cdp statute amended on may 25 2013 by the 5th national council
TRANSCRIPT
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CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWSOF THE
CENTRIST DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES
Preamble
We, the Centrist Democrats of the Philippines, in order to establish a
functioning democracy in the country where all its citizens can live in dignity
and have the opportunity to participate actively in the democratic process, to
establish a just and humane Philippine society, under the rule of law,
equality, justice, solidarity, integrity and subsidiarity, secure for the Filipino
people a fully humane and dignified existence do hereby ordain and
promulgate these Constitution and ByLaws of the Centrist Democratic Party
of the Philippines.
Article I
Name and Mission of the Party
Section 1. The name of the party shall be Centrist Democratic Party of
the Philippines (CDP). The principal headquarters and postal office address
of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines is at the 2nd Floor of
MILLE Building, 335337 Gil Puyat Ave. (formerly Buendia) corner Dominga
St., Pasay City, Metro Manila.
Section 2. The mission of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines is
to contribute to the design and implementation of centrist policies in the
Philippines ensuring the protection of the dignity of each human being,
which includes the following:
a. the establishment of a Social Market Economy, a socio-economic-
political order that advocates a socially and environmentally
responsible market economy aiming at the well-being of each and
every Filipino;
b. the achievement of human development, basic freedom, moral
renewal, the rule of law, and solidarity for all Filipino peoples;
c. the creation of a Federal Philippines that recognizes the multi-
ethnicity of its people, but united and integrated in its espousal of the
core value of human dignity and its inherent principles, among which
are, freedom and responsibility, justice, solidarity, and equal
opportunities, tolerance, pluralism, mutual respect, integrity, reason
and the guiding principle of subsidiarity.
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Article II
Objectives of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
Section 1. Reform of the democratic system towards the eventual
establishment of a Parliamentary Form of Government to improve thedemocratic process and consolidate democracy and rule of law in the
Philippines.
In order to achieve this objective, the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines will focus on Political Reforms, with first steps for:
a. the institutionalization of member-based and program-oriented
political parties and the systematic strengthening of their role in the
institutional set-up of the Philippine State;
b. the improvement of the electoral system safeguarding the sanctity of
the ballot and ensuring that the electoral process is fair and truly
reflective of the popular will;
c. the design and implementation of campaign financing regulations,
ensuring transparency, accountability and democratic participation;
d. the promotion of gender equality and equity and empowerment of
women in democratic governance.
Section 2. Reform of the Socio-Economic System towards the eventual
establishment of a Philippine Social Market Economy to reduce poverty and
to encourage sustainable development through high productivity,
innovations, competitiveness, and environmental protection measures.
In order to achieve this objective, the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines will focus on Socio-Economic Reforms, among others:
a. the leveling of the playing field for economic enterprises by a strong
State through effective legislation and strengthening citizens
participation against graft and corruption to assure free and fair
competition, open market access for newcomers and the break up of
monopolies and cartels;
b. the provision of quality education and countrywide modern
vocational training facilities accessible to the citizenry;
c. the systematic promotion of research and innovation by the state in
companies and universities;
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d. the further development and expansion of coverage of the social
security system, housing, universal health care and social safety nets,
unemployment, and pension insurances;
e. the further development and improvement of a health and
educational system covering all parts and settlements in the country
with special attention for the marginalized and vulnerable sector;
f. the intensification and further professionalization of the civil service
and promotion of public ethics in the bureaucracy;
g. the strengthening of research and further development of a
sustainable and genuine agricultural reform and modernization;
h. the promotion of the growth of wealth and the further extension of a
progressive tax policy by the state, balancing the need to provideincentives for hard and qualified work with the need to guarantee a
decent life for every citizen;
i. the promotion of social dialogue and responsible participation of the
Philippine society in the development of the socio economic order,
namely trade unions, entrepreneurs and professional associations;
and
j. the systematic protection of natural living conditions by a strong
State through the integration of environmental protection incentives inthe market process, the strict limitation of pollution and irreversible
consumption of natural goods, and the generation of renewable,
affordable and accessible energy.
Section 3. Reform of the structures of the State based on a decentralized
system following the principles of subsidiarity and proximity of political
decision making towards the eventual creation of a Federal Philippines.
