Akbayan

Last updated • 7 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Akbayan Citizens' Action Party
PresidentRafaela David
Chairperson Mylene Hega
Secretary-GeneralJordan Gutierrez
FoundedJanuary 1998
Headquarters52 Masikap Street, Barangay Pinyahan, Quezon City
Youth wing Akbayan Youth
Women's wing Akbayan Women
Membership100,000
Ideology Progressivism
Social democracy [1]
Democratic socialism [2] [1]
Participatory politics
Political position Centre-left [1]
National affiliation TRoPa (2022)
Otso Diretso (2019)
Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid (2016)
Team PNoy (2013)
Regional affiliation Network of Social Democracy in Asia [3]
International affiliation Progressive Alliance
Colors  Red   Green   Purple
SloganSa Akbayan, Panalo ang Mamamayan! ("With Akbayan, the People Win!")
Seats in the Senate
1 / 24
Seats in the House of Representatives
1 / 316
Website
akbayan.org.ph

The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, better known as Akbayan (lit.'the escorting of each other' or 'the support for one another' or 'the collective putting of an arm over the shoulders of another'), is a democratic socialist and progressive [4] political party in the Philippines. Akbayan is noted as a leading member of the progressive movement in the Philippines, [5] [1] having been formed in 1998 by a variety of progressive political organizations.

Contents

There are approximately 100 thousand members of Akbayan, with a pool of voter interest ranging anywhere between 150 thousand to 1 million people (at most 2.5% of Philippine active voters).

History

Akbayan was formally founded in 1998 by different civil society organizations and various left-leaning organizations from the country's social democratic, democratic socialist, and Marxist traditions with the intent of capturing state power through parliamentary struggle.

Akbayan has been critical of abuses committed by some members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against fellow activists. [6] It has also been critical of the Communist Party of the Philippines, particularly its actions in the countryside against peasant groups and communities and what these groups and communities see as the Maoist group's extortion activities. Due to its stance against right-wing extremism (from some elements of the AFP) and the Maoist far-left (CPP–NPA–NDF), Akbayan has been a target of both political groups. [7]

Akbayan members protesting the granting of bail to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was then facing plunder charges Akbayan protesting gma bail.jpg
Akbayan members protesting the granting of bail to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was then facing plunder charges

During the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Akbayan was among the opposition groups repressed by the government. It was also during this time that Akbayan suffered its lowest number of votes, with just over 400,000 votes in 2007. In 2009, Akbayan supported the presidential candidacy of then Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Fueled by the popular discontent with the outgoing administration of Macapagal-Arroyo, Aquino won the presidency by a large margin. This was also the first time that Akbayan was able to breach the 1 million vote mark, its best performance to that date. Despite the vote increase, however, it failed to secure three seats in the House of Representatives owing to a Supreme Court decision which ensured only the leading party list (Ako Bicol at that time) in the election would secure three seats.

Akbayan mobilization in front of the Chinese Consular Office to protest China's incursions into the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone Akbayan anti-china rally.jpg
Akbayan mobilization in front of the Chinese Consular Office to protest China's incursions into the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone

Akbayan has been noted to oppose the increased incursions of the People's Republic of China (PRC) naval and coast guard vessels into Philippine territorial waters and within the country's 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). [8] [9] In 2016, the party allied itself with the Liberal Party and the Magdalo Group, supporting Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo's campaigns and criticizing other candidates. After the election, it joined the Magnificent 7, a group of Liberal Party and Magdalo members. The party publicly criticized several policies of the Duterte government, including Duterte's handling of the Philippine Drug War and the TRAIN Law.

Akbayan has affiliate groups that represent government employees, women workers, migrants, as well as members of the LGBT community. The party's official website states that Akbayan is an activist organisation "and proud of it", and that it "vehemently condemn(s) torture, assassination, and other violent acts that undermine human rights and freedoms regardless of whoever commits them". [10]

Ideology

The party includes both democratic socialists [2] and social democrats [4] as members. While Akbayan's political-economic platform rests on the democratic-socialist foundation which PDP–Laban ostensibly shares, [11] the former differs greatly from the latter with regard to civil rights and law enforcement.

