Section 1. The full name of the Party is Buklod.

Section 2. The short name of the Party is “Buklod”.

Section 3. The Party anthem shall be developed and adopted by the Central Committee.

Section 4. The Party logo is shown in Annex “A-1”.

Section 5. The Party flag is shown in Annex “A-2”.

Section 1. The Party’s Platform of Government is embodied in a document which forms part

of this Constitution and By-laws, entitled “Party Objectives and Beliefs” which is

attached as Annex “B”.

Section 2. The Party Objectives and Beliefs must be read by all members of the Party before

they take their Oath of Membership. The Oath of Membership includes a

declaration that the new member will uphold, adhere to, support and implement the

Party Objectives and Beliefs.

Section 3. The Party Objectives and Beliefs may be amended by the Central Committee as it

sees fit, provided that the amendments shall be submitted for confirmation by the

Party delegates in the next National Congress.

Section 1. Any Filipino citizen, regardless of ethnic background, educational attainment,

economic or social standing, and religious belief is qualified to be a member of the

Party, provided that he or she:

1.1     is at least 18 years of age at the time of application;

1.2    has not been charged or found guilty of any crime;

1.3    has not been involved in any graft and corruption;

1.4    has not been elected to any national or local office or appointed through Presidential powers to any position in the Executive or Judicial Branches of Government before the date of the adoption this Constitution and By-laws, except if he or she is invited by the Central Committee, acting as a whole, to be a member of the Party;

1.5     has read and accepts to uphold, adhere to, support and implement the Party Constitution and By-laws, particularly the Party Objectives and Beliefs.

Section 2. Applications for membership shall be made in writing addressed to the Secretary

General of the Party and may be filed with the Party Town, District or City

Committee in the town or city where the applicant resides, or to the Central

Committee, or electronically through the Party’s website.

Section 3. The Town, District or City Committee shall review the membership application

submitted to it, evaluate the applicant’s qualifications for membership, and submit

its recommendation to the Central Committee.

Section 4. All applications for membership shall be approved by the Central Committee,

provided that the Central Committee shall have the power to delegate this function

to such other committee or Party officials as it deems fit. The Central Committee

may reject any application without giving any reason for it and its decision shall be

final.

Section 5. New members shall take the Oath of Membership before any Party official. This

Oath of Membership is attached to this Constitution and By-laws as Annex “A-3”.

Section 1. A Party member shall be entitled to:

1.1 participate in all activities of the Party;

1.2 be fully informed of all activities and plans of the Party;

1.3 avail himself of Party services and facilities following the guidelines promulgated by

the Central Committee;

1.4 to vote, and if qualified for the position involved, to be voted for.

Section 2. A Party member is required to:

2.1 pay annual membership dues of P100; this payment shall symbolize his

commitment to work for the Party.

2.2 uphold, adhere to, support, and implement the Party Constitution and By-laws,

particularly the Party Objectives and Beliefs;

2.3 help implement the Party’s programs developed in pursuit of the Party Objectives

and Beliefs;

2.4 comply with and support the decisions made by the Party through the Central

Committee and National Congress.

Section 1. One of the basic principles upon which the Party is founded is the strict observance

of Party discipline to enable the Party to successfully implement its Party Objectives

and Beliefs. Each member therefore is enjoined to observe and follow Party

discipline by following the requirements of membership and disciplinary rules as

embodied in this Constitution and By-laws and as maybe promulgated by the

Central Committee and confirmed by the National Congress.

Section 2. A member shall be expelled from the Party under the following grounds:

2.1 non-compliance with the Party Objectives and Beliefs;

2.2 refusal to implement duly adopted Party programs;

2.3 involvement in graft and corruption;

2.4 upon conviction of any crime;

2.5 commission of other acts inimical to the interest of the Party as may be determined

by the Central Committee and about which the members have been previously

informed.

Section 3. Disciplinary proceedings, including expulsion, shall be conducted by the Central

Committee, provided that this responsibility may be delegated to a Disciplinary

Committee that may be created by the Central Committee for such purpose. The

rules of procedures for such disciplinary proceedings shall be adopted by the Central

Committee.

Section 4. Non-payment of dues shall not be a ground for expulsion but will disqualify a

member from voting and from being voted.