In order to achieve this objective, the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines shall focus on:
a. the promotion of the establishment of the regions/states as
competent, democratic governmental layers in a first step towards a
Federal Philippines;
b. the connection of participatory local planning mechanisms with the
budget planning on national level;
c. the strengthening of democratic local governance and the
elimination of distortions in the local democratic processes by politicalpatronage and dynastic power;
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d. the review and revision of existing laws and the adoption of new
laws to further decentralize and devolve state functions to local
authorities;
e. the recognition of the rights of the indigenous cultural communities
for selfdetermination within the framework of national unity.
Article III
Activities of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
Section 1. As a member-based and program oriented political party the
Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines will focus on the following
activities:
a. Civic and political education for members and other interested
citizens, promoting active participation in democratic processes of all
groups and sectors in the country;
b. Participation in elections on all levels of government based on
detailed and meaningful political platforms with candidates selected in
democratic procedures by the members of the CDP;
c. Providing opportunities for the citizens to hold accountable their
elected representatives on all levels of government with regard to their
programs and promises in the election campaigns and to their
performance as representatives of the people between the elections;
d. Legislative and administration oversight work of its representatives
on all levels of government.
Section 2. Further to these core activities, the Centrist Democratic Party of
the Philippines with its allied sector associations and civil society on local
and regional level shall promote and conduct economic, political and social
projects in order to improve the living situation of the citizens and to solve
problems in the respective localities.
Article IV
Membership
Section 1. Eligibility and Application for Membership.
a. Any Filipino who is eighteen (18) years or older, who is qualified by
Philippine laws or regulations to vote and be voted upon in anyelections in the country, who has received a basic orientation on
centrist values and the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines, is
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willing to support the objectives of the party and to respect the
constitution and By-Laws of the party, can become a member of the
Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines at congressional district,
where he is included in the voters register of his locality.
b. The application for membership has to be addressed to the district
council of the party and has to be approved by this body. The approval
of membership for applicants, who are major incumbent public office
holders (Senators, Congresspersons, Province Governors and Vice-
Governors, Mayors and Vice-Mayors) has to be confirmed by the
Executive Board of the party.
c. Further to registration as core members of the party, who are dues-
paying members, citizens can also apply for registration as volunteer
members without obligation of paying membership dues.
d. Membership in the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines is
individual membership and is not allowed for organizations,
institutions, enterprises or other bodies with juridical personality.
e. Appointed public servants can be members of the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines, exercising their constitutional
right of freedom of expression and association. They can participate in
civic education and internal organization activities of the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines. However, they shall not be eligibleas Officers of Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
Organizations at any level and shall not participate in campaigning or
any other partisan activities of the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines.
Section 2. Rights of Members.
Every member shall have the right to participate in all events, activities and
elections of the party as may be provided by any policies, regulations or
advisories of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines A member shallhave the following rights and obligations as provided for in these
Constitution and By Laws:
1) to exercise the right to vote on matters relating to the affairs of the
party;
2) to vote in elections for any office of the party.
3) All core members of the party have the right to be candidates for all
offices in the party and to apply for being selected as party candidates
in elections for public offices.
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Section 3. Duties of Members.
All members have to obey and comply with the Constitution and By Laws of
the party.
Section 4. Termination of Membership
a.Termination of membership to the party may be made throughvoluntary written withdrawal of membership, expulsion or death.
Grounds for expulsion can be the violation of membership
obligations as specified in Section 3 of this Article or serious
damage inflicted on the party by the respective member. The
decision on expulsion of a member is to be taken by the National
Council of the Party with a two-thirds majority. Appeal against this
decision can be made to the Arbitration Committee of the Party as
provided in these Constitution and By Laws.
Section 5. An applicant for party membership shall take the following oath
before admission to Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines.
I_________________, do hereby solemnly swear that I will uphold and advance
the principles, objectives and programs of action of the Centrist Democratic
Party of the Philippines, abide by its Constitution and By-Laws and policies,
and fight for its interests as I also uphold the interests of my country and
people.
Article V
Sector Associations
Section 1.The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines is a peoples
party open to all sectors of Philippine society. The members are united in
their values and beliefs and their efforts to build up a more humane future
for all Philippine citizens.
Section 2. In order to integrate the advocacies and concerns of the differentsectors into the political concepts and strategies of the party, the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines is cooperating closely with the
organizations of different sectors, i.e. the farmers and fisherfolk, the labor
sector, small and informal businesses, youth, senior citizens, indigenous
peoples, women and the urban poor. Instruments for this cooperation are
the Centrist Democratic (CD) Sector Organizations established and managed
by members and supporters from the respective sectors, which communicate
on a regular and systematic basis the key problems and requests of the
citizens in their sectors with the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
and which translate the vision, messages and political concepts of the
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Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines into the language of the citizens
of the respective sectors.
