The Nacionalista Party (Spanish/Filipino: Partido Nacionalista) is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907. The party began as the country's vehicle for independence, through the building of a modern nation-state, and through the advocacy of efficient self rule, dominating the Philippine Assembly (1907–1916), the Philippine Legislature (1916–1935) and the pre-war years of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935–1941). During the Japanese Occupation political parties were replaced by the KALIBAPI. By the second half of the century the party was one of the main political contenders for leadership in the country, in competition with the Liberals and the Progressives, during the decades between the devastation of World War II and the violent suppression of partisan politics of the Marcos dictatorship. In 1978, in a throwback to the Japanese Occupation, political parties were asked to merge into the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, although the Nacionalistas preferred to go into hibernation. Eventually, the party was revived during the late 1980s and early 1990s by the Laurel family, which has dominated the Party since the 1950s. It is now being reborn by party president Sen. Manuel Villar. Two of the other present parties, the Liberal Party and the Nationalist People's Coalition are breakaways from the Nacionalista Party.

Manuel "Manny" Bamba Villar, Jr. (born December 13, 1949) is a Filipino businessman and politician. He is currently a Philippine Senator, president of the Nacionalista Party

Villar was supposedly born to a "poor" family in Tondo, an impoverished and densely populated district of Manila. After graduating from the University of the Philippines, he worked as an accountant and financial analyst, then launched a highly successful business in real estate. The number of homes built by Villar's companies has totaled to over 200,000 units, and his business career made him one of the country's wealthiest persons.

Villar entered politics in 1992 when he was elected Congressman representing the district of Las Piñas-Muntinlupa, and later became Speaker of the House of Representatives. As Speaker, he presided over the impeachment of President Joseph Estrada by the House of Representatives in 2000. In 2001 he was elected Senator, and served as Senate President from 2006 to 2008. He was the candidate of the Nacionalista Party in the 2010 presidential election, which was won by Benigno Aquino III.

Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano (born Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano on March 22, 1966), popularly known as Compañera Pia or Pia, is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and was the youngest woman elected Senator in the history of the Republic of the Philippines. She was first elected as senator in 2004 and reelected to a second term in 2010.

She is the only daughter of the late Senator Renato "Compañero" Cayetano and German-American former school teacher Sandra Schramm. She has three brothers. Alan Peter is a current senator (until 2013) and a popular critic of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Rene Carl is an ex-councilor of Muntinlupa City and the owner of the collectible figurine store "Maxicollector", while Lino Edgardo is a popular television, movie director and currently Barangay Chairman of Barangay Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.

From 1992 until 1995, she was an associate lawyer of the Castillo, Laman Tan, and Pantaleon Law Offices who specializes in corporate law and intellectual property laws. From 1996 to 1999 she was an officer for the legal and corporate affairs of the Belle Corporation and its affiliates including the gaming conglomerate BW Resources. In 2000, she was a general counsel of the Philweb Corporation. In 2001 she was appointed as chairman of the Maxi Group of Companies, a retailer and distributor of educational toys, infant apparel and accessories.