Incubator escapee wiki

Akbayan

Article Discussion

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use Philippine English Template:Infobox political party The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, better known as Akbayan (Template:Literal translation), is a social democratic<ref name="six party-lists" /> and progressive political party in the Philippines.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Akbayan is noted as a leading member of the progressive movement in the Philippines,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Centre-left">Template:Cite book</ref> having been formed in 1998 by a variety of progressive political organizations.

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).

HistoryEdit

Template:Social democracy sidebar

Origins and early yearsEdit

Akbayan traces its roots to the Kaakbay ng Sambayanan, an alliance founded on February 25, 1992 by various civil society organizations and left-leaning organizations from the country's social democratic, democratic socialist, and Marxist traditions, such as the Bukluran sa Ikauunlad ng Sosyalistang Isip at Gawa (Bisig), Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (Pandayan), and Movement for Popular Democracy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Unlike other left-leaning groups, the organizations, particularly Pandayan, were committed to active nonviolence.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The alliance was formed in support of the candidacies of Jovito Salonga from the Liberal Party and Nene Pimentel from PDP–Laban under the Koalisyong Pambansa in the 1992 presidential and vice presidential elections, who eventually lost to Fidel V. Ramos of Lakas–NUCD and Joseph Estrada of NPC respectively.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Following the defeat of the Koalisyong Pambansa ticket, Akbayan was reestablished as a political party. Initially revived as Aksyon, the party eventually adopted the name Akbayan Citizens' Action Party.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The party was officially founded in January 1998 and participated in the 1998 House of Representatives elections through the new party-list system, securing one seat. Aside from the party-list elections, the party also focused on electing candidates in local elections.<ref name=":3" />

File: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.

Coalition with the Aquino administration and rift with the Makabayan blocEdit

File: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

In 2009, Akbayan supported the presidential candidacy of then Senator Benigno Aquino III. Fueled by the popular discontent with the outgoing administration of 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 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).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

However, it's alliance with the Aquino administration led to tensions with the Makabayan bloc. In 2012, members of Anakbayan, the youth organization of the Makabayan bloc, barged inside a press conference of Akbayan, branding it as a "fake partylist", although without merit, because some of its leaders, including Ronald Llamas, were appointed into top government positions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As several groups identified with the Makabayan bloc filed a disqualification notice against Akbayan for their alliance with the administration, Akbayan, in return, sought the disqualification notice against party-lists affiliated with the Makabayan bloc for allegedly being a front of the Communist Party of the Philippines.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the 2013 senatorial election, Bayan Muna representative Teodoro Casiño, the sole senatorial candidate of the Makabayan bloc, criticized the senatorial bid of Hontiveros, which is a part of the administration Team PNoy senatorial slate, saying that she is "too cozy with the administration".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, as the Makabayan bloc filed an impeachment complaint against Aquino, Renato Reyes, Jr., the secretary-general of BAYAN, criticized Akbayan, branding them as a “Yellow cheerleader", with yellow being the color of the Liberal Party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2016, the party allied itself with the Liberal Party to form the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid, supporting Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo's campaigns for the presidential and vice presidential elections. Although Roxas lost to then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte while Robredo narrowly won the vice presidential race, the party entered the Senate with Hontiveros's victory following her third attempt to run, ranking 9th in the official results.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, they lost one seat in the party-list race after their percentage dropped to below the 2 percent threshold for an additional seat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Opposition against the Duterte and Marcos administrationsEdit

After the 2016 election, it joined the Magnificent 7, a group of Liberal Party and Magdalo Party-List members.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The party publicly criticized several policies of the Duterte administration, including Duterte's handling of the Philippine Drug War and the TRAIN Law. In 2019, the party lost representation in the House.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Chel Diokno and Risa Hontiveros in the campaign motorcade in Dagupan (02).jpg
Chel Diokno (left) and Risa Hontiveros (right) during a campaign motorcade in Dagupan, 2025.

In the 2022 election, Akbayan backed the candidacies of Leni Robredo and Francis Pangilinan for president and vice president, respectively, as part of the Team Robredo–Pangilinan (TRoPa) alliance. Although Robredo and Pangilinan were defeated, Hontiveros was re-elected. Akbayan also initially fell one spot short of regaining a seat in the House but later took office after the disqualification of the An Waray party-list.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the 2025 elections, Akbayan nominated lawyer Chel Diokno, who ran for senator in 2022 as part of the TRoPa ticket, was chosen as its first nominee for the party-list election. The party also formed the KiBam coalition alongside the Liberal Party and the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino. The coalition was successful, and the party achieved its highest number of votes and the top vote share in the country, garnering about 2.7 million votes and securing three seats in the House.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

IdeologyEdit

Template:Further The party includes both democratic socialists<ref name="HistoricalDictionaryp26" /> and social democrats<ref name=":0" /> as members. While Akbayan's political-economic platform rests on the democratic-socialist foundation which PDP–Laban ostensibly shares,<ref name=bello2021>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the former differs greatly from the latter with regard to civil rights and law enforcement.