Section 3. These Centrist Democratic Sector Organizations are organized in
parallel structures to the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines as
independent legal entities with their own constitutions and with personal as
well as financial autonomy. The members are not required to be members of
the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines, but are highly welcomed as
members of Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines with all rights and
obligations.
Section 4. Dues paying members of Centrist Democratic Sector
Organizations, who join the CDP as core members, will be granted to pay
CDP annual membership dues reduced by their sector organization
membership duesmaximum reduction 365 Pesos per year.
Section 5. One representative of each respective CD Sector Association
approved by the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines National
Council as part of the CDP Family, who is a core Centrist Democratic Party
of the Philippines member, is included as ex officio member in the respective
District, Regional and National Councils of the Centrist Democratic Party of
the Philippines.
Article VI
National Bodies of the Party
Section 1. List of Bodies of the National Party.
The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines shall conduct its national
activities through the following bodies:
a.The National Congress
b. The National Council
c. The Executive Board of the National Council
d. The National Secretariat
e. Working Groups of Major Public Office Holders
f. National Thematic Commissions
g. Board of Senior Advisors
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Section 2. The National Congress.
The National Congress shall be the highest representative body of the
Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines. It shall consist of one hundred
(100) members who shall serve for one (1) year elected by the Regional
Assemblies of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines in accordance
with the number of core members in their respective regions, following
strictly proportional principles as specified under the working procedures.
The National Congress of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
shall be in-charge of fundamental orientation and of basic programmatic
decisions of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines. The National
Congress shall decide upon political alliances on the national level, strategies
and the role and potential involvement of the Centrist Democratic Party of
the Philippines in national election processes. It can delegate this right to the
National Council. The National Congress shall convene once a year upon theinvitation of the National Council.
Section 3.The National Council
a. Composition of the National Council.
The National Council shall be the national policy making body of the
Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines and shall oversee the
overall operations of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
nationwide. It shall consist of:
1)The Chairpersons of all Regional Centrist Democratic Party of
the Philippines Organizations with a minimum number of 100
members;
2) 25 other members elected by the Regional Assemblies
according to the number of members of the different regions
following strictly proportional principles; districts which do not
yet belong to an organized region, shall be considered
provisionally as a quasi-region, with regards to theirrepresentation in the National Council and National Party
Congress. Their delegates for the National Bodies of the Party
are elected by their respective district assemblies.
3) one representative of the each of the five Working Groups
from Major Public Office holders as specified in Article VIII of
these Constitution and By Laws;
4) one representative from each Sector Association linked with
the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines;
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5) Chairpersons of up to five Thematic Commissions, as
specified under Section 6 of this Article, without voting rights;
6) two representatives of the Board of Senior Advisors, as
specified under section 7 of this article, without voting rights.
b. Functions and Duties of the National Council.
The National Council shall convene three (3) times a year. It shall elect
the Executive Board of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
who shall serve for one (1) year. The National Council shall decide
upon the following:
1) the yearly budget and plan of activities of the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines, presented by the National
Secretariat in the last meeting before the start of a new calendaryear;
2) the approval of the yearly financial and narrative report
presented by the National Secretariat in the first meeting of each
year;
3) formulation of policies that would affect the entire party;
4) creation of a maximum of 5 thematic commissions as
specified under Section 6 of this Article.
5) amendments to the Party Constitution and By Laws by two
thirds (2/3) vote of all its members with voting rights.
6) election of an Auditing Council, consisting of three (3) CDP
Core Members without office position in the Party for one (1)
year.
Section 4.The Executive Board of the National Council.
a.The Executive Board of the National Council is the highest decisionmaking body of the Party between the meetings of the National
Council. It shall convene monthly and shall be in-charge of the day-to-
day operations and activities of the party to be implemented by the
National Secretariat. The members of the Executive Board of the
National Council shall be the national officers of the party. They shall
be elected by secret ballot to serve for one (1) year, and shall be
composed of the following:.
1) The Chairman of the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines , to be elected by a simple majority of all members of
the National Council with voting rights. The Chairman of the
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CDP has the right to nominate candidates for all positions on
regional and national levels of the Party after consultation with
the Executive Board of the Party. The candidates nominated by
the Chairman of the Party have to be elected in secret voting by
a simple majority of the members present at the election event ofthe respective body of the CDP in order to take over office. If they
fail to get a majority of the votes, other candidates can be
nominated and voted upon for this position by all members of
the respective body.
2) The President of the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines, who shall concurrently be the Chairperson of its
National Council, to be elected by a simple majority of all
members of the National Council with voting rights;
3) Three Vice-Presidents one Vice-President for Luzon, one
Vice-President for the Visayas, one Vice-President for Mindanao ,
to be elected by a simple majority of the members with voting
rights of the National Council from the respective part of the
Philippines (Luzon, the Visayas, Mindanao);
4) One Secretary General, to be nominated by the Chairman of
the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines after
consultation with the President of the CDP, to be approved by a
simple majority of the National Council members with votingrights;
5) One Deputy Secretary General, to be nominated by the
Chairman of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
after consultation with the President of the CDP, to be approved
by a simple majority of the National Council members with
voting rights;
6) One Treasurer, to be nominated by the Chairman of the
Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines after consultation
with the President of the CDP, to be approved by a simple
majority of the National Council members with voting rights.
b. The National Council may create additional positions in the
Executive Board as it may deem necessary.
Section 5.The National Secretariat.
The National Secretariat, which shall be supported by a group of technical
and administrative staff selected and employed upon recommendation of theSecretary General after approval of the President of the Party, shall be in-
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charge of implementing the decisions of the National Council and of
coordinating the activities of the party under supervision of the Executive
Board of the National Council on a day to day basis. It shall consist of:
a. the Secretary General as the head;
b. the Deputy Secretary General;
c. the Treasurer.
Section 6. National Thematic Commissions of the Party
a. The party shall have up to five (5) standing National Thematic
Commissions as expert consultative bodies for the National Council of
the CDP on the following policy fields:
1) Democratic Institutions and Procedures, Rule of Law,Subsidiarity and Decentralization,
2) Public Order, Human Security, Police and Armed Forces,
Human Rights
3) Economy, Finance, Environment, Poverty and Public Budget
Issues
4) Social Security and Assistance, Health and Education, Social
Justice
5) International Affairs
b. Each commission shall consist of up to ten (10) members, selected
by the Executive Board of the National Council after consultation with
the Regional Councils. The chairpersons of the National Thematic
Commissions shall be nominated by the Executive Board of the
National Council and shall be members of the National Council
without voting rights.
Section 7. The Board of Senior Advisors.
The National Council of the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines may
set up a Board of Senior Advisors of the Party (BSA), consisting of a
maximum of five (5) experienced national and international personalities
with Centrist Democratic orientation. The Board of Senior Advisors of the
Party will convene twice a year in order to develop recommendations and
suggestions for the work and development of the Centrist Democratic Party
of the Philippines and for the international cooperation of the Party, to be
discussed in a joint meeting with the Executive Board of the CentristDemocratic Party of the Philippines.
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Article VII
Regional, District and Local Organizational Structures
Section 1.The Regions.
The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines consists of up to seventeen
(17) Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines Regional Chapters in the
administrative regions of the Philippines. Within the framework of the
Constitution, By Laws and the Program of the Party, the regional chapters
shall be entitled to develop their own programs and activities and to organize
and sustain themselves, following the principles of transparency,
subsidiarity, internal democracy, and cohesiveness.
Section 2. Structures of the Regions.
Each regional chapter shall conduct its activities through the following
bodies:
a. The Regional Assembly
b. The Regional Council
Section 3. The Regional Assemblies.
a. The Regional Assemblies shall consist of elected representatives of
the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines congressional district
chapters located in the respective regions. They shall convene at least
every six months. Additional meetings may be convened upon the
request of the regional chairperson or by twenty percent (20%) of the
members of the respective assembly. The number of members of a
Regional Assembly shall be three times the number of formally
established Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines district
chapters in the respective region.
b. The elected chairpersons of the formally established Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines district chapters shall be ex-officio
members in the regional assembly of the respective regional chapters.
In case of absence in a meeting, they shall be represented by their
Deputy Chairpersons or another elected officer of the respective
district chapters. The other seats in the Regional Assembly shall be
distributed to the different district chapters in accordance with their
number of core members, following the principle of proportionality.
