The Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino () is a

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure 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 ...

. There are no results available for the 2004 election for 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 ...

, but according to the website of the House, the party held 7 out of 235 seats. The party is divided into two factions. The faction led by

Edgardo Angara Edgardo Javier Angara (, September 24, 1934 – May 13, 2018) was a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 1993 to 1995. He was a Senator from 1987 to 1998 and then served as Secretary of Agricult ...

contested in the 2004 elections as a member party of the

Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino The Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) (''Coalition of United Filipinos''), also known as the United Opposition, was the political multi-party electoral alliance of the dominant opposition in the Philippines during the 2004 general elec ...

(''Coalition of United Filipinos''). In the May 14, 2007 national

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

, the party won 3 seats in the House of Representatives.See

2007 Philippine general election Legislative and local elections were held in the Philippines on May 14, 2007. Positions contested included half the seats in the Senate, which are elected for six-year terms, and all the seats in the House of Representatives, who were elected fo ...

History

In the mid-1980s, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, Lakas ng Bayan (LABAN) and Lakas ng Bansa parties became members of the

United Nationalist Democratic Organization The United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) was the main political multi-party electoral alliance of the traditional political opposition during the turbulent last years of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in the mid-1980s. It w ...

(UNIDO) coalition that supported the candidacy of

Corazon C. Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

and

Salvador H. Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel (, November 18, 1928 – January 27, 2004), also known as Doy Laurel, was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the vice president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under President Corazon Aquino an ...

for president and vice president, respectively in the February 7, 1986 snap election. By early 1986, PDP had merged with LABAN, founded in 1978 by the late Senator

Benigno Aquino Jr. Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr., (; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aqui ...

, to form the

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 ...

. In the 1987 legislative elections, UNIDO, under the name "Lakas ng Bayan", became the dominant party in both houses of Congress, electing Representative Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. of

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...

as Speaker of the House of Representatives. UNIDO would be dissolved soon after. In September 1988,

was split into two factions: the Pimentel Wing of Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. and the Cojuangco Wing of Jose "Peping" S. Cojuangco, Jr. The Cojuangco Wing and the Lakas ng Bansa party of Speaker Mitra merged on September 16, 1988 to form the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party, while the Pimentel Wing remained as the PDP–Laban party. In the November 1991 LDP National Convention, the party nominated Speaker Mitra as its nominee for

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

, while runner-up former National Defense Secretary

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 ...

bolted the party and formed Partido Lakas ng Tao, and won the presidency in the May 11, 1992 presidential election. In 1994, LDP formed a major coalition with Lakas–NUCD of

President 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 ...

(dubbed as 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 May 8, 1995 Philippine midterm legislative and local elections. It was a coalition of two major parties in the P ...

''") for the May 1995 midterm legislative elections, winning a majority of all seats in both houses of Congress. In 1997, the party supported the candidacy of then-Vice 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 ...

for the presidency, coalesced with two other parties to form the Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino ().

Recent events

In the 2004 elections, the party was critically divided by two factions between its party president Senator

, who supported the candidacy of party outsider actor

Fernando Poe Jr Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

., and party secretary general Makati representative

Agapito Aquino Agapito "Butz" Aquino (May 20, 1939 – August 17, 2015) was a Senator of the Philippines from 1987 to 1995, congressman from Makati and a part-time film and television actor. He was born to former senator Benigno S. Aquino Sr. and Aurora Aqu ...

, who supported Senator

Panfilo Lacson Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. (; born June 1, 1948) is a Filipino former politician and police general who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator for three terms: from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Chief of the Phil ...

's candidacy for president. It was planned that the LDP would form the core of the main opposition coalition, the

(KNP). However, members of the party disagreed on which person to support for president.

, a member of the party, advanced his candidacy for president but was not considered by

, the president of the party. Angara supported

Fernando Poe, Jr. Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

Together with the party's secretary-general Agapito "Butz" Aquino, Lacson gathered the support of some members of the party and went ahead with his candidacy. The LDP was subsequently polarized between those supporting Angara and Poe, and those for Lacson and Aquino. By then, Poe and Lacson have both filed their certificates of candidacies. According to the rules of candidacy, every presidential candidate must have a political party to back him or her. With the obvious split within the ranks of the LDP, and with no signs that the two factions would come to an agreement, the COMELEC decided to informally split the party into the Aquino and the Angara wings. Lacson then ran under the LDP – Aquino Wing, and Poe under the LDP – Angara Wing, which would later become the KNP. During the campaign period, there had been numerous unification talks between the two factions. The opposition saw the need to become united under one banner to boost their chances of winning the presidential election against the organized political machinery of Arroyo. The plans of unification did not materialize due to the stubbornness of both Poe and Lacson. Lacson wanted Poe to concede to him and run as his vice-presidential candidate while the supporters of Poe wanted Lacson to back-out from his candidacy and instead support Poe, citing his low performance in the surveys.

