The party now known as PDP–Laban is the result of a merger between the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino and Lakas ng Bayan.
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) was founded in 1982 by Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. and a group of protesters against the authoritarian government of Ferdinand Marcos, the 10th President of the Philippines. These protesters include the leaders of Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City, such as Zafiro L. Respicio, Rey Magno Teves, Cesar R. Ledesma, Samuel Oceña, Crispin Lanorias and Morgs Cua.
By 1983, PDP had formed a coalition with the Lakas ng Bayan (Filipino for "People Power") party, founded earlier by former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. in 1978.
In 1986, the two groups merged to form the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP LABAN. During that period, PDP LABAN became the single biggest opposition group to run against the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 Snap Presidential Elections. Corazón, the widow of the assassinated senator Aquino, became the party's nominee to run for President. Aquino was persuaded to run by businessman, newspaperman and street parliamentarian Joaquin Roces, who was convinced that Aquino would have the biggest chance to defeat Marcos in the polls.
Roces started the "Cory Aquino for President" movement to gather one million voters in one week, to urge Aquino to run for president. However, another opposition group led by Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas was also participating in the election, with Laurel as its presidential bet. Before the election, Aquino approached Laurel and offered to give up her allegiance to the PDP-LABAN party and run as president under Laurel's United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) party. Laurel later approached Aquino, offering her only the Vice-Presidential nomination of UNIDO (or Unity). In the end, Laurel became the Vice-Presidential running-mate of Aquino, after being convinced to do so by the Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin.
PDP-LABAN then aligned itself with UNIDO, which became the main group and leader of the coalition which opposed Marcos. After the People Power Revolution of 1986, which saw Aquino and Laurel proclaimed President and Vice President, respectively, PDP LABAN continued its alliance with UNIDO until the latter's dissolution in 1987. In 1988, PDP-LABAN was split into two factions: the Pimentel Wing of Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. and the Cojuangco Wing of Jose Cojuangco, Jr.. The Cojuangco Wing and the Lakas ng Bayan party of House Speaker Ramon Mitra, Jr. merged in 1988 to form the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino party.
As of May 2016, PDP–Laban is headed by its president, senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, after the then incumbent Vice-President of the Philippines, Jejomar Binay, resigned as party chairman and left the party. The party is currently re-grouping, and there are some movements of expansion especially in Mindanao, where it originated, particularly in the Davao region. Two of the party's founders, Crispin Lanorias and Cesar Ledesma, are again active in recent party activities. After the 2016 elections, PDP–Laban signed a coalition agreement with the Nacionalista Party, Lakas-CMD, National Unity Party and the Nationalist People's Coalition, witnessed by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.
According to self-published material, PDP-LABAN seeks a peaceful and democratic way of life characterized by:
freedom
solidarity
justice, equity, and social responsibility
self-reliance and efficiency
enlightened nationalism
a federal system of parliamentary government
- Theism
- Authentic humanism
- Enlightened nationalism
- Democratic centrist socialism
- Consultative and participatory democracy
Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III – president of the party; current senator and senate president
Rodrigo Duterte – national chairman of the party; current president of the Philippines; former mayor of Davao City (also a member of Hugpong Sa Tawong Lungsod, a local party based in Davao City)
Alfonso Cusi – vice chairman of the party; current department secretary of energy
Jorge Bernardo – executive vice president of the party
Salvador Ty – vice president of the party for the National Capital Region
Virgilio Bote, Jr. – vice president of the party for Luzon; incumbent Mayor of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija
Victor Emmanuel Caindec – vice president of the party for Visayas
Charito B. Plaza – vice president of the party for Mindanao
Pantaleon "Bebot" Alvarez – secretary-general of the party; incumbent Davao del Norte 1st district congressman; current house speaker
Cesar Chavez – overall deputy secretary of the party
Norman Fulgencio – deputy secretary-general of the party for the National Capital Region
Martin Diño – deputy secretary-general of the party for Luzon; also Chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption
Doloreich Dumaluan – deputy secretary-general of the party for Visayas
Benito L. Ranque – deputy secretary-general of the party for Mindanao
Mario Espinosa – deputy secretary-general of the party for Bicol Region
Richard Ang – deputy secretary-general of the party for Eastern Visayas
Raymund Saguin – deputy secretary-general of the party for Zamboanga Peninsula
Sultan Ali A. Mindalano – deputy secretary-general of the party for Muslim Affairs
Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. – chairman emeritus
Corazon Aquino (11th President of the Philippines)
Rodrigo Duterte (16th President of the Philippines; former Mayor of Davao City; party chairman)
Jejomar Binay (13th Vice President of the Philippines; former Mayor of Makati City; former party chairman; moved to UNA)
Pantaleon Alvarez (Speaker of the House for the 17th Congress; incumbent Representative from the 1st District of Davao del Norte; secretary-general of the party)
Gwendolyn Garcia (Deputy Speaker for the 17th Congress; incumbent Representative from the 3rd District of Cebu; former governor of Cebu)
Teodoro Locsin Jr. (former Representative from the 1st District of Makati)
Manny Pacquiao (incumbent Senator; former Representative from the Lone District of Sarangani)
JV Ejercito - (incumbent Senator; former Representative from the Lone district of San Juan City & former mayor of San Juan City)
Ernesto Maceda (former Senator ran under this party from 1987 to 1992; later defected to Nationalist People's Coalition in 1992)
Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr. (former Senate President; former mayor of Cagayan de Oro)
Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III (Senate President for the 17th Congress; president of the party)
Lucy Torres (Wife of actor and politician Richard Gomez; incumbent Representative from the 4th District of Leyte)
Gustavo Tambunting (incumbent Representative from the 2nd District of Paranaque member from 1988 to 2013 and since 2016)
Vitaliano Aguirre II – Current Justice Secretary
Allan L. Rellon – Tagum City mayor
Amado Espino Jr. (incubment representative of the 5th District of Pangasinan and former Governor of Pangasinan)
Ismael Sueno – former governor of South Cotabato; Secretary of the Department of Interior & Local Government, former national chairman of the party
Roy M. Yap – incumbent Board Member of the First District of Misamis Occidental; Interim Secretary-General of the party for the Province of Misamis Occidental
Lodivico Mosot – incumbent Vice-Mayor of Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte; Secretary-General of the party for the Province of Southern Leyte
Jesus B. Cabanacan – incumbent Sangguniang Bayan Member of Barugo, Leyte; Vice-President of the party for the Province of Leyte
Margaux "Mocha" Justiniano Uson – MTRCB Board Member
Arnell Ignacio – Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Vice President
Aiza Seguerra – National Youth Commission Chairman
Alfonso Cusi – Energy Secretary
Leonor Briones – Education Secretary
Christopher "Bong" Go – Special Assistant to President Duterte
Presidential Candidate
Rodrigo Duterte (formally announced candidacy on November 21, 2015 and officially filed Certificate of Candidacy on November 27 and December 8) – WON
Martin Diño (filed his candidacy on October 16, 2015, withdrawn on October 29)
Note: Diño earlier stated that should he withdraw his intention to run for president, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be his substitute.
Vice Presidential Candidate
Alan Peter Cayetano (PDP-LABAN guest candidate; a member of the Nacionalista Party running as an independent candidate)