They shall be elected in their respective district in a secret ballot bythe members and shall serve for one (1) year. They cannot be
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represented in the meetings of the Regional Assembly in case of their
absence.
c. The Regional Assemblies shall decide upon:
1) the general plan of activities and the budget of CentristDemocratic Party of the Philippines regional chapters;
2) the approval of the yearly narrative and financial reports of
the respective Regional Council; and
3) potential alliances or support for specific candidates in the
election of local or regional candidates in cooperation with the
district chapters with the purpose to promote Centrist
democratic values and policies.
4) A simple majority of the total members of the regional
assembly is sufficient to constitute a quorum to do business.
The Regional Assemblies shall elect in secret ballot, by simple
majority of the members present in the meeting, the members of
the Regional Council and the delegates of the region to the
National Council and the National Congress of the party for a
period of one year.
Section 4. The Regional Councils
a. The Regional Councils are the planning, coordinating and
implementing bodies of the Centrist Democratic Party of the
Philippines in the regions of the Philippines. They are in charge of the
budget and of the activities of the respective Centrist Democratic Party
of the Philippines organization in accordance with the decisions of the
Regional Assemblies. They are the supervising authority of the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines district chapters. The Regional
Council shall be composed of at least six (6) members, who shall be
elected by secret ballot for a period of one year by the regular yearly
Regional Assembly, namely:
1) the Chairperson who shall concurrently be Regional Assembly
Chairperson and ex officio member of the National Council;
2) the Deputy Chairperson;
3) the Secretary;
4) the Deputy Secretary;
5) the Treasurer;
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6) and the Deputy Treasurer.
b. Joining the Regional Council as members are the representatives of
the different sector associations linked with the Centrist Democratic
Party of the Philippines with a minimum number of 50 members in the
region. The regional assembly may create additional positions in the
Regional Council as it may deem necessary. Each Regional Council
shall select and appoint an Auditing Council consisting of three (3)
non-office holder party members of the region for a period of one (1)
year. The regular meetings of the Regional Council shall take place
quarterly. Additional meetings shall have to be convened upon the
request of the Regional Chairperson or by twenty percent (20%) of its
core members.
Section 5. The District Organizations.
The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines shall formally establish
under the supervision of the respective regional party organizations
congressional district chapters of the respective regions. For reasons of
logistic practicability clustered district chapters can be set up as long as the
number of members and activities does not allow yet the establishment of
separate district chapters in a city or a province. Each district or clustered
district chapter shall conduct its activities through the following bodies:
a. The District Assembly
b. The District Council
Section 6. The District Assemblies
a) The District Assemblies shall consist of all members of the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines (CDP) in the respective District.
They convene at least every three months. Additional meetings shall
have to be convened upon the request of the Assembly Chairperson or
by twenty percent (20%) of the core members of the respective
assembly. The District Assemblies shall decide upon:
1) the general plan of activities and the budget of the respective
district chapter;
2) the approval of the yearly narrative and financial reports of
the respective District Council; and
3) potential alliances or support for specific candidates in the
election of local candidates after approval by the respective
Regional Council
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b. The quorum for decisions of the District Assembly shall be ten
percent (10%) of its total core members, with a minimum of at least
five (5) core members present in the respective meeting. The District
Assemblies shall elect in secret ballot, by simple majority of the
members present in the meeting, the members of the District Counciland the delegates of the district chapters in the respective Regional
Assembly for a period of one year.
Section 6. The District Councils
a. The District Councils are the planning, coordinating and
implementing bodies of the party district chapters in their respective
areas. They shall be in-charge of the budget and of the activities of the
respective chapters in accordance with the decisions of their
Assemblies and under supervision of the respective Regional Council.The District Councils shall consist of at least six (6) members elected
for a period of one (1) year by the District Assemblies. The Councils
shall be composed of the following:
1) Chairperson who shall be the concurrent District Assembly
Chairperson and ex officio member of the Regional Assembly;
2) Deputy Chairperson;
3) Secretary;
4) Deputy Secretary;
5) Treasurer;
6) And one Deputy Treasurer.
b.The District assembly may create additional positions in the District
Council as it may deem necessary and the election of officers thereto
shall be by secret balloting. Each District Council shall select and
appoint an auditing council consisting of three (3) non-office holderparty members of the respective district for a period of one (1) year.
The regular meetings of the District Council shall take place monthly.
Additional meetings shall have to be convened upon request of the
council chairperson or by twenty percent (20%) of its members.
