politician who has served as the 24th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, speaker of the House of Representatives since 2 ...

(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 Leticia Valdez Ramos-Shahani (September 30, 1929 – March 20, 2017) was a Filipino senator, diplomat, and writer. She was the younger sister of Fidel V. Ramos, the 12th president of the Philippines. Early life She was born on September ...

(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) *

(Senator) * Eduardo Ermita (executive secretary) * Juan Flavier (Secretary of Health; senator) *

(former Governor of

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

, senator) * Pia Cayetano (Senator) * Richard J. Gordon (Senator)

Party leadership

President

Chairperson

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakas-CMD (original) 1991 establishments in the Philippines Christian democratic parties in Asia Defunct political parties in the Philippines Islamic political parties Political parties established in 1991 Political parties disestablished in 2008 tl:Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats