REMEMBER when the monolithic Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL)of the Marcos regime rode roughshod on all other opposition parties? Well, like everything political in this country, it came to an end and with the Marcoses exiting from the political scene after the EDSA Event, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) of the then opposition easily took over. For a while, it did look invincible too and the warrior in the late Speaker Ramon Mitra looked headed for a victory run as president after the party “convention” picked him over a Fidel V. Ramos. But it didn’t turn out that way. The FVR, combining civilian civility with military stratagem in the polls, stole the thunder – and the allegiance of many LDP men and women– from the Bearded One in the presidential race while running under his own newly minted party, Lakas.

Fast forward to 2007: A ruling Lakas with Speaker Joe de Venecia as party president and FVR as chairman emeritus is threatened from within the very coalition it initiated as support force for President Gloria M. Arroyo when she first sought her first elective term as president of the Republic.

Arroyo’s own Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi) has denied it directly at every turn but only political nincompoops will believe that with its current pace of recruitment even from (especially?) within the Lakas camp, Kampi is not out to become the dominant party in the ruling coalition.

History is running at a fast, make that faster, clip and pretty soon, perhaps after this year’s election, Lakas might just go the way of the KBL and LDP, mighty and awesome at first, only to be splintered into various little fractious denominations that is the common fate of instant parties in a free-wheeling, multi-party system where horses become indistinguishable from donkeys and alligators, from crocodiles.

Back to the two-party system now please – at least there will just be two kinds of stripes to recognize our candidates from each other. Less confusion and more principles.