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GUIDE TO POLITICAL PARTIES
Liberal Party
(LP)
Formed in 1945, when Manuel A. Roxas contested Sergio Osmena’s leadership of the NP and candidacy for the presidency. Roxas was in favor of giving more concessions to Japanese collaborators and of allowing U.S. citizens “parity rights,” that would allow them to own property in the Philippines. He won the presidency and became, with Elpidio Quirino and Diosdado Macapagal, among the three Liberals elected president. Marcos himself was LP until he defected to the NP in 1965, when it became evident that Macapagal wanted to run for reelection as a Liberal.
After martial law, many LP members defected to the KBL. The LP itself, however, took an anti-U.S. stance in the 1980s, when it opposed U.S. support for Marcos. In 1991, it led the battle in the Senate against the ratification of a treaty allowing U.S. military bases in the country. The LP remains a small party-it has 21 members in the 12th House-but it stands out in its attempt to promote a liberal-democratic ideology and to have a party life (seminars, party-building, recruitment) beyond elections. While many of its members espouse progressive views, especially on human rights and democracy, it also has traditional politicians in its ranks.
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