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".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Akbayan has been critical of abuses committed by some members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against fellow activists.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legislative recordEdit

File:CARPER akbayan rally.jpg
Akbayan members calling for the passage of the CARPER Law
File:RH Law Akbayan.jpg
Creative demonstration of support for the passage of the Reproductive Health Law in 2012
  • Republic Act 9189 – The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 9481 – Right to Labor Self-Organization Law<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 9502 – Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 10351 – Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco or The Sin Tax Law<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 10368 – Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 10667 – Philippine Competition Act<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 10028 – Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Law<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 10742 – Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Law
  • Republic Act 10643 – Graphic Health Warning Law<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 10932 – Anti-Hospital Deposit Act<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 11036 – Mental Health Act<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Republic Act 11166 – HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Electoral performanceEdit

Presidential electionsEdit

Year Candidate Votes % Result Outcome
2010 None; endorsed Benigno Aquino III (Liberal) Template:N/a Benigno Aquino III won
2016 None; endorsed Mar Roxas (Liberal) Template:N/a Rodrigo Duterte (PDP–Laban) won
2022 None; endorsed Leni Robredo (Independent) Template:N/a Bongbong Marcos (PFP) won

Vice presidential electionsEdit

Year Candidate Votes % Result Outcome
2010 None; endorsed Mar Roxas (Liberal) Template:N/a Jejomar Binay (PDP–Laban) won
2016 None; endorsed Leni Robredo (Liberal) Template:N/a Leni Robredo (Liberal) won
2022 None; endorsed Francis Pangilinan (Liberal) Template:N/a Sara Duterte (Lakas–CMD) won

Legislative electionsEdit

SenateEdit

In 2010, one of Akbayan's representatives Risa Hontiveros ran for Senate as a member of Liberal Party. Akbayan fully supported her candidacy. Hontiveros lost and placed 13th, one rank near the 12 winning candidates.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013, Hontiveros again ran for a Senate seat, formally under Akbayan. She lost again, placing 17th.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="lp-first-four">Template:Cite news</ref> In the 2016 Senate elections, Hontiveros ran for the third time, and finally won, placing 9th. Hontiveros became the first person in Philippine history from the social democratic and progressive center-left to win a Senate seat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the 2022 Senate elections, Senator Hontiveros ran for reelection, winning amid the anti-progressive rhetoric of the administration, and placing 11th.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

House of Representatives elections in districtsEdit

In 2013, Kaka Bag-ao ran for the Dinagat Islands seat under the Akbayan label and won. In 2016, she ran for reelection in the Dinagat Islands seat under the Liberal Party label, and won. She was backed by Akbayan as well. In 2025, Bag-ao again ran for the Dinagat Islands seat under the Liberal Party and won. She was backed by Akbayan and continued to be part of the party.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ResultsEdit
Congress of the Philippines
House of Representatives (Districts) Senate
Year Votes Vote share Seats won Result Year Votes Vote share Seats won Ticket Result
1998 Did not participate Lakas plurality 1998 Did not participate LAMMP win 7/12 seats
2001 Did not participate Lakas plurality 2001 Did not participate People Power Coalition win 8/13 seats
2004 Did not participate Lakas plurality 2004 Did not participate K4 win 7/12 seats
2007 Did not participate Lakas plurality 2007 Did not participate Genuine Opposition win 8/12 seats
2010 Did not participate Lakas-Kampi plurality 2010 Only supported a candidateTemplate:Efn Liberal Party win 4/12 seats
2013 34,239 0.12% Template:Composition bar Liberal Party plurality 2013 10,944,843 3.68% Template:Composition bar style="background:Template:Party color;"|Team PNoy style="background:Template:Party color;"|Team PNoy win 9/12 seats
2016 Did not participate Liberal Party plurality 2016 15,915,213 4.97% Template:Composition bar style="background:Template:Party color;"|Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid style="background:Template:Party color;"|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 15,470,005 3.56% Template:Composition bar TroPa UniTeam win 6/12 seats
2025 Did not participate Lakas plurality 2025 Did not participate KiBam

