Political
Thinkers
Ideas are meant not to immortalize history but rather to
make sense of it. The manufacture of such ideas are
influenced by circumstances that shape it and also, the
vital thoughts of their authors. If we are to analyze
our history, we could see that ideas are not only important
for their interpretation of our history but also for their
contribution to changes in our nation. Groundbreaking
ideas have moved our nation to change. It is thus
valuable for us to recall our own political thinkers.
To fully appreciate our nation's existence, it is important
for us to trace the evolution of Filipino political
thinking.
During the time of Spanish colonial rule, Filipino political
thinkers focused on reacting to the oppressive rule that
governs the Filipinos.
Marcelo H.
Del Pilar, an ardent propagandist, reached out directly
to the masses by illustrating in his writings, the problems
of the Philippines. His thoughts during his last years
became increasingly militant until he foregoes the
assimilationist cause, saying: "Insurrection is the last
remedy, especially when the people have acquired the belief
that peaceful means to secure the remedies for evils prove
futile." In the case of Graciano Lopez-Jaena,
political thinking began mostly by chance. His
practice of small medical works among poor Filipinos led him
to come to terms to the discriminatory actions of the
Friars. Apolinario Mabini, being known as "the
sublime paralytic", was engrossed to the practice of
establishing a government for the Philippines following the
revolution. He also dreamt of worlwide recognition of
the Philippine's sovereignty. Andres
Bonifacio, on the other hand, was known as the
instigator of the Philippine revolution and the founder of
Katipunan. His ideology is what guided the Katipunan's
liberal, radical and propagandist movements.
The post-Spanish war brought forth the country's first
president, Emilio
Aguinaldo. He became the figurehead of Philippine
nationalism and the subsequent resistance to the Spaniards.
His ideas were largely confined to that of his upbringing,
status and influences. More recent thinkers included
Maximo Kalaw, Rafael Palma, Claro M.
Recto, Manuel Roxas
(Ang Bagong Katipunan), Benigno
Ramos (Sakdal Movement),
and Jose P.
Laurel. These
thinkers proved to be influential in the formation of an
ideology.
Luis Taruc,
is the one who established Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon).
This group was very active in Central
Luzon. They were later known as Huks, Running under the Nacionalista Party,
Ferdinand
Marcos won the presidential elections. Jose Ma.
Sison, Benigno
Aquino, Fidel V.
Ramos are other political thinkers hailed for their
contributions to Filipino political thinking. Notably,
all these thinkers have contributed to Filipino political
thought. Their ideas, as reactions to their times,
prove that nationalism is highly valued.
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Political
Parties
The first Philippine political party, established in 1900,
was the Federal Party, which advocated peace and
eventual statehood. Later, in 1907, the Nationalist Party
(NP) and the Democratic Party were established.
They did not produce an actual two-party system, since the
Nationalists retained exclusive control and the Democrats
functioned as a "loyal opposition." However, following
Japanese occupation and the granting of independence, an
effective two-party system developed between the Liberal
Party (LP) and the NP. The Progressive Party,
formed in 1957 by adherents of Ramon Magsaysay, polled more
than one million votes in the presidential election of 1958.
In the elections of November 1965, Senator Ferdinand Marcos,
the NP candidate, received 55% of the vote. In the 1969
election, he was elected to an unprecedented second term.
All political activity was banned in 1972, following the
imposition of martial law, and was not allowed to resume
until a few months before the April 1978 elections for an
interim National Assembly. The Marcos government's New
Society Movement (Kilusan Bagong Lipunan- KBL) won that
election and the 1980 and 1982 balloting for local
officials, amid charges of electoral fraud and attempts by
opposition groups to boycott the voting. The principal
opposition party was the People's Power Movement-Fight (Lakas
Ng Bayan- Laban), led by Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., until
his assassination in 1983. This party joined with 11 other
opposition parties in 1982 to form a coalition known as the
United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO).
Following Aquino's murder, some 50 opposition groups,
including the members of the UNIDO coalition, agreed to
coordinate their anti-Marcos efforts. This coalition of
opposition parties enabled Corazon Aquino to campaign
against Marcos in 1986. In September 1986 the revolutionary
left formed a legal political party to contest congressional
elections. The Partido ng Bayan (Party of the Nation)
allied with other left-leaning groups in an Alliance for New
Politics. This unsuccessful attempt for electoral
representation resulted in a return to guerrilla warfare on
the part of the Communists.
After assuming the presidency, Aquino formally organized the
People's Power Movement (Lakas Ng Bayan), the successor to
her late husband's party. In the congressional elections of
May 1987, Aquino's popularity gave her party a sweep in the
polls, making it the major party in the country. Marcos's
KBL was reduced to a minor party. Some of its members formed
their own splinter groups, such as the Grand Alliance for
Democracy (GAD), a coalition of parties seeking distance
from Marcos. Others revived the LP and the NP, seeking
renewed leadership. The left-wing People's Party (Partido Ng
Bayan), which supports the political objectives of the NPA,
was a minor party in the elections. In May 1989 Juan Ponce
Enrile reestablished the Nacionalista Party. A new
opposition party, the Filipino Party (Partido Pilipino),
organized in 1991 as a vehicle for Aquino's estranged cousin
Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco's presidential campaign. He ran
third in the election, taking 18.1% of the vote, behind
Miriam Defensor Santiago with 19.8% of the vote. On 30 June
1992 Fidel Ramos succeeded Corazon Aquino as president of
the Philippines with a plurality of 23.6%. In September 1992
Ramos signed the Anti-Subversion Law signaling a peaceful
resolution to more than 20 years of Communist insurgency,
with the repeal of the antisubversion legislation in place
since 1957. On 26 August 1994 Ramos announced a new
political coalition that would produce the most powerful
political group in the Philippines. Ramos' Lakas-National
Union of Christian Democrats (Lakas/NUCD) teamed with the
Democratic Filipino Struggle (Laban ng Demokratikong
Pilipino, Laban). Following the 1995 elections, the LDP
controlled the Senate with 14 of the 24 members. The
elections in 1998 changed the political landscape once more.
In the Senate the newly created Laban Ng Masang Pilipino,
led by presidential candidate, Joseph Estrada, captured 12
seats to the Lakas 5, PRP 2, LP 1, independents 3. The LAMP
party also dominated the House of Representatives with 135
seats to the Lakas 37, LP 13, Aksyon Demokratiko 1, and 35
independents.
Political parties and their leaders in 2002 included:
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society Movement), led by
Imelda Marcos; Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of
Filipino Democrats) or LDP, led by Eduardo Angara; Lakas,
led by Jose De Venecia; Liberal Party or LP, led by
Florencio Abad; Nacionalista Party, led by Jose Oliveros;
National People's Coalition or NPC, led by Eduardo Cojuangco;
PDP-Laban, led by Aquilino Pimentel; and the People's Reform
Party or PRP, led by Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
Source: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Philippines
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