The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan () or Bayan is an alliance of
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
Philippine organizations. It was founded on
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...
, May 1, 1985 as part of the opposition during the
Marcos dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
.
Politics
Ideology
The principle of Bayan is
National Democracy National Democracy may refer to:
* National Democracy (Czech Republic)
* National Democracy (Italy)
* National Democracy (Philippines)
* National Democracy (Poland)
* National Democracy (Spain)
See also
* Civic nationalism, a general concept
* ...
, which is based on
Marxism–Leninism–Maoism, similar to
CPP-
NPA-
NDFP. It believes that:
*The Philippines is rich in natural resources but the Filipino people are deprived of it;
*The history of the Philippines is the history of class struggle;
*Imperialism, Feudalism and Bureaucratic Capitalism is the root of poverty; and
*A National-Democratic Revolution is the solution to end the roots of poverty
However, unlike underground revolutionary organizations such as the
Communist Party of the Philippines
The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is des ...
, its armed wing the
New People's Army
The New People's Army ( fil, Bagong Hukbong Bayan), abbreviated NPA or BHB, is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), based primarily in the Philippine countryside. It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aim ...
and its united front the
National Democratic Front, members of Bayan do not take up arms. They participate in the urban mass movement, which are the dual tactics of the revolution, and participate in the revolution through mass mobilizations.
Political structure
Bayan operates as an alliance of different sectoral organizations. It follows a democratic and central structure. Its own documentation suggests that it is a centralized organization, including:
* chapters as the smallest units
* the general assembly as the highest policy-making body
* the national council which meets twice a year or more often if needed
* the national executive committee to implement the policies of the general assembly and national council
* five specialized commissions
* the general secretariat that runs day-to-day operations
* a national office in
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
in
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
.
As an umbrella group of the National-Democratic movement in the Philippines, BAYAN is associated with several organizations.
History
Bayan was founded by
Leandro Alejandro
Leandro Legara Alejandro (July 10, 1960 – September 19, 1987) was a student leader and left-wing nationalist political activist in the Philippines.
Early life and education
Alejandro was born in 1960 in Navotas, the eldest son of Rosendo ...
and former senator
Lorenzo Tañada on May 1, 1985, during the
Marcos dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
.
It brought together more than a thousand grassroots and progressive organizations, representing over a million people, largely
national democratic
This article presents the historical development and role of political parties in Ukrainian politics, and outlines more extensively the significant modern political parties since Ukraine gained independence in 1991.
Overview
Ukraine has a m ...
.
It was a participant in the
People Power Revolution
The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...
against the Marcos dictatorship, contributing to one of the first of the non-violent, popular revolutions of the 1980s as well as involved in the creation of now-defunct Partido ng Bayan (People's Party) that participated during the 1987 elections. However, since 1998,
Bayan Muna, the political party of the organization, has been the leading party-list member in the
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, th ...
.
[Bayan History]
On August 7, 2002, the secretary-general of Bayan,
Teodoro A. Casiño, claimed that under the
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...
presidency, soldiers murdered at least 13 Bayan and
Bayan Muna members.
In a resolution past during the Bayan 7th Congress in August 2004, the coalition would expand to include overseas Filipino organizations as official members of Bayan. In January 2005, the first Bayan USA assembly was held in San Francisco. As the first overseas Bayan chapter, Bayan USA directly coordinated the implementation of Bayan campaigns to Bayan member organizations in the United States. These organizations include the NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, League of Filipino Students in San Francisco State University,
Anakbayan (New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Diego, Honolulu, East Bay, Portland, and Seattle), the Critical Filipino/Filipina Studies Collective, Habi Ng Kalinangan, babaeSF (San Francisco), Pinay Sa Seattle, and Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE).
After the
2007 elections, and the death of
Anakpawis
Anakpawis is a party-list in the Philippines. The party-list is the electoral wing of the radical trade union movement Kilusang Mayo Uno and the peasant group Kilusang Mangbubukid ng Pilipinas.
Known for its radical pro-labor and peasant stand, ...
representative
Crispin Beltran
Crispin Beltran, also known as Ka Bel (January 7, 1933 – May 20, 2008), was a Filipino labor leader. A staunch critic of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his imprisonment in 2006 and 2007 on disputed charges of rebellion and sedition drew in ...
, Bayan now has five combined representatives in the
14th Congress of the Philippines
The 14th Congress of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Ikalabing-apat na Kongreso ng Pilipinas''), composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, met from July 23, 2007, until June 9, 2010, during the last three years of Gloria Maca ...
,
Satur Ocampo and
Teodoro Casiño
Teodoro "Teddy" Acevedo Casiño (, born 15 November 1968) is a Filipino activist, writer, and journalist. He was a member of the House of Representatives for Bayan Muna.
Early life and career
Born in Davao City to middle class parents, Casiño f ...
of
Bayan Muna,
Rafael V. Mariano of
Anakpawis
Anakpawis is a party-list in the Philippines. The party-list is the electoral wing of the radical trade union movement Kilusang Mayo Uno and the peasant group Kilusang Mangbubukid ng Pilipinas.
Known for its radical pro-labor and peasant stand, ...
, and
Liza Maza
Liza Maza (born 8 September 1957) is a Filipina activist who was the lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission under the Duterte administration from August 2016 until her resignation in August 2018. She was a member of the Philippine ...
and
Luzviminda Ilagan
Luzviminda "Luz" Calolot-Ilagan is a Filipina development worker and former congresswoman. She represented the Gabriela Women's Partylist in the 14th Congress of the Philippines from 2007 to 2016.
In September 2017, she was appointed by Preside ...
of
GABRIELA.
In the 2010 elections Bayan has 7 congressmen in the lower house, including Raymond Palatino,
Neri Colmenares, and Luzviminda Iligan.
During the
2013 Philippine Elections, all of the partylists except for Aking Bikolnon ran for sectoral representatives. Kalikasan and Courage were disqualified while Kabataan and Piston faced charges of disqualifications, but were subsequently lifted.
Bayan Muna and
GABRIELA won two seats each, seating
Neri Colmenares and
Carlos Zarate for
Bayan Muna and Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus for Gabriela. Meanwhile, ACT, Anakpawis and Kabataan won 1 seat each, with Antonio Tinio, Fernando "Ka Pando" Hicap and Terry Ridon as their representatives, respectively.
Makabayan and Bayan also fielded former Bayan Muna representative
Teodoro "Teddy" Casiño, who has served for 9 years as one of the congressmen of the said partylist. He placed 22nd out of 35, garnering about 3.5 million votes.
See also
*
National Democracy Movement (Philippines)
References
External links
Bayan websiteBayan USA website
{{Authority control
Left-wing political party alliances
Left-wing politics in the Philippines
Anti-Americanism
National Democracy Movement (Philippines)
People Power Revolution
Political party alliances in the Philippines
Political parties established in 1985
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
International League of Peoples' Struggle
1985 establishments in the Philippines
Socialist parties in the Philippines