The Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), the largest political party in the country, has forged an alliance with Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) to further promote people’s interests under the “Bagong Pilipinas” program of President Marcos.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Lakas-CMD president, said aside from promoting their governance agenda, the alliance would support the socio-economic roadmap of the Marcos administration.
“We aim to advocate and pursue measures that will sustain the country’s economic development, attract more foreign investments, create more job and income opportunities, build up food supply, and in general, improve the lives of our people,” he said.
Romualdez said the Lakas-CMD-PFP alliance aligns with the goal of President Marcos to unite diverse sectors of the country.
“Unity of aspiration and purpose can propel us to economic advancement,” the Speaker said.
In forging their “Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas,” Lakas-CMD and PFP said they believe that “public service should be conducted with utmost integrity, transparency, accountability, people participation, effectiveness, and efficiency.”
They said they share this common vision in pursuit of the common good and economic progress.
They also “have a shared vision that will guide and lead the nation in the goal to achieve sustainable growth and development.”
“In view of the shared vision of the PFP and Lakas-CMD, the parties have agreed to forge their alliance that will pave the way for strength and continued positive change for the country to usher in a Bagong Pilipinas,” the parties’ leaderships stressed.
Romualdez and PFP president Reynaldo Tamayo, Jr. signed the alliance agreement for their respective parties with President Marcos as witness.
Other signatories to the alliance pact include House Senior Deputy Majority Leader and PFP vice chairman Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, PFP executive vice president Antonio Lagdameo, Jr., Lakas-CMD chairman Sen. Ramon Revilla, Jr. and Lakas-CMD executive vice president and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe.
Pivotal Alliance
President Marcos hailed the PFP-Lakas-CMD alliance as a pivotal moment for Philippine politics and public service, envisioning it as a catalyst for the country’s transformation.
“We mark today a significant moment not just for Philippine politics, but also for the field of public service, as members of both parties formalize and build an alliance that will propel our country towards the Bagong Pilipinas that we envision,” President Marcos said.
Called, ‘Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas,’ the alliance aims to elevate the lives of the Filipino people under a unified vision of “Bagong Pilipinas,” according to the President.
President Marcos, serving as the guest of honor, presided over the signing event attended by approximately 300 PFP and Lakas-CMD members.
He expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support received from the Filipino people during the 2022 presidential elections, leading to the formation of the ‘UniTeam’ with Vice President Sara Duterte.
Emerging victorious in the 2022 presidential elections with 31 million votes, President Marcos highlighted the nation’s faith not only in the promise of improved public service but also in the shared vision of a better Philippines.
“We saw that the people really accepted our message about unity. And besides that, when we were successful in our campaign, we continued our unity because we started what we call a whole-of-government approach,” he said.
President Marcos emphasized the implementation of a ‘whole-of-government approach,’ where all government agencies collaborate alongside the legislative and executive branches, promoting what he termed as “transformative politics.”
In an ambush interview, Romualdez was asked about the possibility of an alliance between Lakas-CMD and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), he stated, “anything is possible.”
Romualdez also mentioned the possibility of allying with Vice President Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago. He declined to speculate when asked about other potential parties for the alliance.
Romualdez and the Dutertes’ relationship has deteriorated in the past months following the lawmaker’s push for charter change and the elder Duterte’s tirades against the current administration.
On the potential senatorial slate, Romualdez said the alliance would be fielding a full slate in the 2025 elections, citing that the full line-up is still being processed.
“There are many, many considerations there, we leave it to the collective wisdom of the alliance leadership,” Romualdez stated.
He, however, added that he would prefer candidates who support the constitutional amendment.
