Soon after taking her oath as President of the Philippines at the Kalayaan Hall of the Club Filipino on Tuesday, February 22, 1986, President Corazon “Cory” Cojuangco Aquino, proclaimed a Revolutionary Government.
She abolished the Batasang Pambansa and started exercising the Legislative Powers, replaced appointive, elective and judicial government officials and created a fifty - member Constitutional Commission.
What she did not do was to create her own political party. She allowed the existing political parties to continue as they were. She did not lead, merge or reorganize them. She allowed both administration and opposition parties to continue existing, on their own accord. The former were the Liberal Party (LP), Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) Laban, UNIDO and various regional and local parties like the Pusyon Bisaya (PB) and the Bicol Saro BS). The latter were the Nacionalista Party (NP) and Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL).
The fifty - member Constitutional Commission met from June 2 to October15, 1986. Out of fifty members, five slots were offered to the opposition KBL and one to the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC). Only four slots were filled by the opposition KBL and none by the INC.
The draft Constitution was ratified by a plebiscite on February 2, 1987, by 16,622,111 (77.04 %) Yes votes against 4,953,375 (22.96 %) No votes out of 22,575,486 (99.04 %) valid votes. There were 209,730 (0.96 %) invalid or blank votes. The voter turnout was 87.04 % of registered voters.
The first legislative elections under the 1987 Constitution were held on May 11, 1987. In the elections for the Senate, Administration candidates endorsed by President Aquino ran under the “LABAN” Alliance while the Opposition KBL organized a new political Alliance named Grand Alliance for Democracy (GAD). Out of 24 Senate seats, LABAN won 22, while GAD won 2.
Out of 214 seats in the House of Representatives, 200 were elected and 14 were appointed. Out of the 200 elective seats, the following won the corresponding number of seats: Lakas ng Bayan – 24; PDP – Laban – 43; UNIDO – 19; LP – 16; NP – 4; KBL – 11; Partido ng Bayan – 2; GAD – 2; Lakas ng Bayan – 1; Coalitions and others – 55; Independent – 23 = 200 elected plus 14 appointed = 214 total seats.
Elected Senate President was Jovito Reyes Salonga. Elected Speaker of the House of Representatives (HOR) was Ramon Villarosa Mitra, Jr. On January 18, 1988, local elections were held for provincial, city and municipal government positions, ie. Provincial Governors, Vice Governors and Board Members as well as City and Municipal Mayors, Vice Mayors and Council Members. Overwhelmingly, those candidates who were endorsed by President Aquino won the elections.
On September 16, 1988, Speaker Mitra and Cory’s younger brother, Tarlac Congressman Jose “Peping” Cojuangco y Sumulong split from PDP Laban and organized the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP). Among other reasons for organizing the LDP, Speaker Mitra intended to run for President in the May 11, 1992, elections.
On September 16, 1991, the Senate voted 12 – 11 against the “Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security”. The United States closed and turned over all its military bases to the Philippines. President Aquino had been in favor of the proposed Treaty. She had publicly supported and even personally led a pro Treaty rally to the doors of the Senate then located at the old Congress building on P. Burgos Drive in Manila.
On July 18, 1991, Secretary of Defense Fidel Valdez Ramos resigned his position with the intention to run for President on May 11, 1992. He joined the LDP and participated in several regional conventions challenging Speaker Mitra for the party nomination for the Presidential candidacy. Ramos lost to Mitra.
(To be continued)
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews