Popular Front (Philippines)

Last updated
Popular Front
Leader Vicente Sotto
Founders Juan Sumulong
Founded1934
Dissolved1950
Preceded by Democrata Party

The Popular Front (Spanish : Frente Popular) [1] is a defunct political party founded in 1934 to oppose the then-dominant Nacionalista Party. [2]

Contents

History

Formation and early years

After the 1934 elections, Popular Front was established by mainly poorly organized minorities (including some Democrata Party members), and was reorganized in 1937 to be an official opposition party. Popular Front hardly lacked leadership, and it lacked a program, even though one of its founders, Juan Sumulong, a former senator, with the membership of former president and general Emilio Aguinaldo and Philippine Independent Church head bishop Gregorio Aglipay. In 43 provincial governors, only 2 Popular Front members won. [2]

1941 elections

Pedro Abad Santos, leader of the left-wing faction Pedro Abad Santos y Basco's passport application.jpg
Pedro Abad Santos, leader of the left-wing faction

However, in November 1941, left-wing and right-wing factions arose in the party ranks, as Sumulong led the right-wing faction while Pedro Abad Santos was the leader of the hard-left. Abad Santos challenged each other's right to enroll under the Popular Front banner. Abad Santos accused Sumulong's faction members as members of the Democrata Nacional or Democrata party, or being its identical twin, and being nationalists but "tools of the capitalists," with the contrast of Abad Santos' Marxist stance. While Sumulong, blasted Abad Santos for spreading Communist ideas, and stated that Communists and their believers should not identify themeseleves as member of the Popular Front. The elections commission settled the dispute, by recognizing the both factions, with Sumulong and Abad Santos as legitimate leaders of the party. [2]

Both Sumulong, and Abad Santos have their own presidential ambition in 1941. Sumulong choose Emilio Javier as running mate, while Abad Santos picked Aglipay's wife as his running mate. Later Abad Santos withdrawn. But the two factions were defeated by incumbents Manuel L. Quezon (president) and Sergio Osmeña (vice president). [3] In the return of senate chamber in 1941, no one won in the slate, and in the lower house, only 2 seat got. [4] But Vicente Sotto, a Cebuano senator, who also lost in 1941, became senator in 1946 while in the party. [5]

Peasant violence in Pampanga

In response to the peasant violence in Pampanga, in 1941, Governor Sotero Baluyut with support from the Quezon administration, made efforts to undermine the influence of Popular Front mayors in the province along with the removal of some of its party members in power. These were made due to concerns of socialist backing. [6] : 57 

Electoral performance

Presidential and vice presidential elections

YearPresidential electionVice presidential election
CandidateVotesVote shareResultCandidateVotesVote shareResult
1941 Juan Sumulong [n 1] 298,608
17.85%
 Manuel Quezon
(Nacionalista)		Emilio Javier [n 2] 124,035
7.74%
 Sergio Osmeña
(Nacionalista)

Legislative elections

Senate
elections		Senate
Seats won		ResultPresidentHouse
Seats won		ResultHouse
elections
1941
0 / 24
Lost Manuel Quezon
2 / 98
Lost 1941
1946
1 / 24
Lost Manuel Roxas
1 / 98
Lost 1946

Notes

  1. ↑ Sumulong wing only. The other wing (Abad Santos wing), supported Pedro Abad Santos who withdrew.
  2. ↑ Sumulong wing only. The other wing (Abad Santos wing), supported Pilar Aglipay of Republican

References

  1. ↑ Arguilla, Manuel E. (April 1937). "The Socialists" (PDF). Philippine Magazine. Vol. XXXIV, no. 4 (348). Manila: A. V. H. Hartendorp. p. 183. Retrieved October 18, 2024– via the Rare Periodicals Repository of the University of the Philippines Diliman.
  2. 1 2 3 Porter, C. (1941). Parties and Men in the Philippines. Far Eastern Survey, 10(2), 20–22. doi:10.2307/3022928
  3. ↑ Oaminal, Clarence Paul (May 14, 2018). "Don Sergio Osmeña's Vice-Presidential re-election in 1941". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  4. ↑ Oaminal, Clarence Paul (May 8, 2016). "Don Vicente Rama, the Cebuano who won in the 1941 Senatorial Election". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  5. ↑ Oaminal, Clarence Paul (June 19, 2019). "The Sotto Clan and the Senate 100 years after". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  6. ↑ Kerkvliet, Benedict J. (1977-01-01). The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-03106-7.
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