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If there was one name upper- most among Lakas-CMD
members gathered at the Folk Art Theater yesterday, it was Raul S.
Manglapus. A many-time senator of the Republic and foreign affairs
secretary, Manglapus teamed up in 1992 with Mr. Fidel V. Ramos and
Mr. Jose de Venecia to form what is now the country’s most
dominant political party.
Originally organized to assemble
like-minded candidates for the 1992 elections, the Lakas CMD allied
with the Lakas Tao of Mr. Ramos and the National Union of Christian
and Muslim Democrats of Mr. Manglapus. It adopted the ideology of
Christian Democracy, which Manglapus had espoused even during the
premartial law years. But the political basis of the new coalition
was the defense of the EDSA Revolution, which Mr. Ramos embodied.
Aside from giving the new
coalition an ideology—almost unknown in Philippines politics
except perhaps in the CPP—Manglapus also linked the Lakas-CMD to
the international Christian Democratic movement. His preparation was
when he hosted during the Aquino administration a conference on
newly restored democracies in Manila. The restored democracies which
Manglapus convened were mostly Christian Democrats from Latin
America which had just emerged from the dark period of military
rule.
Before the Lakas-CMD grew, the
common view was that Christian Democracy could take root only in
Latin America and in Europe. But events proved this thesis wrong.
One refinement in ideological formulation made by Manglapus was that
Christians and Muslims, two opposing world views, unite under the
slogan of democracy.
Mr. Heherson Alvarez, speaking at
the Kapihan sa Sulo last Saturday, said that the party has been a
partner of government in development. He said that from 1992 to
1998, the party could claim to have ended the economic and business
cycle of boom and bust and helped the nation achieve a modest
economic miracle from 2001 to the present.
Mr. Alvarez said that with the
trust given to Lakas by the public in a recent SWS survey, it is
confident it will win the election on May 14. Lakas is in coalition
with parties like Kampi, NPC and the LP Atienza. The figures show
the dominance of Lakas.
Of the country’s 81 provinces,
50 have incumbent Lakas governors, the allied party NPC has 13; the
Liberal Party-Atienza wing has 9; and the rest divided among the
other allied parties. Of 117 city mayors, 92 incumbents belong to
the administration coalition with Lakas at 55, followed by NPC with
19, Kampi, 9; LP Atienza, 8; and LDP at 6. Of the 221 elected seats
in the House, Lakas has 81, followed by Kampi with 44, NPC with 35,
LP-Atienza at 21 and LDP with 3.
A doctor runs
for Romblon governor
In the island province of Romblon,
Dr. Venizar F. Maravilla is running for governor under the banner of
the Genuine Opposition (GO). A native of the vote-rich town of
Odiongan, Maravilla, is a recent recruit to the Liberal Party-Drilon
Wing.
A newcomer in politics, he will
fight Mr. Jojo Beltran of the Lakas Party (believe to be supported
by former Manila congressman Mark Jimenez) and Mr. Armand Gutierrez
of Kampi—both equipped with funds and organization. Maravilla is
confident that the province will favor the opposition.
The doctor’s program aims to
remove Romblon from the list of the country’s poorest provinces.
Maravilla focuses on reviving the dying marble industry, boosting
fishing and agriculture production and encouraging tourism and
protecting the environment. He recently criticized officials of the
province for allowing the entry of mining firms on Sibuyan Island
without consultation with local officials and the public.
BRIEF NOTES. Something is
happening in the Marcos family. It’s not Ms. Imee Marcos running
for governor, contrary to earlier reports. The Marcos family is
fielding Mr. Michael M. Keon, the sportman. But Gov. Bongbong
Marcos will run for congressman . . . Did you know that the
fraternal ally of the Communist Party of China in the Philippines is
the Lakas-CMD? This new development was worked out by Speaker de
Venecia in many of his trips to Beijing. In the 70’s, the liaison
partner of the Chinese Party was the Philippine Communist Party . .
. Sonny Alvarez is not running for any post. But he will be active
in the campaign, manning the party headquarters. Alvarez remains
the most articulate spokesman of Lakas . . . Is it true that the
budget of Ms. Lilia Pineda for the gubernatorial contest in Pampanga
is P1 billion? Sobra naman ’yan.
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