Sanlakas is a

party-list An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

organization in the

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 ...

. It is a progressive coalition of different marginalized sectors in the Philippines founded on October 29, 1993. After topping the party-list tally in the

National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...

, Sanlakas won a seat in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

in 1998, the first party-list elections in the

. Sanlakas won a seat in the lower house for the second time in 2001. Some of the notable affiliates of Sanlakas are Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralita ng Lungsod (KPML), Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA), Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO), Metro Manila Vendors' Alliance (MMVA), Alliance of Transport Operators Member Intra-Cebu (ATOMIC), Teachers' Dignity Coalition (TDC), Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT), and Piglas-Kabataan.

Track record

Known as an activist political party, Sanlakas constantly figures in protest actions against certain policies of the government like the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the Mining Act of 1995, among others. Sanlakas was also a petitioner in several cases in the Supreme Court of the Philippines against Philippine laws and policies they deem detrimental to the welfare of the Filipino people like the Oil Deregulation Law, and the declaration of a State of Rebellion during the time of President

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 ...

. Among the victims of the serial killings of political activists in the Philippines, during the Arroyo administration, are Sanlakas members like trade unionist Andrew Inoza, peasant leader Frank Labial, and revolutionary socialist Filemon Lagman. Lagman, one of the founders of Sanlakas, is considered as the first prominent victim of political assassination under the presidency of Gloria Arroyo.

Representatives to Congress

* 11th Congress (1998–2001) - Rene Magtubo, Mario Cruz * 12th Congress (2001–2004) - Jose Virgilio Bautista

2013 elections

The Philippine Commission on Elections ( COMELEC) accredited Sanlakas for the 2013 party-list elections after being delisted earlier due to their failure to participate in the 2010 elections.

Congressional nominees

#Manjette Lopez - Sanlakas National President and Freedom from Debt Coalition Vice President #Tita Flor Santos - Sanlakas National Treasurer, a veteran urban poor organizer and adviser to the MMVA #Aaron Pedrosa - Sanlakas Secretary-General and a former student leader #Rasti Delizo - Sanlakas Auditor and an expert on foreign policy and geo-politics #Erwin Puhawan - Migrant workers advocate and labor leader

Electoral performance

Veterans Federation Party vs. COMELEC

Track record

Representatives to Congress

2013 elections

Congressional nominees

Electoral performance

References

See also