Founded 1991 Political position Centre-left | Ideology Populism National affiliation None | |
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada Founder Joseph Ejercito Estrada | ||
The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Force of the Filipino Masses), formerly Partido ng Masang Pilipino (Party of the Filipino Masses) is a populist political party in the Philippines. It is the political party of former Philippine President Joseph Estrada. In the 1998 Presidential elections, it aligned itself with other political parties to create Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino or LAMMP (Struggle of the Patriotic Filipino Masses).
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History
Originally named the Partido ng Masang Pilipino, the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) emanated from an organization which was an offshoot of the Economic Recovery Action Program (ERAP) organized by Mr. George S. Antonio in May 1990. The ERAP organization was formally launched on October 4, 1990 with 21 original members.
The organization grew exponentially with the recruitment of members nationwide. It was then that the PMP was accredited as a political party with the objective of helping to uplift the lives of the Filipino people, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, through effective and efficient social and economic reforms. Its first campaign headquarters was located at the 4th floor of San Buena Building, Edsa corner Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City. On August 20, 1991, Partido ng Masang Pilipino was accredited as political party.
In 1992, PMP took its first major political step by fielding then Senator Joseph Estrada as its vice-presidential candidate together with other local candidates. Under PMP, Mr. Estrada overwhelmingly won against his four opponents.
The PMP also participated in the May 1995 election. In 1997, a permanent and fully operational headquarters was established at 409 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City. In 1998, PMP was very much involved in the election with the candidacy of Estrada as President and other local candidates nationwide. PMP played a lead role in the establishment of the opposition coalition Laban ng Malayang Masang Pilipino (LAMMP), which also counted among its members the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC). The coalition fielded full slates for the national and local levels. Card- bearing members reached as high as 3.2 million nationwide. In the end, close to 11 million Filipinos overwhelmingly voted Joseph Estrada into office as the 13th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
In 2001, PMP once again led the opposition coalition, with majority of its candidates elected into office, led by Dr. Luisa Ejercito Estrada who won a seat in the Senate.
Two years later, in 2003, the name Partido ng Masang Pilipino was changed to Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino.
In April 2004, the PMP agreed to enter into a coalition with the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas- Lakas Bayan (PDP LABAN) to form the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) and support the candidacy of Fernando Poe, Jr. for President of the Republic of the Philippines.
In office
Today, PMP occupies three Senate seats as a member of the minority floor, occupied by Estrada's wife, Luisa Ejercito Estrada, who won in 2001, his son, former San Juan suburb Mayor Jinggoy Estrada and long-time Estrada colleague veteran politician Juan Ponce Enrile, the last two winning in 2004.
In the 14 May 2007 election, the party won 3 seats in the House of Representatives. Members of the Philippine House of Representatives are elected to serve three year terms.
In the current 17th Congress the party current holds one senate seat held by Estrada's son JV Ejercito, due to most members switching sides to PDP-LABAN or UNA.
In the news
On January 18, 2008, Joseph Estrada's Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) caused full-page advertisement in Metro Manila newspapers, blaming EDSA 2 of having "inflicted a dent on Philippine democracy". Its featured clippings questioned the constitutionality of the revolution. The published featured clippings were taken from Time, New York Times, Straits Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Asia Times Online, The Economist, and International Herald Tribune. Supreme Court justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma opined that EDSA 2 violated the 1987 Constitution.
Alfredo Lim, on August 20, 2008, resigned as head of Joseph Estrada's Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (Partido ng Masang Pilipino - PMP) following a PMP's executive committee resolution removing him as president of the party. He was replaced by Joseph Estrada who is also the PMP chairman.
PMP-affiliated parties
Notable members
Candidates for Philippine General Elections 2010
Senatorial Slate (8)
Candidates for the Philippine general election, 2013
Senatorial Slate (9) United Nationalist Alliance
Candidates for the Philippine general election, 2016
Senatorial Slate