Party officials

*National President: Bellaflor Angara-Castillo *Chairman:

Sonny Angara Sonny is a common nickname and occasional given name. Often it can be a derivative of the English word "Son", a name derived from the Ancient Germanic element *sunn meaning "sun", a nickname derived from the Italian name Salvatore (especially in N ...

* Secretary-General: Representative: Arthur Angara

Current members

* Arthur Angara –

Baler A baler or hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop (such as hay, cotton, flax straw, salt marsh hay, or silage) into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. Often, bales are configured ...

Mayor (1992–2001; 2004–2013) * Rommel Angara – Vice Governor of Aurora (2013–2019) and Congressman of Aurora Province's Lone District (2019–present) *

– senator (2013–present) and Congressman of Aurora Province's Lone District (2004–2013) * Bellaflor Angara-Castillo – Governor of

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

Notable members

* Ramon V. Mitra, Jr. – former House Speaker and party's Standard-bearer during the 1992 elections. *Ret. Gen.

– former president, lost the party's nomination to the House Speaker Ramon Mitra and formed his own party, Lakas ng Tao, now named Lakas-CMD. * Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, Jr. – one of the original founders, left the party in 1997 together with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to form

Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino The Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), formerly known as the Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino, was a political party in the Philippines. It is the main party of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In June 2008, Kampi merged into the Lak ...

(Kampi). He is also the appointed as secretary-general of

until 2016, when he supported

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

Jejomar Binay Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III. A hu ...

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

. *

Neptali Gonzales Neptali Alvaro Gonzales (June 10, 1923 – September 16, 2001), better known as Neptali Gonzales, Sr., was the President of the Philippine Senate from 1992 to 1993, 1995 to 1996, and 1998. Early life and career Neptali Alvaro Gonzales was b ...

– former Senate President. *

– present party president, former Senate President and four-term senator; the longest-serving senator in the post-EDSA Congress *

Jamby Madrigal Maria Ana Consuelo Madrigal-Valade (born Maria Ana Consuelo Abad Santos Madrigal; April 26, 1958), better known as Jamby Madrigal, is a Filipina politician and businesswoman. She was elected as a senator in the 2004 elections. After only one ...

– former senator, LDP member from 2001 to 2007 before joining PDP–Laban *

Blas Ople Blas Fajardo Ople (February 3, 1927 – December 14, 2003) was a Filipino journalist and politician who held several high-ranking positions in the executive and legislative branches of the Philippine government, including as Senate President fr ...

– former senator, Secretary of Foreign Affairs. *

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 ...

– former President of the Philippines. She quit the party in early 1997 to form her own political party, Kampi. *

Vicente Sotto III Vicente Castelo Sotto III (; born August 24, 1948), professionally known as Tito Sotto, is a Filipino politician, entertainer and athlete who served as Senate President from 2018 to 2022. Before that, had two stints each as Senate Majority Lea ...

– former senator, LDP member from 1992 to 1997 and left together with Arroyo to form Kampi. However, during the Estrada administration he returned to the party before and left again in 2007 to join the

Nationalist People's Coalition The Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) is a conservative political party in the Philippines, founded in 1992 by then-presidential candidate Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. History The Party was founded in 1992 after some members of the Nacionalista ...

. *

Ramon Revilla Sr. Ramon Bautista Revilla Sr. (born Jose Acuña Bautista; March 8, 1927 – June 26, 2020), popularly known simply as Ramon Revilla Sr., was a Filipino actor who served as Senator of the Republic of the Philippines. He was known as the "''Hari ng ...

– former senator, LDP member from 1992 to 1997 before joining Lakas for the 1998 elections. *

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 ...

– Congressman, former senator, left the party in 1997 and formed his own party

Aksyon Demokratiko Aksyon Demokratiko ( ) or simply Aksyon is a political party in the Philippines founded by Raul Roco. It was recognized as a national political party in 1998 by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and is considered to be one of the major partie ...

(Aksyon) for the 1998 and 2004 elections. *

Teresa Aquino-Oreta Maria Teresa Aquino-Oreta (born Maria Teresa Aquino Aquino; June 28, 1944 – May 14, 2020), better known as Tessie Aquino-Oreta, was a Filipina politician. She was the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture in th ...

