Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Representative Leila de Lima, newly elected chairperson of the Liberal Party (LP), delivered a message of resolve and discipline as the party enters its 80th year.
Addressing members of the LP Council, she underscored the importance of patience, seriousness, and principled leadership in navigating today’s political climate.
De Lima warned against the pressures of modern politics, where “speed over thought, noise over coherence, and force over legitimacy” often dominate.
She cautioned that parties may be tempted to compromise their identity for survival, but emphasized that the LP has chosen a different path.
“In such an environment, parties are tempted to survive by becoming flexible in the wrong ways: by thinning if not forgetting their principles, outsourcing their identity, or mistaking visibility for strength,” she said.
“This Council chose a different path. The decisions taken today point to a clear understanding: that durability in politics comes from structure, not spectacle; from organization, not improvisation; from principles, firm principles, that guide action even when they are inconvenient,” de Lima added.
Reflecting on the party’s longevity, she noted that 80 years is not a claim to moral superiority but proof that institutions can endure beyond personalities when they know when to adapt and when to stand firm.
“The Liberal Party has endured because it has known the difference between the two. Today’s resolutions reflect that maturity,” she said.
De Lima stressed that democratic politics must be rooted in participation rather than performance, and that reforms are carried by institutions rather than individual saviors.
She highlighted the need for coherence, coordination, and stewardship in leadership, warning against shortcuts that weaken institutions.
“The work ahead will demand patience and seriousness. It will demand that we resist shortcuts that weaken institutions, even when those shortcuts seem effective. And it will demand that we treat party-building as political work in itself, not as a secondary concern to elections,” she said.
Closing her message, de Lima reaffirmed the LP’s commitment to clarity, discipline, and courage as it moves forward:
“It tells our partners that cooperation with us comes with clarity. And it tells the country that there is still a political organization willing to do the slow work of democracy. That is how the Liberal Party enters its next chapter. Let us move forward with discipline, purpose, and courage. Hindi pasisiil! Sama sama para sa Tama!”