MANILA, Philippines—The merged Lakas-Kampi-CMD (Christian Muslim Democrats) party will go on a nationwide road show in the next few weeks to display its new strength as the country's most formidable political party and dispel talks it is crumbling, a party official said on Thursday.

Lakas-Kampi would “conduct membership campaign and oath-taking in the next few weeks. Let's watch out for this," said Reggie Velasco, deputy secretary general of the former Kampi party, said at the Serye forum in Quezon City Thursday.

The Lakas-Kampi official said that contrary to talks that several members would leave the party, a number of local officials have expressed intention to join the merged party.

Velasco said the road show would dispel speculations that some would jump to either Liberal Party or the Nacionalista Party, adding that the leaders of these parties could not identify who these local officials are.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, who has announced he would seek the presidency in May 2010, is expected to take his oath in the new party when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo returns to the country from Moscow.

Velasco said the party also expects Teodoro to bring some of his allies from his former party, the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), into the merged party.

The composition of the national executive committee, which Arroyo heads and which would select the slate for the party, would also be known when the President arrives.

In the same forum, Paranaque Representative Roilo Golez predicted the migration of local officials from Lakas-Kampi to other parties.

Golez said that the arena has become more crowded for some candidates because of the merger.

"When the parties were merged, it follows that there would be just one candidate, so the arena has become crowded for the other aspirants, and the very likely possibility is for those persons to migrate to other parties," Golez said.

Golez, who was former executive vice president of Kampi, also said that the merger was expected to produce a presidential and vice presidential candidate.

"But it did not, right now, there is no native talent yet," he said.