Presentation of cdm statutes, structure and protocols
- 1. Mussolini Sinsuat Lidasan Regional Chair, CDM SM Member, Committee on the Amendments of the Statutes
- 2. 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 Statutes of the Centrist Democratic Movement Federation of the Philippines.
- 3. Article I: The Centrist Democratic Movement of the Philippines Article II: Nature of the CDM Article III: Mission Article IV: Objective of the CDM Article V: Socio-economic and Political Activities Article VI: Membership Article VII: Regional and Local Structures Article VIII: National Bodies of the Federation Article IX: Involvement of Major Public Office Holders in the Bodies of the CDM Article X: Finances Article XI: Exit from the Federation/Dissolution/Expulsion Article XII: Transitory Provisions How many articles? What are these articles?
- 4. Who may become member? Rights of members? Obligations of Members? Expulsion of Members?
- 5. Any Filipino who is 18 years or older , who is not disqualified by Philippine laws or regulations to vote and be voted upon in any elections in the country, who has attended a CDM basic orientation seminar (BOS) and is willing to support the objectives of the movement, can become a member of the Centrist Democratic Movement. A Youth Wing shall be established as may be provided by a mechanism to be formulated by the National Council . Membership in the CDM is not allowed for organizations, institutions, enterprises or other bodies with juridical personality. The National Council shall regulate the membership application procedures in its working procedures.
- 6. Every member shall have the right to participate in all events , activities and elections of the movement as may be provided by any policies, regulations or advisories of the CDM. A member shall have the following rights as provided for in these statutes: a. to exercise the right to vote on matters relating to the affairs of the district and other levels of the federation; b . to elect and be eligible to any elective or appointive office of the federation; c. to participate in all deliberations and meetings in the district and in all levels of the federation; d. to avail of all the facilities of the district and of the federation; and e. to examine all the records or books of the federation.
- 7. Every member shall pay his/her annual contribution to the movement as provided for in the financial and contribution policy or regulation imposed by the National Council. If a member has delayed the payment of his/her contribution for more than six months and does not pay after being reminded within one month with two written notices , his membership shall be cancelled. A member shall have the following duties and responsibilities: a. to obey and comply with the Statutes, rules and regulations of the federation; and b. to pay membership dues and other assessments of the federation.
- 8. Termination of membership to the movement may be made through voluntary written withdrawal of membership, expulsion or death. Grounds and the procedure for expulsion shall be provided for in the working procedures.
- 9. The CDM Federation shall consist of 10 autonomous Centrist Democratic Movements in the following Regions of the Philippines: 1. CDM Northern Luzon 2. CDM Central Luzon 3. CDM Metro Manila 4. CDM Southern Luzon 5. CDM Palawan 6. CDM Central Visayas 7. CDM Western Visayas 8. CDM Northern Mindanao 9. CDM Southern Mindanao 10. CDM Southwest-Mindanao
- 10. The regional compositions shall be defined by the National Council by a 2/3 vote of all its members. There shall be no additional regions to be entertained other than those stated hereof. Within the framework of the Statutes and the Program of the Federation, the regional CDMs 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. The regional and sub-regional CDM structures are organized following the principle of representative democratic procedures.
- 11. Regional Council Regional Assembly shall consist of representatives of the CDM districts of the respective regions, elected in accordance with democratic principles. They shall convene every four months . Additional meetings may be convened upon the request of the regional chairperson or by 20 of the members of the respective assembly. The number of members of a Regional Assembly is three times the number of formally established suborganizations of CDM in districts/cluster districts in the respective region. The elected chairpersons of the formally established CDM Districts/Cluster Districts shall become Ex-Officio members in the regional assembly of the respective CDM Region. In case of absence in a meeting, they shall be represented by their Deputy Chairpersons or another elected officer of the respective CDM District Council. The other seats in the Regional Assembly shall be distributed to the different District CDM Organizations in accordance with their number of members, following the principle of proportionality. They shall be elected in their respective districts in a secret ballot by the members. They cannot be represented in meetings of the Regional Assembly in case of their absence. The Regional Assemblies shall decide upon: a. the general plan of activities and the budget of the Regional CDM; b. the approval of the yearly narrative and financial reports of the respective Regional Council; and c. 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 Executive Council and the delegates of the region in the National Council of the Federation for a period of two years.
