It’s time to get back to two party system
They are all smiles when big guns of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and Lakas-CMD forged their alliance in preparation for the 2025 elections. The venue was the Manila Polo Club. (Lugar pangmayan yan). House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez who is president of PFP was grinning from ear to ear as he was shaking hands with Congressman Jose Dalipe, Lakas executive Vice President. Father and son President Bongbong Marcos and Congressmen Sandro who is PFP Vice Chairman witnessed the ‘momentous’event. Ang galing nila.
Yes Virginia, at this early every political parties, national or local, worth its salt should be starting now mending political fences. Early bird catches the worm, so they say. In Pampanga ‘campaigning’rather came early. Kaya magastos talaga ang darating na halalan. I think it’s not only in Pampanga but almost anywhere in the country. How it ended up this way, is because most people ( hindi ko nilalahat) take advantage of the politicians during the campaign period.
RETRO: Let’s tackle the political system. I grew up knowing two political parties in our country, the Liberal Party and the Nacionalista Party. Our political system copied the two party system of the United States of America. The counterparts in the USA are the Republican Party aka GOP (Grand Old Party) now headed by Donald Trump and the Democratic Party led by President Joe Biden.
The Liberal Party (LP) is one of the oldest extant political parties in the country and pride itself with big names like Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino and Diosdado P. Macapagal. It was founded after the war, sometime in 1945. And the oldest party is the Nacionalista Party (NP) which was founded in 1907. The NP was the ruling party from 1935 to 1944 and was headed by President Manuel L. Quezon till the war broke out. Quezon took the submarine with General Douglas Macarthur for the United States via Australia and left the country and the party under the care of Sergio Osmena Sr.
The NP big guns include former Presidents Ramon Magsaysay of Zambales, Carlos P. Garcia of Bohol, Ferdinand E. Marcos of Ilocos Norte and Claro M. Recto of Batangas. One national figure coming from Pampanga was the late Senator Gil J. Puyat of Guagua who became senate president. The late Rafael L. Lazatin of Angeles City and the late Congressman Igmidio Bondoc were the last known prominent members of the party coming from Pampanga.
The leaderships of this country changed hands from stalwarts of these two parties. No political figure during those years can become president unless they belong either to the NP or LP. I remember I was still in the high school when Raul Manglapus, a brilliant senator run as an independent candidate and assembled prominent names in his senatorial slate and all of them failed to get the approval of the electorates. Time to get back to the two party system. When the multiparty system was adopted nagkamal-luko luko na ang pulitika sa atin.