United Nationalist Democratic Organization
The United Nationalist Democratic Organization was the main political multi-party electoral alliance of the traditional political opposition in the Philippines during the turbulent last years of President Ferdinand Marcos in the mid-1980s. Formed in January 1980 as the United Democratic Opposition, it initially comprised eight major and minor political parties and organizations with the main aim of ousting President Marcos through legal political means. In April 1982, the coalition received its present name, and increased its members to twelve parties. Shortly after the August 1983 assassination of popular opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the party was led by Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas.
History
The political leaders forming UNIDO such as prominent anti-Marcos leaders like former Senator and Batangas Assemblyman Salvador Laurel, former President Diosdado Macapagal, former Senator Edmundo B. Cea, Zamboanga City Mayor Cesar Climaco, Senator Gerardo Roxas, Manila Assemblyman Lito Atienza, Antique Governor Evelio Javier, Mandaluyong Assemblyman Neptali Gonzales, Pampanga Governor Jose B. Lingad, Senator John Osmeña, Senator Dominador Aytona, Senator and renowned nationalist statesman Lorenzo Tañada, Senator Eva Estrada-Kalaw, Senator Rene Espina, Senator Mamintal Tamano, Senator Domocao Alonto and nephew Abul Kharyl, Assemblyman Rufino Bañas, Assemblyman Raul Gonzales, Assemblyman Homobono Adaza, former Philippine Collegian editor-in-chief and leftist-bent journalist Abe Sarmiento, and all significant personalities that contributed to the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.The political groups allied with UNIDO were the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan represented by Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Bansang Nagkakaisa sa Diwa at Layunin led by Agapito Aquino, the younger brother of Ninoy Aquino and co-founder of the August Twenty-One Movement.
UNIDO gained momentum in the last week of November 1985, when President Ferdinand Marcos called for a snap presidential election due to mounting political pressure. At first, UNIDO supported Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas as its standard-bearer, but business tycoon Chino Roces was not convinced that Laurel or Jovito Salonga could defeat Marcos in the polls. Roces argued that Corazon Aquino, widow of assassinated Senator Aquino, should be their presidential candidate. Roces then initiated the Cory Aquino for President Movement to gather one million signatures in one week to urge Aquino to run for president, convincing Aquino to do so. She was made presidential bet of the party Lakas ng Bayan, but Laurel did not yield to Aquino as opposition nominee for president until he was convinced by Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Jaime Sin to be her running mate. Aquino had previously approached Laurel with a deal, wherein she would relinquish her allegiance to PDP–LABAN and run as president with UNIDO, with Laurel running for Vice-President, effectively uniting the opposition groups against Marcos. Conversely, Laurel had also previously offered Aquino the vice-presidential nomination for UNIDO. In any case, Aquino ran for president under the UNIDO banner, with PDP–Laban endorsing the UNIDO coalition.
The campaign was mounted in January 1986, less than a month before the February 7 elections. Although the Commission on Elections official tally reported Aquino had lost to Marcos, the polls were widely believed to have been fraudulent. Popular, peaceful demonstrations reached a tipping point when Marcos and Aquino claimed victory, and holding rival inaugurations on February 25. With the Armed Forces of the Philippines refusing to crush the protests, Marcos fled to exile in Hawaiʻi marking the success of the People Power Revolution.
UNIDO was dissolved after the 1987 legislative and general elections, when new parties were formed and members parted ways. Among the parties formed from UNIDO, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino became the dominant party in the Philippine politics until 1992.