PDP-LABAN History
The political party was founded in 1982 by a group protestors of the Ferdinand Marcos government. These protestors include the leaders of Davao city and other leaders of Cagayan de Oro city, such as Zafiro L. Respicio, Rey Magno Teves, Cesar R. Ledesma, Samuel Oceña, Morgs Cua and Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., who founded the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino. By 1984, PDP had formed a coalition with the Lakas ng Bayan party, founded by former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1978, and by 1986, the two groups merged to form the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-LABAN. At that period, PDP-LABAN became the single biggest opposition group to run against the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 Snap Presidential elections. Corazón Aquino, wife of Lakas ng Bayan founder Benigno Aquino, Jr. was the party’s nominee for President that year.
Aquino was convinced to run by businessman Joaquin Roces, who was convinced that Aquino would have the biggest chance to defeat Marcos in the polls. Roces started the Cory Aquino for President movement to gather one million voters in one week to urge Aquino to run as president. However, another opposition group led by Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas was also participating in the election, with Laurel as the presidential bet. Before the election, Aquino approached Laurel and offered to give up her allegiance to the PDP-LABAN party, and run as president under Laurel’s United Nationalists Democratic Organizations (UNIDO) party. Laurel became the nominee for Vice President. He also approached Aquino, offering her the Vice Presidential nomination of UNIDO or Unity. In the end, Laurel became the Vice Presidential running-mate of Aquino, after being convinced to do so by the Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin. PDP-LABAN aligned itself with UNIDO, which became the main group and leader of the coalition which opposed Marcos.
After the People Power Revolution of 1986, which saw Aquino and Laurel being proclaimed President and Vice President, respectively, PDP-LABAN continued it’s allegiance with UNIDO, until the latter’s dissolution in 1987. In 1988, PDP-LABAN was split into two factions: the Pimintel Wing of Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. and the Cojuangco Wing of Jose Cojuangco, Jr.. The Cojuangco Wing and the Lakas ng Bansa party of House Speaker Ramon Mitra, Jr. merged in 1988 to form the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party.
See also
- PDP-LABAN History (This post)
- Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan- PDP-LABAN