THE concept of a political party is now totally blurred and nebulous, made that way by the so-called leaders of the nation who have disparaged their own parties.
In the last several elections, we saw politicians ditching their affiliations and running under rival political parties, explaining lamely that they were granted permission by their party mates.
But how about the party line? The set of fundamental beliefs and advocacies, programs of action and platforms, which members have taken an oath to uphold?
What really makes a political party under our system? Is it just the official recognition from the Commission on Elections or is it more than that?
Our two-party system of old, composed of the Liberal Party (LP) and the Nacionalista Party (NP), was the closest we have achieved to affirming party loyalty and dignity. While Ferdinand Marcos Sr. shattered tradition by jumping from the LP to the NP on his way to the presidency in 1965, the two-party structure survived until Marcos himself effectively suspended it with the declaration of martial law in 1972.
`It appears that only the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, whose politics is in another realm, appreciates the relevance of the party line…’
The tug-of-war between Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and the Duterte group on which faction should rightfully be recognized as PDP-Laban party is a case in point.
The Duterte wing of the PDP-Laban headed by Sen. Robin Padilla slammed Pimentel for using the party’s name in his request to Senate President Francis Escudero to immediately convene the Senate as an impeachment court and start the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
The group cited the recognition given them by the Comelec on March 23, 2023. Reacting to this, Pimentel said the said Comelec ruling is still under appeal in the Supreme Court.
While they fight for the name and style of the party, Pimentel is running for mayor of Marikina under the Nacionalista Party. Former senator Manny Pacquiao of the NP, meanwhile, is running under the President’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.
There were other classic examples from the past. Parties were known to junk their own members in favor of winnable candidates. Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC) chief Danding Cojuangco got Joseph Estrada for vice president in 1992, with Sonny Osmeña needing to step down as senator.
In 2004, Sen. Panfilo Lacson denounced the decision of his own party, the LDP, for shooing him off and backing the popular Fernando Poe Jr. for president, who was not even a party member.
The LP picked Leni Robredo instead of its original leader Mar Roxas for the presidential election won by Bongbong Marcos in 2022. Duterte barely made it as a candidate until Martin Diño of PDP-Laban withdrew and gave him his slot.
Joseph Estrada, who led his own Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), had to coalesce with a bigger group, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino of Sen. Edgardo Angara to bolster his strength with a nationwide organization in the elections of 1998.
Bongbong Marcos and Sen. JV Ejercito shunned their respective fathers’ political parties and ran under other parties.
It appears that only the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, whose politics is in another realm, appreciates the relevance of the party line, yet even the CPP has had to undergo a split based on ideological lines. Through the years since its inception in 1968, this party has remained fractious in the underground, giving birth to various smaller parties.