Legislative record

Akbayan members calling for the passage of the CARPER Law CARPER akbayan rally.jpg
Akbayan members calling for the passage of the CARPER Law
Creative demonstration of support for the passage of the Reproductive Health Law in 2012 RH Law Akbayan.jpg
Creative demonstration of support for the passage of the Reproductive Health Law in 2012

Electoral performance

Presidential and vice presidential

YearPresidential electionVice presidential election
CandidateVotesVote shareResultCandidateVotesVote shareResult
2010 None [a] Benigno Aquino III
(Liberal)
None [b] Jejomar Binay
(PDP–Laban)
2016 None [25] [c] Rodrigo Duterte
(PDP–Laban)
None [d] Leni Robredo
(Liberal)
2022 None [26] [e] Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
(PFP)
None [f] Sara Z. Duterte
(Lakas–CMD)

Legislative elections

Senate

In 2010, one of their representatives Risa Hontiveros ran for Senate as a member of Liberal Party, but Akbayan supported her. [27] [28] She only started to run as Akbayan in 2013, and on subsequent elections. [29] [30]

House of Representatives elections in districts

In 2013, Kaka Bag-ao ran for the Dinagat Islands seat under the Akbayan label and won; she ran under the Liberal Party label in subsequent elections.

Results

Congress of the Philippines
House of Representatives (Districts) Senate
YearVotesVote shareSeats wonResultYearVotesVote shareSeats wonTicketResult
1998 Did not participateLakas plurality 1998 Did not participate LAMMP win 7/12 seats
2001 Did not participateLakas plurality 2001 Did not participate People Power Coalition win 8/13 seats
2004 Did not participateLakas plurality 2004 Did not participate K4 win 7/12 seats
2007 Did not participateLakas plurality 2007 Did not participate Genuine Opposition win 8/12 seats
2010 Did not participateLakas plurality 2010 Only supported a candidate [g] Liberal Party win 4/12 seats
2013 34,2390.12%
1 / 293
Liberal Party plurality 2013 10,944,8433.68%
0 / 12
Team PNoy Team PNoy win 9/12 seats
2016 Did not participateLiberal Party plurality 2016 15,915,2134.97%
1 / 12
Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid win 7/12 seats
2019 Did not participate PDP–Laban plurality 2019 Did not participate Otso Diretso Hugpong ng Pagbabago win 9/12 seats
2022 Did not participate PDP–Laban plurality 2022 15,470,0053.56%
1 / 12
TroPa UniTeam win 6/12 seats

Party-list elections

Akbayan is only one of two parties (the other is Butil) to win seats in all party-list elections in the Philippines until 2019. Furthermore, Akbayan is the only party to surpass the 2% election threshold in all elections until the 2016 election where they fell short by 0.12%.

In September 2024, the COMELEC proclaimed it as a winner after the Supreme Court of the Philippines upheld the COMELEC Resolution which revoked the party-list's registration of An Waray. [31] [32]

ElectionVotes %Party-list seats
1998 232,3762.54%
1 / 51
2001 377,8522.50%
1 / 51
2004 852,4736.70%
3 / 52
2007 466,1122.92%
2 / 53
2010 1,058,6913.50%
2 / 57
2013 827,4053.02%
2 / 58
2016 608,4491.88%
1 / 59
2019 171,7130.62%
0 / 61
2022 236,2260.64%
1 / 63

Representatives to Congress

Period1st Representative2nd Representative3rd Representative
11th Congress
1998–2001
Etta Rosales
12th Congress
2001–2004
Etta Rosales Mario Aguja
13th Congress
2004–2007
Etta Rosales Mario Aguja Risa Hontiveros
14th Congress
2007–2010
Risa Hontiveros Walden Bello
15th Congress
2010–2013
Walden Bello Kaka Bag-ao
16th Congress
2013–2016
Walden Bello
(2013–2015 [n 1] )
Barry Gutierrez
Angelina Ludovice-Katoh
(2015–2016 [n 2] )
17th Congress
2016–2019
Tomasito Villarin
18th Congress
2019–2022
Out of Congress
19th Congress
20222025
Perci Cendaña
(2024– [n 3] )

Notes

  1. Resigned on 16 March 2015.
  2. Replaced resigned representative Walden Bello and sworn in on 13 May 2015.
  3. Proclaimed and assumed office on 25 September 2024.

[33] [34]

Candidates for 2013 elections

Candidates for 2016 elections

Candidates for 2019 elections

Candidates for 2022 elections

Local Candidates

Candidates for 2025 elections

Current party officials

Notes

  1. Supported Benigno Aquino III of Liberal
  2. Supported Mar Roxas of Liberal
  3. Endorsed Mar Roxas of Liberal
  4. Endorsed Leni Robredo of Liberal
  5. Endorsed Leni Robredo who is an Independent
  6. Endorsed Francis Pangilinan of Liberal
  7. Risa Hontiveros, despite being an Akbayan member, was registered as Liberal Party in the ballot
  1. Also the spokesperson of Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid.
  2. Ran under the Liberal Party.

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