Kilusang Bagong Lipunan

Establishment and ideology

Main article: Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos

The ideological roots of the "Bagong Lipunan" ("new society") concept can be traced to one Marcos' rationalizations for the declaration of Martial Law in September 23, 1972. In his rhetoric, Marcos contended that a system of "constitutional authoritarianism" was necessary in order to "reform society" and create a "new society" under his authority.

Six years after the declaration of Martial Law, Marcos adopted this rhetoric and used the phrase as the name of the umbrella coalition of administration parties running in the 1978 Philippine parliamentary election. The coalition retained the name when it was reorganized as a political party in 1986.

Splinter factions after the People Power Revolution

Main article: People Power Revolution

After the 1986 People Power Revolution ended Ferdinand Marcos' 21 years in power, he, his family and key followers fled to Hawaii. Marcos' party machinery quickly began to break into numerous factions, the most successful of which were Blas Ople's Partido Nacionalista ng Pilipinas, a reorganized Nacionalista Party led by Rafael Palmares and Renato Cayetano after the death of Senator Jose Roy, and a reorganized Kilusang Bagong Lipunan led by Nicanor Yñiguez.

By the time of the 1987 Philippine constitutional plebiscite, the reconstituted KBL under Yñiguez was the party furthest to the right among the rightwing political parties of the mid-1980s, remaining loyal to Marcos' authoritarian ideology in contrast to the Partido Nacionalista ng Pilipinas, which took a conservative centrist stance, and the Palmares wing of the Nacionalista party and the Kalaw wing of the Liberal Party which took center-right stances.

2009 party division

By 2007, KBL started to strengthen their political power, and was expected to merge with the founder's former party, Nacionalista. KBL chairman Vicente Millora advocated for a two-party system return, stating that the KBL is willing to merge with Nacionalista if the two-party system is revived.

On November 20, 2009, the KBL forged an alliance with the Nacionalista Party (NP) between Bongbong Marcos and NP Chairman Senator Manny Villar at the Laurel House in Mandaluyong. Bongbong was later on removed as a member by the KBL National Executive Committee on November 29. As such, the NP broke its alliance with the KBL due to internal conflicts within the party, though Marcos remained part of the NP Senatorial line-up.

Electoral candidacy history

Candidates for the 2010 Philippine general election

• Vetellano Acosta (disqualified) – Presidential Candidate (lost)
• Jay Sonza – Vice Presidential Candidate (lost)
• Senatorial slate:
  1. Alma Lood (lost)
  2. Hector Villanueva (lost)
  3. Shariff Ibrahim Albani (lost)
  4. Dodong Maambong (lost)
  5. Nanette Espinosa (lost)

Candidates for the 2016 Philippine Senate election

• Larry Gadon (lost)Under the presidential ticket of Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Candidates for the 2019 Philippine Senate election

• Larry Gadon (lost)Under the ticket of Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino.

Candidates for the 2022 Philippine Senate election

• Larry Gadon (lost)Under the presidential ticket of Bongbong Marcos.

Candidates for the 2025 Philippine Senate election

• Relly Jose Jr.Didn't join any ticket.

Notable members

Past

• Rodolfo B. Albano, Jr. — (1987-1995; moved to Lakas-CMD in 1995) former Representative of 1st District of Isabela
• Alejandro Almendras — former Member of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Southern Mindanao and Regular Batasang Pambansa from Davao del Sur's at-large district
• Helena Benitez — former Member of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Region IV-A and Regular Batasang Pambansa from Cavite
• Conrado M. Estrella III — (1987-1992; moved to Nationalist People's Coalition in 1992) former Representative of 6th District of Pangasinan
• Jaime C. Laya — 5th Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, 1st Action Officer of Intramuros Administration, former Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports, Mambabatas Pambansa of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Minister of Budget and Management, Minister of Budget and Management
• Bongbong Marcos — (moved to Nacionalista Party in 2009, then to Partido Federal ng Pilipinas in 2021) former Vice Governor and Governor of Ilocos Norte, Representative of 2nd District of Ilocos Norte, former Senator (2010-2016) and the incumbent President of the Philippines (2022–present).
• Imee Marcos — (moved to Nacionalista Party) Senator, former Governor of Ilocos Norte, Representative of 2nd District of Ilocos Norte
• Estelito Mendoza — former Solicitor General of the Philippines, Governor of Pampanga, Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Region III, and Minister of Justice
• Benjamin Romualdez - 10th Governor of Leyte, Ambassador of the Philippines to the United States, and Member of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Region VIII and Regular Batasang Pambansa from Leyte
• Carlos P. Romulo- former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Region IV-A
• Chavit Singson — Former Governor of Ilocos Sur
• Cesar Virata — 4th Prime Minister of the Philippines, 3rd Director-General of National Economic and Development Authority, former Minister of Finance, and Mambabatas Pambansa (Assemblyman) of Interim Batasang Pambansa from Region IV-A and Regular Batasang Pambansa from Cavite
• Rolando Abadilla — former military officer served as Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte
• Orlando Dulay — 3rd Governor of Quirino

Present

• Remy Albano — Vice Governor of Apayao
• Raymond Bagatsing – Manila vice mayoral candidate (2022), actor
• Roberto "Amay Bisaya" Reyes Jambongana – Bohol gubernatorial candidate (2019), comedian
• Jerry Dalipog — Governor of Ifugao
• Larry Gadon – secretary for poverty alleviation, senatorial candidate (2016, 2019 and 2022), former lawyer; pushed for the impeachment of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno
• Efren Rafanan Sr.- Provincial Board Member of Ilocos Sur

Electoral performance

Presidential and vice presidential elections

Legislative elections

References

References

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