“The PDP of today can hardly be called ‘democratic’ when most of its new leaders have neither cut their teeth in the struggle to defend Philippine democracy in the past…”
The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino or PDP was founded on Feb. 6, 1982 by Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. as a political party firmly opposed to authoritarianism or despotic rule.
Later, it merged with the Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) founded by former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino and later headed by Lorenzo Tañada, often described as the “Grand Old Man of Philippine politics.”
The PDP-Laban became part of the country’s ruling party coalition from 1986 to 1992 and played a big role during the Cory Aquino administration in expanding the democratic space in the post-EDSA People Power era.
Today, sadly, the PDP-Laban of long ago is not even a shadow of its former self.
While Nene Pimentel’s son, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, still leads a faction within the party, he appears to have failed to stop the hijacking of the political formation that defended Philippine democracy against great odds.
The PDP has officially dropped the Laban from its official name, and rightly so, because it is unwilling to uphold democratic ideals but is singularly focused on maintaining themselves in public office for as long as they can.
That the current PDP is a misnomer and far from being a political party of real democrats but of fake ones is clearly shown by the selection of former president Rodrigo Duterte as its chairman.
That he has been elected to the PDP hierarchy as its top leader at this point boggles the imagination.
Why did somebody who singlehandedly bring Philippine democracy to its lowest point or nadir with his bloody war on drugs from 2016 to the end of his term in 2022 with no less than 20,000 extrajudicial killings during his six years in office deserve to be installed as leader of what was intended as a real democratic party in word and in deed?
What’s even more worrisome is that this same political party originally organized along libertarian and democratic principles will quite possibly do the opposite, which is to upend our cherished democratic ideals and bring this country to situation where transparency and accountability would be the exception rather than the rule.
We are just as worried that the PDP would be dominated by politicians who cannot be expected to uphold the rule of law and good governance anchored on transparency and accountability.
We expect our political parties to offer the electorate a comprehensive and coherent platform of governance and possess the right qualifications for both local and national positions, rather than mere popularity because of exposure in show business.
Lawmaking and executive leadership are too serious a concern to be left to active and former show business personalities.
We should not vote for people with the propensity to subtract rather than add to the sum of human knowledge every time they open their mouths.
The late Nene Pimentel and Lorenzo Tañada must be turning in their graves out of sheer disgust and horror over the coup d’etat mounted by rabid anti-democracy politicians eager to capture the levers of political power for their own self-interests instead of working for a better future for the nation and our people.
Let us not forget that the key word in the party’s name is “demokratiko” or “democratic.” If we go by the Lincolnian notion of democracy, it’s a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
The PDP of today can hardly be called “democratic” when most of its new leaders have neither cut their teeth in the struggle to defend Philippine democracy in the past, nor shed their image as dyed-in-the-wool traditional politicians eager to prolong their grip on power.
The PDP has been transformed from a powerful battering ram against dictatorship and political dynasties into a convenient vehicle for vested interests and perpetuation of power by both old and new politicians.
Internet research on the PDP yielded this interesting observation from a PDP-Laban community leader in a northern province and a dedicated party cadre since its founding in 1982:
“Party newcomers and interlopers are now trying to wrest control of the party…We are wondering why we now have so many politicians who have emerged to claim that they are PDP-Laban members but we, who are original members, are now being eased out.
“We will not allow these hitchhikers to gain control of the party that we established.” (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)