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Article VIII
Involvement of Major Public Office Holders in the Bodies of the Party
Section 1. Role of Public Office Holders in the Party.
Elected public office holders, who are party members, shall enjoy the same
rights and obligations like other members in the activities and decision-
making processes of the party. They shall contribute at least ten percent
(10%) of their remunerations to the party funds.
Section 2. Senators and Congresspersons who are party members, shall
become ex-officio members in their home regional council, while Senators,
Congresspersons, Governors and City and Municipal Mayors who are partymembers, shall become ex-officio members in their home district council.
Senators, Congresspersons, Governors, City Mayors and Municipality
Mayors who are party members, shall establish respective working groups on
the national level. The elected chairpersons of these working groups shall be
exofficio members with voting rights in the National Council of the Party.
Article IX
Finances
Section 1. The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines on national
level, the regional party organizations and the district party organizations
shall have their own yearly budget, based on a budget plan to be approved
by the respective councils on the local and regional level and the National
Council on the national level. The budget year shall follow the calendar year.
Section 2. The Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines in its financial
management shall follow the principles of transparency, accountability, and
efficiency. The party on national, regional and local levels shall cover the
costs for its structures and activities from the following sources:
a. membership fees;
b. donations from natural or juridical persons, up to a maximum of 1
Million Pesos per year for natural persons and 10 M Pesos for juridical
persons;
c. revenues from fundraising events or other activities; and
d. cooperation projects with Centrist Democratic partner
organizations.
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Section 3. The minimum annual membership fee for core members shall be
one thousand pesos (PhP1,000.00), to be paid per year or in two tranches of
five hundred pesos (Php 500.00) per semester. This amount shall be
reviewed every year by the Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines
National Secretariat. It may be changed and/or adopted by a two-thirds(2/3) vote of the members of the National Council after consultation with the
Regional Councils. It shall be collected by the district treasurers.
Section 4.Payment of another persons membership dues shall be strictly
prohibited. The National and Regional Councils shall institute mechanisms
to prevent patronage politics in the Party. Violation of this prohibition shall
result to automatic termination of membership or shall serve as basis for
outright denial of membership.
Section 5. The treasurers of national, regional and local levels shall render afinancial report to their respective Councils before the end of March of the
succeeding year. In these reports, every donation with a value of more than
one hundred thousand pesos (Php 100,000.00) shall be declared.
Section 6. The revenues collected from the membership dues on the district
level shall be divided among the national (40%), regional (20%) and district
level (40%)
Section 7. All donations higher than one hundred thousand pesos (Php
100,000.00) shall be addressed to the National Council of the CentristDemocratic Party of the Philippines which shall allow the respective regional
or local organization to use the donations acquired by them for their regional
or local use as long as no serious reasons - i.e. patronage are in place
against it.
Section 8. Details shall be regulated in a Financial Management Guide, to
be approved by the National Council, binding for all CDP organizations on
national, regional and local level.
Article X
Dissolution of Regional/District Chapters
Section 1. A regional or district organization of the Centrist Democratic
Party of the Philippines can be dissolved by the National Council of the Party
in case of serious and repeated violations of the Partys Constitution and By-
Laws or by inflicting serious damage to the whole party. The decision of
dissolution of a party organization or chapter can be taken by a two-thirds
(2/3) majority of the members of the National Council with voting rights.
Article XI
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Arbitration
An arbitration body shall be set up in the Party in order to attempt peaceful
reconciliation in case of conflicts between individual party members and
party bodies. The arbitration body shall consist of three (3) lawyers, being
Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines core members in 3 different
regions, to be nominated by the National Council in a secret ballot with
simple majority. Each party member has the right to appeal to the
arbitration body against a decision of any body or organ of the party
considered by such member as a serious violation of his rights as a party
member. The decisions of the arbitration body are final.
Article XII
Amendment and Revision
Section 1.
Any amendment to or revision of the constitution and bylaws may be
proposed in writing by any organ or body of the Party duly addressed to the
National Council.
Section 2.
Amendments to or revisions of the Constitution and By Laws of the Centrist
Democratic Party of the Philippines shall be ratified by two-thirds majorityof all the members of the National Council.
As per amendment, May 25, 2013, Davao City, Philippines, 5th National
Council, Article VI, Section 3, paragraph 2.
Article IX, Section 5 and 6.
As per amendment, September 29, 2013, Quezon City, Philippines, 3rd
National Council.