March 25 of this year, I addressed the 1st CDP Congress at the Makati Sports Club. We went public for the first time to announce our intentions to seek accreditation from COMELEC as a national political party and engage actively in the political life of the nation. I declared then with all confidence – and perhaps with muted pride that we will be a force to reckon with.

 

Today, we begin to fulfil that promise - not so much by virtue of the proclamation of COMELEC, but because we all understood that only a real political party can best translate our Centrist Democratic ideals and values toward the eventual emancipation of our long suffering country.

Therefore I want you to engrave this moment in your memories. We are Centrist Democrats and leaders of a national political party committed to our core value – respect for human dignity.

The deliverance of the Filipino from a sordid state of governance is the noble purpose of this covenant – this political party. We have a long way ahead of us. Some of us will not see the end of this passage – but we have a vision of this journey’s end. This is what CDP is all about.

The ideals of democracy in the Philippines have long been debauched and its myth perpetuated by the very people that we accorded the privilege to govern us. This charade must be stopped. This is what CDP is all about.

The traditional patronage politics which has long been the scheme for insidious politicians to acquire power must be dismantled and discarded. This is what CDP is all about.

The exploitation of the multitudes of voters by keeping them shackled to their ignorance must end by launching a public funded but party-led massive political education on their civic responsibility stressing their rights and obligations. This is what CDP is all about.

The political process must be designed to be transparent and accessible to the citizenry and the rules and procedures clearly crafted to enable them to participate and make their own learned and independent choices. This is what CDP is all about
And finally, the Filipino, long been accustomed to the despicable practices of traditional politics and shown contempt by the very people that govern them must regain the respect they deserve by allowing them a foretaste of their potentials, their prospects and the greatness of their race. This is what CDP is all about.

At this juncture allow me to review the recent past and the path we took to arrive at this historic occasion.

A few years back, my compatriot, Rey Teves and I were pondering over the years of our political struggle. We were the recruits of Raul Manglapus, one of the eminent precursors of Christian or Centrist Democracy in the country. We weighed the failures and successes of the Centrist Democracy in the country and our minor roles in them. After nearly four (4) decades of advocacy we were not close to where we hoped we would be. Raul and a host of our mentors, leaders and comrades have passed away. We too were confronted by our own mortality.

We needed to pass on to a new set of young leaders the concepts that we hold precious. Thus was born the SUCCESSOR GENERATION program.
Our timing was no less than impeccable. November of 2009, Rey Teves departed this life, just a few days after a gathering of Philippine KAS partners in Manila where the incoming country representative was installed - Peter Koeppinger.
Peter Koeppinger agreed to my proposal to put up a Centrist Democracy Political Institute and together, we conceptualized the Centrist Democratic Movement – CDM.

Upon the invitation of KAS, Peter and I together with 13 CDM leaders visited Germany in the summer of 2011 to study and learn about the German political & economic system. Inspired by German successes, the delegation produced a document, the 1st paragraph of which I will quote:

Emboldened by our strong resolve and the guiding principles of human dignity, subsidiarity, solidarity and the rule of law, we the officers, members and convenors of the Centrist Democratic Movement Federation of the Philippines manifest our ardent commitment to be constituted into an authentic political party in the Philippines.

This document is aptly titled:
The Manifestation of Political Party Constitution by the Centrist Democratic Movement Federation of the Philippines.

This was attested to by 15 signatories on the 9th day of May 2011 at the Maritim Hotel in Berlin, Germany.

This document is now known as the BERLIN PROTOCOL.
I will paraphrase from my speech on our 1st Congress in March this year.
“Today marks the birthing of the CENTRIST DEMOCRATIC PARTY – Ang Partido ng tunay na Demokrasya. In the long saga of Centrist Democracy in the Philippines, this is another episode we are all writing but a very crucial one. We don’t know how the storyline will develop ultimately. There will be twists and turns along the way - but one thing is guaranteed – the Philippine political topography will be altered in ways never before witnessed since the time this State became a Republic.”

The year 2013, will be a defining moment for the CDP. This will be the first encounter of a fledgling party that will strive for the modification of the political environment of the country.

Indeed, we will be engaged in an electoral contest where our resolve will be severely tested. This will mark the beginning of a strife towards ending the vicious cycle of Philippine traditional politics.

In the elections of 2013, as in any crusade we need a field general. I believe we have chosen well. Our incoming party president, Congressman Rufus Rodriguez, scarred in many electoral encounters will lead us into the political arena.