Lakas–CMD facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats
President	Martin Romualdez
Chairperson	Bong Revilla Jr.
Secretary-General	Jose Aquino II
President Emeritus	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Founder	Fidel Ramos Raul Manglapus
Founded	December 1991; 33 years ago (1991-12) (original form) June 18, 2008; 17 years ago (2008-06-18) (current form)
Merger of	Lakas–CMD and KAMPI
Headquarters	3/F, Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, Legazpi Village, Makati, 1229 Metro Manila
Youth wing	Lakas Youth
Ideology	Christian democracy Islamic democracy Conservatism Filipino nationalism Federalism Parliamentarianism
Political position	Centre-right
National affiliation	UniTeam (2021–present) Coalition for Change (2016–2021)
International affiliation	Centrist Democrat International
Colors	Sky blue, gold, green, orange
Seats in the Senate	1 / 24
Seats in the House of Representatives	100 / 316
Provincial governorships	8 / 82
Provincial board members	18 / 1,023
City and municipal mayorships	68 / 1,634
City and municipal councilors	514 / 16,812
Website
lakascmd.com

Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats, often called Lakas–CMD or just Lakas, is a major political party in the Philippines. It is known for its ideas that are a mix of Christian democracy and Islamic democracy. This means it supports values from both Christian and Muslim beliefs in how the government should work.

Lakas–CMD is considered a centre-right party. This means its ideas are usually more about keeping things stable and supporting businesses. After the 2022 elections, Lakas–CMD became the largest party in the House of Representatives. The party's president, Martin Romualdez, is now the Speaker of the House. The party is also a key member of the UniTeam Alliance, which is led by President Bongbong Marcos.

Lakas–CMD has helped elect one President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. She was president when the party was formed in its current shape in 2009. The party also helped elect Sara Duterte as Vice President in the 2022 elections.

The party was officially formed in 2008. This happened when the older Lakas–CMD party joined with another party called Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI). Together, they were first known as Lakas Kampi CMD. Later, many members left to join a new party. So, Lakas Kampi CMD went back to its original name, Lakas–CMD.

After the 2010 elections, the party faced some challenges. It split into different groups within the government. By 2013, Lakas supported many candidates from an opposition group. In 2016, the party joined the main group led by PDP–Laban, the party of President Rodrigo Duterte. For the 2019 elections, Lakas joined the Hugpong ng Pagbabago alliance. In the 2022 elections, Lakas won the vice presidency. It also became the largest party in Congress, leading the main group.

Party History

How Lakas–CMD Started

Around 2006, the original Lakas party had two main groups. One was led by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The other was led by former President Fidel V. Ramos.

On June 18, 2008, President Arroyo confirmed that the original Lakas–CMD party and the KAMPI party would join together. This merger brought together many national and local officials. The leaders of both parties signed an agreement. Even after the merger, the name Lakas–CMD was kept.

However, some members, including former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and former President Ramos, did not agree with the merger. They tried to stop it. But the Supreme Court later said the merger was legal.

From Majority to Minority (2010–2016)

In the 2010 elections, Lakas–CMD faced some difficulties. Their presidential candidate, Gilberto Teodoro, lost. Only two of their candidates for the Senate won. These two later joined the Liberal Party, which was the new ruling party. Many other Lakas members also joined the Liberal Party. Some members formed a new party called the National Unity Party.

After these changes, the Lakas Kampi CMD group officially ended. On May 11, 2012, the party decided to go back to its original name: Lakas–CMD. It became one of the main opposition parties after the 2010 elections.

The party became weaker after former President Arroyo faced legal challenges in 2011 and 2012. She was later cleared of these charges in 2017. In 2013, Senator Bong Revilla became the party's chairperson. Martin Romualdez became the party's president. In the 2013 Senate election, Lakas mostly supported candidates from another opposition group.

In 2016, the party first thought about having Senator Revilla run for president. But he faced legal issues and could not run. By August 2015, Lakas considered joining forces with another party to support Jejomar Binay for president. However, the party could not agree on a candidate. So, they decided not to support anyone for president in 2016. They did support Bongbong Marcos for vice president, but he lost.

Growing Stronger (2016–2022)

After Rodrigo Duterte won the presidential election in 2016, Lakas signed an agreement with his party, PDP–Laban. Lakas joined the "Coalition for Change," which was the group supporting the new government. In 2017, former President Arroyo and some allies joined PDP–Laban to show support for President Duterte.

In September 2018, Lakas started to rebuild its strength. On November 6, 2018, the party joined the Hugpong ng Pagbabago alliance. Senator Revilla ran for reelection under this group in the 2019 Senate election and won. This marked Lakas' return to the Senate. The party also won more seats in the House of Representatives. Many politicians joined the party after the 2019 elections. Former President Arroyo rejoined Lakas in March 2020.

On November 17, 2021, Sara Duterte became the chairperson of Lakas. She then announced she would run for vice president in the 2022 elections. She became the running mate of Bongbong Marcos. On November 29, 2021, Lakas formed the UniTeam Alliance with three other parties. This alliance supported Marcos and Duterte's campaigns. They both won the elections. This was the first time a presidential and vice-presidential pair won together since 2004.

Back to Being a Major Party (2022–Present)

After the 2022 Philippine general election, Lakas won 26 seats in the House of Representatives and the vice presidency. Many politicians joined Lakas, making it much stronger. By the time the 19th Congress started, Lakas had grown from 12 seats to 64 seats in the House. It replaced PDP–Laban as the leading party there.

Important members of Lakas were chosen for leadership roles in the House. Martin Romualdez became the House Speaker. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Isidro Ungab became deputy speakers. As of May 2023, the party has 71 members in the House.

On May 17, 2023, Arroyo's role in the House was changed. She was moved from senior deputy speaker to deputy speaker. She denied rumors that she was trying to remove Romualdez from his position. The party later also made an agreement with PDP–Laban. After Arroyo's role changed, Vice President Sara Duterte resigned from the party on May 19, 2023. She said her leadership "cannot be poisoned by political toxicity."

What Lakas–CMD Believes In

Lakas–CMD follows the ideas of Christian democracy and Islamic democracy. It is also a member of the Centrist Democrat International (CDI), which is a group of similar parties worldwide. The party also supports changing the government system from a presidential one to a parliamentary one. This would involve changing the country's laws. They also want to work towards peace with different groups in the Philippines.

Lakas–CMD has always focused on making the country's economy grow and creating more jobs. They also want strong ties with the United States. The party is special because it includes Muslim leaders in its political group. Lakas–CMD has often been more popular in the Mindanao provinces.

Important Party Leaders

• President Emerita: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
• National President: Martin Romualdez
• Chairperson: Bong Revilla Jr.
• Co-Chairpersons:
  • Danilo Suarez
  • Jose de Venecia Jr.
• Executive Vice President: Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe
• Secretary-General: Jose Aquino II

List of Party Chairpersons

• Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2008–2009)
• Gilberto Teodoro (2009–2010)
• Amelita Villarosa (2010)
• Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2010–2011)
• Edcel Lagman (2011–2012)
• Bong Revilla, Jr. (2012–2021)
• Sara Duterte (2021–2023)
• Bong Revilla, Jr. (2023–present)

How Lakas–CMD Performed in Elections

Presidential Elections

Vice Presidential Elections

Legislative Elections

See also

In Spanish: Lakas Kampi CMD para niños

• List of Islamic political parties