– former senator, LDP member from 1988 to 2007 before joining Nationalist People's Coalition. *

Rodolfo Biazon Rodolfo Gaspar Biazon (, born April 14, 1935) is a Filipino politician and former Philippine Marine Corps general. He was the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in early 1991 and then served as a Senator from 1992 to 1995 ...

– Congressman, former senator, erstwhile party stalwart before joining the

Liberal Party of the Philippines The Liberal Party ( Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Liberal''), abbreviated as the LP, is a liberal political party in the Philippines. Founded on January 19, 1946, by Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirin ...

in the 2004 elections. * Heherson Alvarez– former senator and congressman from Isabela's 4th District. *

Leticia Ramos-Shahani Leticia Valdez Ramos-Shahani (September 30, 1929 – March 20, 2017) was a Filipina 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 30 ...

– former senator, Senate President pro tempore of the Philippines, was a LDP member before moving to Lakas in 1991 that formed by his brother

after losing to get the nomination. * Agapito "Butz" Aquino– former senator and

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines The deputy speakers of the House of Representatives of the Philippines are the second highest-ranking officials of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. During the absence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippine ...

. *

Francisco Tatad Francisco "Kit" Sarmiento Tatad (born October 4, 1939) is a Filipino journalist and politician best known for having served as Minister of Public Information under President Ferdinand Marcos from 1969 to 1980, and for serving as a Senator of ...

– former senator, LDP member from 1995 to 1998. *

Joey Lina Jose David Lina Jr., KGCR (born December 22, 1951), better known as Joey Lina, is a Filipino lawyer, businessman, public servant, radio personality, and politician who is the former governor of Laguna and former Senator of the Philippines. Po ...

– former senator, LDP member from 1988 to 1995. * Orlando "Orly" Mercado – former senator and Senate Majority Leader, original co-founders of LDP and member from 1988 to 1998. *

Freddie Webb Freddie Nelle Webb (born November 24, 1942) is a Filipino retired basketball player and coach, former politician, and television and radio personality. Education He completed his elementary education at San Beda College and his degree in Bach ...

- Congressman from Parañaque's Lone District and a Senator for one term. *

Teofisto Guingona, Jr. Teofisto "Tito" Tayko Guingona Jr. (born July 4, 1928) is a Filipino politician and diplomat who served as the 11th vice president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2004, during the first term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Born in San ...

– former vice-president, used to be with LDP before he was appointed as Justice Secretary during the Ramos Administration. *

– longtime senator (2001–2013; 2016–2022), and former

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Current ...

(1998–2001). *

Marcelo Fernan Marcelo "Celing" Briones Fernan (October 24, 1927 – July 11, 1999) was a Filipino lawyer and political figure. He is the only Filipino to have served as both Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and as Senate President. He is also the thi ...

– former Senate President. *

Oscar Orbos Oscar Muñoz Orbos (born January 28, 1951), popularly known as Ka Oca, is a Philippine TV personality and host of GMA Network's ''Debate with Mare at Pare''. Orbos was a former cabinet secretary, provincial governor, and vice presidential candi ...

– former Congressman and representative of

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...

's 1st district *

Maria Clara Lobregat María Clara Rafols Lorenzo Lobregat (April 26, 1921 – January 2, 2004) was the first female mayor and also a representative to the Philippine Congress of Zamboanga City. Early life Lobregat or "" was born April 26, 1921, in the then-muni ...

– 3-term Congresswoman and Mayor of

Zamboanga City Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region ...

Celso Lobregat Celso L. Lobregat, III (born March 20, 1948), is a Filipino politician having served as Zamboanga City's mayor and congressman. Early life and career Lobregat comes from a long line of landlord-politicians from Mindanao. His grandfather Pablo ...

– 2 term Congressman and Mayor of

*Jose E. Calingasan – Congressman, 4th District of Batangas, most outstanding Congressmen in the History of Batangas, also a former Philippine ambassador * Alberto Romulo – former senator,

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

, and

Secretary of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

. *

Ernesto Herrera Ernesto Herrera may refer to: *Ernesto Herrera (politician) (1942–2015), Senator of the Philippines *Ernesto Herrera (playwright) Ernesto Herrera (1889–1917) was a Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, ...

– Congressman and former senator, LDP member from 1992 to 2001, later he returned again from 2004 until his death in 2015.

Electoral performance

Presidential and vice presidential elections

Legislative elections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino Centrist parties in the Philippines Conservative liberal parties Liberal parties in the Philippines Political parties established in 1988 1988 establishments in the Philippines