The Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista) - 1946-1982

Since 1946 this party has consisted of the right wing of the original Nationalist Party [founded in 1907]. It came to power in November 1952, when Ramén Magsaysay (who had been a member of the Liberal Party until March of that year) was elected President, and it retained the presidency until 1961. In 1965 the party was joined by Ferdinand Marcos (who had until then been a member of the Liberal Party), and in November 1965 he was, as the Nationalist Party's candidate, elected President. He has been in power since then. After the establishment of the New Society Movement the party went into opposition but had some limited success in the provincial, municipal and local elections held in January 1980.

Prior to the 1981 presidential elections the party was split, with a majority of delegates electing Jose Laurel as party president in place of Jose Roy. The latter's faction, however, nominated Alejo S. Santos as the party's presidential candidate (who came second...). President Marcos had allowed the NP to take part in the elections but had stated on Jan. 18 1981, that he would challenge any NP victory as the party had been dismantled on the establishment of his New Society Movement in 1978 a claim which was rejected by Jose Roy. In 1982 the NP joined the United (Nationalist) Democratic Organization (UNIDO).

Source: Alan J. Day & Henry W. Degenhardt, Political Parties of the World, 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1984.
-For information on the United Democratic Organization (UNIDO) please refer to the accompanying excerpt from the World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties, George E. Delury, ed. (New York: Facts on File Publications, 1987).
-For current information on Philippines' politics please see Keesing's Record of World Events and assorted news clippings which are also attached. The state of human rights in the country can be found in Amnesty International's Philippines: Unlawful Killings by Military and Paramilitary Forces which is included in this package, as well as in other, more recent AI publications found in the regional documentation centre in Calgary.