United Nationalists Democratic Organizations

United Nationalists Democratic Organizations (UNIDO) was the main umbrella of the political opposition during the turbulent last years of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in the mid-1980s. It was a union of major and minor political parties and organizations with the main aim to oust President Marcos through a legal political process, created by Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas shortly after the assassination of popular oppositionist Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., in preparation for the 1984 Parliamentary elections.

The political groups forming UNIDO were the Nacionalista Party represented by Salvador Laurel, the Liberal Party represented by Jovito Salonga, PDP-LABAN represented by Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., the Democratic Socialist Party of the Philippines represented by Fr. Romeo Integan, National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD) and other minor parties and groups.

UNIDO gained momentum in the last week of November 1985, when President Ferdinand Marcos called for a presidential election due to mounted political pressures. At first, UNIDO supported Senator Salvador Laurel of Batangas as its standard bearer, but business tycoon Joaquin Roces was not convinced that Laurel could defeat Marcos in the polls. Roces argued that Corazon Aquino, the widow of assassinated Senator Aquino, should be the candidate for president. Roces initiated the "Cory Aquino for President" movement to gather one million signatures in one week to urge Aquino to run as president, convincing Aquino to do so. Aquino was made the presidential bet of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan party. However, Laurel did not give way to Aquino for the opposition's nomination as President until he was convinced by Jaime Cardinal Sin to run as her running-mate. Aquino had previously approached Laurel with a deal, wherein Aquino would give up her allegiance to the PDP-LABAN party and run as president under the UNIDO banner, with Laurel running for Vice President, effectively uniting the opposition groups against Marcos. 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 UNIDO coalition.

The campaign was made in the month of January 1986, for the February elections. Although she was officially reported to have lost the election to Marcos, the elections were widely believed to be fraudulent. Both Marcos and Aquino claimed to have won, and held rival inaugurations on February 25, but Marcos then fled in the face of huge popular demonstrations and the refusal of the military to intervene against them.

UNIDO was dissolved after the 1987 Legislative and General elections, when new parties were formed and parties went to their own separate ways. Among the parties formed from UNIDO, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino became the dominant party of the Philippines until 1992.

1987 Philippine Legislative Elections

The Lakas ng Bayan coalition composed of PDP-LABAN, UNIDO, Liberal Party-Salonga Wing, National Union of Christian Democrats, Philippine Democratic Socialist Party, BANDILA and Pinaghiusa.

1988 Crisis

The PDP-LABAN was split into Pimentel and Cojuangco Wings. The Lakas ng Bansa headed by Ramon Mitra and PDP-LABAN-Cojuangco Wing joined forces to form the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino or LDP.