Section 1. The organizational structure of the Party shall consist of the following:

1.1 Branch – The branch is the basic unit of the Party. Each Town and City shall have

a branch. In cases where a city has more than one congressional district, there shall

be in that city as many branches as there are congressional districts and these

branches shall be distinctly identified from each other by the number identifier of

the congressional district. In case a city has only one congressional district, it shall

be considered as a town of the province where it is situated for purposes of this

Constitution and By-laws.

1.2 Town Committee or District Committee – Each branch shall be governed by a

Town Committee or District Committee, consisting of five members. Each Town

Committee or District Committee shall have a Chairman and a Secretary who shall

be elected among the members of the Committee. The Town or District

Committee may appoint a Treasurer, who does not need to be a member of the

Committee;

1.3 Provincial Committee or City Committee – Each province or city shall have a

Provincial Committee or City Committee, whose members shall be comprised by

the chairpersons of all the branches in the province or city. Each Provincial

Committee or City Committee shall have a Chairman and Secretary who shall be

elected among the members of the Committee; The Provincial or City Committee

may appoint a Treasurer, who does not need to be a member of the Committee.

1.4 Central Committee – The Central Committee is the highest policy making and

governing body of the Party.

Section 1. The Central Committee is the highest policy making and governing body of the

Party. At the time of the Party’s founding and organization, the Central Committee

shall have three members which shall be increased to 10 members during the Party’s

first National Congress.

Section 2. The Central Committee has the power to:

2.1 formulate and adopt the policies, plans and programs of the Party;

2.2 adopt and approve proposed amendments to the Constitution and By-laws,

provided that such amendments shall be submitted to the next National Congress

for confirmation;

2.3 conduct disciplinary proceedings, including expulsion, provided that this

responsibility may be delegated to a Disciplinary Committee that the Central

Committee may create for such purpose.

Section 3. The members of the Central Committee shall be elected during the National

Congress, provided that the Central Committee has the power to co-opt members

of the Central Committee up to a maximum of five members.

Section 4. The Central Committee shall have a Chairman and a Secretary General, both of

whom shall be elected by the members of the Central Committee among

themselves. The Central Committee shall also elect a National Treasurer who may

not be a member of the Central Committee.

Section 1. The duties and functions of the national party officers are:

1.1 Chairman

The Party Chairman is the presiding officer of the Central Committee and the

National Congress. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the Party and shall

represent the Party in all activities involving the Party.

1.2 Secretary General

The Secretary General shall be the Chief Operating Officer of the Party and shall be

responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Party. He shall implement and

execute the Party policies and programs and enforce Party discipline. He shall keep

the membership records, cause the recording of the minutes of meetings of the

Central Committee and safekeep the record of such minutes and records of all Party

units submitted to him. He shall prepare and circulate reports, including an annual

report to the Central Committee. He shall be assisted by as many Deputy

Secretaries-General as may be necessary, all of whom shall be appointed by the

Chairman, upon the recommendation of the Secretary General, and confirmed by

the Central Committee.

1.3 National Treasurer

The National Treasurer shall be the custodian of and shall safeguard the funds of

the Party. He shall disburse the funds in accordance with the policies and

procedures established by the Central Committee. He shall submit to the Central

Committee annually the audited financial statements of the Party. He shall have

responsibility over the Treasurers of all lower Party units. He shall be assisted by as

many Deputy Treasurers as may be necessary, all of whom shall be appointed by the

Chairman, upon the recommendation of the Treasurer, and confirmed by the

Central Committee.

Section 2. The Central Committee has the power to appoint any other officers of the Party as

it deems fit, and define their functions and responsibilities.

Section 1. The officers of local Party committees have the following functions:

1.1 Chairman – He shall act as the Chief Administrator of the Party unit and preside

over all meetings of the unit, sign documents in behalf of the unit, represent the unit

in all activities involving the unit, and perform other duties assigned to him by the

unit’s Party committee;

1.2 Secretary – He shall keep the records of the Party unit, including all minutes, and a

copy of the membership roster of the unit. He shall report regularly to the next

higher Party unit the minutes of meetings and current membership roster and shall

perform other duties assigned to him by the unit’s Party Committee.

1.3 Treasurer – He shall be the custodian of and shall safeguard the funds of the Party

unit. He shall disburse the funds in accordance with the policies and procedures

established by the Central Committee. He shall also report to the National

Treasurer and submit to the National Treasurer periodic financial statements and

other financial reports as may be required by the Central Committee or the National

Treasurer.