Party-list electionsEdit

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 the party as a winner after the Supreme Court of the Philippines upheld the COMELEC resolution which revoked the party-list registration of An Waray.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Election Votes % Seats Period 1st Representative 2nd Representative 3rd Representative
1998 232,376 2.54% Template:Composition bar 11th Congress
1998–2001
 Etta Rosales Template:N/A Template:N/A
2001 377,852 2.50% Template:Composition bar 12th Congress
2001–2004
 Etta Rosales Mario Aguja Template:N/A
2004 852,473 6.70% Template:Composition bar 13th Congress
2004–2007
 Etta Rosales Mario Aguja Risa Hontiveros
2007 466,112 2.92% Template:Composition bar 14th Congress
2007–2010
 Risa Hontiveros Walden Bello Template:N/A
2010 1,058,691 3.50% Template:Composition bar 15th Congress
2010–2013
 Walden Bello Kaka Bag-ao Template:N/A
2013 827,405 3.02% Template:Composition bar 16th Congress
2013–2016
 Walden Bello
Template:Small 		Barry Gutierrez rowspan="2" Template:N/A
Angelina Ludovice-Katoh
Template:Small
2016 608,449 1.88% Template:Composition bar 17th Congress
2016–2019
 Tom Villarin Template:N/A Template:N/A
2019 171,713 0.62% Template:Composition bar 18th Congress
2019–2022
 colspan=3Template:N/A
2022 236,226 0.64% Template:Composition bar 19th Congress
2022–2025
 Perci Cendaña
Template:Small 		Template:N/A Template:N/A
2025 2,779,621 6.63% Template:Composition bar 20th Congress
2025–2028
Template:Small 		Chel Diokno Perci Cendaña Dadah Kiram Ismula
Note: A party-list group, can win a maximum of three seats in the House of Representatives.

NotesEdit

Template:Reflist <ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Candidates for 2013 electionsEdit

Candidates for 2016 electionsEdit

  • Risa Hontiveros – Senator
  • Tom Villarin – 1st nominee, party-list
  • Barry Gutierrez III – 2nd nominee, party-list<ref group="n">Also the spokesperson of Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid.</ref>
  • Angelina Katoh – 3rd nominee, party-list
  • Rafaela Mae David – 4th nominee, party-list
  • Doris Obena – 5th nominee, party-list
  • Mylene Hega – 6th nominee, party-list
  • Cenon Nolasco – 7th nominee, party-list

Local candidatesEdit

  • Pat Ibay – Councilor (District 1, Pasay)
  • Ileana Ibay – Councilor (District 2, Pasay)
  • Alvin Dizon – Councilor (District 1, Cebu City)<ref group="n">Ran under the Liberal Party.</ref>
  • Sergio Bañes Jr. – Councilor (Estancia, Iloilo)
  • Egar Chu – Councilor (Estancia, Iloilo)

Candidates for 2019 electionsEdit

  • Tom Villarin – 1st nominee, party-list
  • Gio Tingson – 2nd nominee, party-list
  • Doris Dinorog-Obena – 3rd nominee, party-list
  • Angelina Katoh – 4th nominee, party-list
  • Napoleon Merida – 5th nominee, party-list
  • Cristina Oganiza – 6th nominee, party-list

Candidates for 2022 electionsEdit

  • Risa Hontiveros – Senator
  • Percival Cendaña – 1st nominee, party-list
  • Raymond John Naguit – 2nd nominee, party-list
  • Cristina Oganiza – 3rd nominee, party-list
  • Angelina Katoh – 4th nominee, party-list
  • JC Tejano – 5th nominee, party-list
  • Victoria de Jesus – 6th nominee, party-list

Local candidatesEdit

Candidates for 2025 electionsEdit

  • Chel Diokno – 1st nominee, party-list
  • Percival Cendaña – 2nd nominee, party-list
  • Dadah Kiram Ismula – 3rd nominee, party-list
  • Justine Balane – 4th nominee, party-list
  • Mercy Abucayon – 5th nominee, party-list
  • Magdalena Robinson – 6th nominee, party-list
  • JC Tejano – 7th nominee, party-list
  • Ernesto Neri – 8th nominee, party-list
  • Yoyong Merida – 9th nominee, party-list
  • Angelina Katoh – 10th nominee, party-list

Local candidatesEdit

Current party officialsEdit

NotesEdit

Template:Notelist<references group="n" />

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

Further readingEdit

External linksEdit

Template:Philippine political parties Template:Authority control

<references group="lower-alpha" />

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Akbayan&oldid=355796"