- 12. Regional Council The Regional Councils shall be the planning, coordinating and implementing bodies of the Centrist Democratic Movements in the regions of the Philippines. They shall be in-charge of the budget and of the activities of the respective CDM in accordance with the decisions of the Regional Assemblies. They shall be the supervising authority of the CDM District Organizations. The Regional Council shall consist of at least 6 members. They shall be elected for a period of one year by the regular yearly Regional Assembly: a. one chairperson (who is also concurrent regional assembly chairperson and ex officio member of the National Council); b. one deputy chairperson; c. one secretary and one deputy secretary; and d. one treasurer and one deputy treasurer. The regional assembly may create additional positions in the Regional Council as it may deem necessary and the election of officers thereto shall be by secret balloting. At least 50 percent of the members of the Regional Council shall have to be younger than 45 years. Furthermore, each Regional Council shall select and appoint an auditing council consisting of three ordinary CDM members of the region for a period of one year. The regular meetings of the Regional Council shall take place monthly. Additional meetings shall have to be convened upon the request of the regional chairperson or by 20 percent of its members.
- 13. Regional Assembly District Level A CDM sub-regional organization may be formally established under the supervision of the respective regional CDM Council in each congressional district with a minimum number of 10 CDM members in good standing. For reasons of number of members or for reasons of logistics and viability of active CDM work, sub-organizations may be established temporarily or without time limits as clusters of districts. Each district or cluster districts CDM-Organization shall conduct its activities through the following bodies: a. the District Assembly ; and b. the District Council
- 14. District Assembly District Council The District Assemblies shall consist of all members in good standing of the CDM in the respective district or cluster of districts. They convene every six months. Additional meetings shall have to be convened upon the request of the district chairperson or by 20% of the members of the Statutes 2011 • 11 respective assembly. The District Assemblies shall decide upon: a. the general plan of activities and the budget of the District CDM; and b. the approval of the yearly narrative and financial reports of the respective District Council. The quorum for decisions of the District Assembly shall be 10 percent of its total members, with a minimum of at least five 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 Council and the delegates of the district in the respective Regional Assembly for a period of one year
- 15. District Council District Assembly The District Councils shall be the planning , coordinating and implementing bodies of the Centrist Democratic Movements in the congressional districts of the Philippines. They shall be in-charge of the budget and of the activities of the respective CDM district/cluster districts in accordance with the decisions of the District Assemblies and under supervision of the respective Regional Council. The District Council shall consist of at least four members. They shall be elected for a period of one year by the District Assembly. The District Councils shall be composed of the following: a. one chairperson (who is also concurrent District Assembly chairperson and ex officio member of the Regional Assembly); b. one deputy chairperson; c. one secretary; and d. one treasurer.
- 16. National Congress National Council National Executive Board National Secretariat National Thematic Commission
- 17. The National Congress shall be the highest representative body of the CDM Federation. It shall consist of 150 members , elected by the Regional Assemblies of the CDM in accordance to the number of members in their respective regions , following strictly proportional principles as specified under the working procedures. The National Congress of the CDM Federation shall be in-charge of fundamental orientation and of basic programmatic decisions of the CDM. It shall decide upon political alliances and strategies and the role and potential involvement of the CDM in election processes. The National Congress shall convene once a year upon the invitation of the National Council. The first convention shall take place after the total number of members of the CDM nationwide reaches 5,000 members .
- 18. The National Council shall be the national policy making body of the CDM Federation of the Philippines and shall oversee the overall operations of the CDM nationwide. It shall consist of a maximum of 40 members , among them: a. chairpersons of all regional CDMs with a minimum number of 50 full paying members; b. 20 other members , elected by the Regional Assemblies according to the number of members of the different regions following strictly proportional principles; c. chairpersons of the Thematic Commissions without voting rights ; and d. representatives of the working groups from major public office holders. The National Council shall convene four times a year . It shall elect from among its members the Executive Committee who shall serve for one year.
- 19. The National Council shall decide upon the following: a. the yearly budget and working plan of the Federation presented by the National Secretariat in the last meeting before the start of a new calendar year; b. the approval of the yearly financial and narrative report presented by the National Secretariat in the first meeting of each year by simple majority; c. formulation of policies that would affect the entire federation; and d. creation of committees as the need arises. The National Council shall decide on amendments of the Statutes of the Federation and the Joint CDM Working Procedures by two thirds vote of all its members. Details of the election procedures and working procedures for and within the bodies of the CDM shall regulated in the Joint CDM Working Procedures, drafted and put into force by the National Council after consultation with the Regional Councils.