Section 2. All officers of local Party units shall serve for a term of three (3) years from the date

of their election and/or until their successors have been elected and qualified.

Section 1. The Party shall hold a National Congress before every national election.

Section 2. The delegates to the National Congress shall consist of the following:

2.1 all the members of the Central Committee;

2.2 delegates from all branches of the Party duly elected by the respective branches

based on election guidelines established by the Central Committee.

Section 3. The total number of delegates from all the branches shall be determined by the

Central Committee and shall be apportioned among the branches based on the

number of Party members in each branch.

Section 4. The National Congress shall elect the Party’s official candidates to the following national elective positions:

4.1 President

4.2 Vice-President

4.3 Senators

Section 5. For the purpose of the election provided in Section 4, the Central Committee shall act as the Nominating Committee and shall nominate only one candidate for every position.

Section 6. The nominee for the senatorial election shall be determined based strictly on regional representation. Since the total number of senatorial positions is less than the total member of regions, the Central Committee shall decide on how to allocate the senatorial positions among the regions in every election.

Section 7. The National Congress shall vote on each nominee and if a nominee fails to receive a majority vote, the Central Committee shall submit another nominee which shall be voted upon, and so on.

Section 8. The National Congress shall act on other matters that the Central Committee may submit to it for action as provided for in these Constitution and By-laws.

Section 1. Fifteen days before the holding of the National Congress, each Provincial Committee or City Committee shall hold a Provincial/City Congress. The delegates to this congress shall consist of all members of all the Town or District Committees in each province or city.

Section 2. The Provincial/City Congress shall elect the Party candidates to the following elective positions:

2.1 Congressman for each district

2.2 Governor of the province or Mayor of the city

2.3 All other provincial officers or all other city officers

Section 3. For purposes of the election provided in Section 2, the Provincial or City Committee shall act as the Nominating Committee and shall nominate only one candidate for every position.

Section 4. The Provincial/City Congress shall vote on each nominee and if a nominee fails to receive a majority vote, the Provincial/City Committee shall submit another nominee which shall be voted upon, and so on.

Section 5. In case of any unresolved issues occurring in the Provincial/City Congress, these shall be submitted to the Central Committee for evaluation and decision. The decision of the Central Committee shall be final.

Section 1. Twenty days before the National Congress, each Town Committee shall hold a Town Congress, whose delegates shall comprise of all the Party members of the town. In case the town has numerous members, the delegates shall be chosen based on guidelines established by the Central Committee.

Section 2. The Town Congress shall elect the Party candidates for the following elective positions:

2.1 Town mayor

2.2 All other town officers

Section 3. For purposes of the election provided in Section 2, the Town Committee shall act as the Nominating Committee and shall nominate only one candidate for each position.

Section 4. The Town Congress shall vote on each nominee and if a nominee fails to receive a majority vote, the Town Committee shall submit another nominee which shall be voted upon, and so on.

Section 5. In case of any unresolved issues occurring in the Town Congress, these shall be submitted to the Provincial Committee for evaluation and decision. The decision of the Provincial Committee shall be final. If it deems necessary, the Provincial Committee may elevate the unresolved issue to the Central Committee for further evaluation and decision. The decision of the Central Committee shall be final.

Section 6. If a city has only one congressional district, it shall be considered as a town as stipulated in Article VI, Section 1.1 and, for avoidance of doubt, for purposes of this Article. It shall also be considered as a town, for avoidance of doubt, for purposes of Article XI in connection with the selection of the Party’s candidate for Congress for that city, and in which case the City Committee shall join the Provincial Congress of the province where the city is situated.

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution and By-laws may be proposed to the Central Committee by any of the lower Party committees. Similarly, the Central Committee itself may initiate amendments to the Constitution and By-laws. Any amendments shall be adopted by two-thirds vote by the members of the Central Committee. Amendments shall be effective upon approval by the Central Committee, provided that such amendments shall be submitted to the next National Congress for confirmation.

Section 1. The first Chairman of the Central Committee is the Founder of the Party, Benjamin R. Punongbayan.

Section 2. The Chairman shall issue interim appointments of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and members of the lower Party committees to speed up the process of the organization of the Party nationwide. These appointments shall be effective until the organization of the regular lower Party committee or unless sooner revoked.

Section 1. This Constitution and By-laws takes effect immediately upon its ratification by the Founder and organizers of the Party in a meeting held for that purpose.