MANILA, Philippines – The Centrist Democratic Movement Federation of the Philippines (CDM) will start its nationwide expansion with the establishment of four regional assemblies this month.
CDM’s expansion will be initiated with a basic orientation seminar today and tomorrow in Zamboanga City to set up CDM-Western Mindanao.
“CDM currently has 400 dues-paying members of young professionals from its five founding regions, and we’re growing at a tremendous rate,” said Diana Afable-Lorenzo, CDM secretary-general.
“The creation of CDM Western Mindanao and three more regions during the first quarter of 2011 is CDM’s answer to the clamor for principled leadership across the nation.”
CDM’s five founding regions include Northern Mindanao (based in Cagayan de Oro), Southern Mindanao (Davao City), Western Visayas (Bacolod), Central Mindanao (Cebu) and Metro Manila.
“The three regions that CDM will open are Northern Luzon based in Baguio and Tuguegarao, Palawan in Puerto Princesa, and Southern Luzon,” Afable-Lorenzo said.
CDM tries to limit its member-regions to nine areas.
“We are thankful to these four new regions that are open to discovering and are willing to embrace centrist democratic principles of a functioning democracy, the principle of subsidiarity, a thriving social market economy and building up real, strong and sustainable political parties,” she said.
Centrist Democracy Political Institute president and CDM convener Lito Monico Lorenzana said the Centrist democracy principles are hinged on the value for human dignity.
“With it, we hope that Filipino young professionals will realize and take action on their manifest destiny of principled leadership in the country.”
Dr. Peter Koeppinger, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Country Resident Representative and CDM co-convener, acknowledges the dynamic reception that the centrist democratic ideology is getting from the member-regions.
“The energy and excellence of the CDM Federation officers and members overwhelm me. They are learning, imbibing and living centrist democratic principles like they have known it for decades,” said Koeppinger, a centrist democrat himself.
“With the expansion, CDM shares these principles with the rest of the Filipinos, so that they may be able to use these in their professions, entrepreneurship and, hopefully and should they decide, in public service or political office,” he said.