- 20. The Executive Board of the National Council shall be the highest decision making body of the Federation 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 Federation to be implemented by the National Secretariat. The Executive Board of the National Council shall consist of 6 members: a. the president of the CDM Federation who is concurrently also chairperson of the National Council; b. two vice-presidents; c. one secretary general; d. one deputy secretary general; and e. one treasurer. The members of the Executive Board shall come from different regions.
- 21. The National Secretariat shall be in-charge of implementing the decisions of the National Council and to coordinate the activities of the federation 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; and d) the technical and administrative staff. The National Secretariat shall be supported by a group of Technical and Administrative Staff selected and employed after the approval of the President of the National Council upon recommendation of the Secretary General.
- 22. There shall be five standing National Thematic Commissions, each consisting of 10 members, elected by the 10 Regional CDM Councils. The National Thematic Commissions shall elect from among their members a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and a secretary. The chairpersons of the National Thematic Commissions shall be members of the National Council without voting rights.
- 23. Section 1. Elected public office holders who are CDM members shall enjoy the same rights and obligations like other CDM members in the activities and decision-making process of the movement. They shall be encouraged to contribute up to a maximum of 10 percent of their remuneration. Section 2. District Councils Congressmen, municipal or component city mayors who are CDM members shall become ex-officio members without voting rights in their home district council. Section 3. Regional CDM Senators, governors or mayors of chartered/highly urbanized cities who are CDM members shall be ex-officio members without voting rights in their home regional CDM council. Section 4. National CDM Senators, congressmen, provincial governors, city mayors or municipality mayors who are CDM members shall be encouraged to establish respective working groups on national level. The elected chairpersons of these working groups shall be ex-officio members with voting rights.
- 24. Section 1. The CDM Federation and the regional CDMs shall have their own yearly budget, based on a budget plan to be approved by the respective councils on the regional level and the National Council on the national level. The budget year shall follow the calendar year. Section 2. The CDM in its financial management shall follow the principles of transparency, accountability, and efficiency. The CDM shall cover the costs for its structures and activities from the following sources: a) membership fees; b) donations of natural or juridical persons; c) revenues from fundraising events or other activities; and d) cooperation projects with national or international Centrist Democratic partners. Section 3. The minimum annual membership fee shall be one thousand pesos. This amount shall be reviewed every year by the CDM National Secretariat. It may be changed/adapted by a two thirds vote of the members of the National Council after consultation with the Regional Councils. The district council, with the supervision of the regional council, shall devise a mechanism to collect the dues. Section 4. All members of CDM shall be encouraged to give any additional amount over and above their membership dues. Section 5. Payment of another person’s membership dues shall be strictly prohibited. The National and Regional Councils shall institute mechanism to prevent patronage politics in the Federation . Violation of this shall result to automatic termination of membership or shall serve as basis for outright denial of membership. Section 6. The treasurers of national and regional levels shall render a financial report to their respective National Council and Regional Councils before the end of March of the succeeding year. In these reports, every donation with a value of more than 100,000 pesos shall be declared.
- 25. Section 7. The budget of the CDMs in the different regions shall consist of: a. membership dues; b. donations by natural or juridical persons; and c. revenues from fundraising events or other activities. Section 8. The regions shall contribute 40 percent of their revenues from their regular membership dues to the budget of the CDM Federation. All donations shall be addressed to the CDM Federation which may allow the respective regional movement to use the donations acquired by them for their regional use. Section 9. The regional movements may use part of their revenues for the coverage of the costs of the district CDM Organizations. Details shall be decided upon by the respective Regional Councils.
- 26. Section 1. It shall be incumbent upon the members to preserve the union of the Federation. Section 2. The exit from the Federation or the dissolution of any regional movement shall not take effect unless decided upon by three fourths of the total membership of the region. Section 3. A Regional CDM that has left the Federation or has been properly dissolved shall not use the name and seal of the CDM Federation or any part thereof. Section 4. The National Council may remove any Regional movement from the Federation by at least 80 percent vote of its all members on grounds of disloyalty, irreconcilable disagreements on core issues, non-payment of the compulsory contributions to the Federation more than one year from the time it fell due, or such other serious grounds.
- 27. Section 1. The CDM Federation Statutes shall serve as a framework for the development of a truly functional and programmatic Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines. Section 2. All policies, resolutions, advisories and other executive memoranda issued by the interim National Council consistent with the statutes shall remain operative until amended, repealed or revoked. Section 3. The term of existing Interim National Council shall end by October 2011 whereby the regular National Council shall be elected. Section 4. The Statutes shall take effect after the ratification upon two thirds vote of the Interim National Council.
- 28. Thank you once again!