The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, better known as Akbayan (), is a

democratic socialist Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...

and progressive political party 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 ...

. Akbayan is noted as a leading member of the progressive movement in the Philippines, having been formed in 1998 by a variety of progressive

political organizations A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in politica ...

. 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 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 ...

organizations from the country's social democratic,

, 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 The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The ...

(AFP) against fellow

activists Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

. It has also been critical of 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 ...

, particularly its actions in the countryside against peasant groups and communities and what these groups and communities see as the

Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...

group's

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

activities. Due to its stance against

right-wing extremism Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

(from some elements of the AFP) and the Maoist

far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars conside ...

( CPP–NPA–NDF), Akbayan has been a target of both political groups. During the administration of former 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 ...

, Akbayan was among the

opposition groups In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political party, political parties or other organized groups that are opposed, primarily ideology, ideologically, to the government (or, in American English, the Administration (government)#Uni ...

repressed by the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

. 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 Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

. 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 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 ...

owing to a

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

decision which ensured only the leading party list (

Ako Bicol Ako Bicol Political Party (AKB) is a political party in the Philippines participating in the party-list elections in the Philippines. It represents the Bicol Region and the Bicolano people. In the 2016 elections, AKB was the top partylist with 1, ...

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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

(PRC)

naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

and

coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

vessels into Philippine territorial waters and within the country's 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In 2016, the party allied itself with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

and the

Magdalo Group The Magdalo Group was a group of dissident soldiers who staged the unsuccessful Oakwood mutiny. Made up of junior officers of all branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the group took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center in Makat ...

, supporting

Mar Roxas Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II (; born May 13, 1957) is a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines. He is the grandson and namesake of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas. He served in the Cabinet of the Philippines ...

and

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; born Maria Leonor Santo Tomas Gerona; April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the wife of the late Jesse R ...

'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 Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperso ...

's handling of the

Philippine Drug War The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in th ...

and the TRAIN Law. Akbayan has affiliate groups that represent

government employees A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

, women workers, migrants, as well as members of the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and so ...

. The party's official website states that Akbayan is an activist organisation "and proud of it", and that it "vehemently condemn(s)

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

, and other violent acts that undermine

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and

freedoms Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and F ...

regardless of whoever commits them".

Ideology

The party includes both

s and

social democrat Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

s as members. While Akbayan's political-economic platform rests on the democratic-socialist foundation which the ruling

PDP–Laban Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (), abbreviated as PDP–Laban, is a democratic socialist political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was part of the country's ruling party alliance from 1986 to 1992 under the administrat ...

ostensibly shares, the former differs greatly from the latter with regard to

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

and

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term ...

Legislative record

* Republic Act 9189 – The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 * Republic Act 9481 – Right to Labor Self-Organization Law * Republic Act 9502 – Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law * Republic Act 9700 – Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law * Republic Act 10354 – Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law * Republic Act 10351 – Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco or The Sin Tax Law * Republic Act 10368 – Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 * Republic Act 10667 – Philippine Competition Act * Republic Act 10028 – Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Law * Republic Act 10742 – Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Law * Republic Act 10643 – Graphic Health Warning Law * Republic Act 10932 – Anti-Hospital Deposit Act * Republic Act 11036 – Mental Health Act * Republic Act 11166 – HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018

Electoral performance

President

;Notes

Vice president

Senate elections

House of Representatives elections

Party-list elections

Akbayan is only one of two parties (the other is

Butil The Butil Farmers Party (Butil), formerly the Luzon Farmers Party, is a party-list in the Luzon, Philippines. Butil is the electoral wing of the National Farmers Supreme Council (SANDUGO). In the 2004 elections for the House of Representatives got ...

) 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 The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...

in all elections until the 2016 election where they fell short by 0.12%.

Elections in congressional districts

In 2013,

Kaka Bag-ao Arlene "Kaka" J. Bag-ao (born July 3, 1969) is a Filipino human rights lawyer and agrarian reform advocate who served as Governor of the Dinagat Islands from 2019 until her defeat in 2022. Bag-ao additionally served as the representative for the ...

ran for the Dinagat Islands seat under the Akbayan label and won; she subsequently ran under the

label in subsequent elections.

Representatives to Congress

Candidates for 2013 elections

* Risa Hontiveros – Senator * Arlene "Kaka" Bag-ao – District Representative, Dinagat Islands (under Liberal Party) * Walden F. Bello – 1st nominee, party-list * Ibarra M. Gutierrez III – 2nd nominee, party-list * Angelina Ludovice Katoh – 3rd nominee, party-list * Sylvia Estrada Claudio – 4th nominee, party-list * Francis Q. Isaac – 5th nominee, party-list * Edwin A. Bustillos – 6th nominee, party-list

Candidates for 2016 elections

Risa Hontiveros Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel (; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist who has been serving as a senator of the Philippines since 2016. She previously served as a party-list representa ...

– Senator * Tomasito Villarin – 1st nominee, party-list * Barry Gutierrez III – 2nd nominee, party-list Also the spokesperson of Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid. * 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 * Pat Ibay – Councilor (District 1, Pasay) * Ileana Ibay – Councilor (District 2, Pasay) * Alvin Dizon – Councilor (District 1, Cebu City) Ran under the Liberal Party. * Sergio Bañes Jr. – Councilor (Estancia, Iloilo) * Egar Chu – Councilor (Estancia, Iloilo)

Candidates for 2019 elections

* Tomasito 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 elections

– Senator * Percival Cendaña – 1st nominee, party-list * Dr. 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 Candidates * Lyn Dialde - Board Member, Dinagat Islands * Fely Pedrablanca - Mayor, Tubajon, Dinagat Islands * Rexon Arevalo - Vice Mayor,

Nagcarlan, Laguna Nagcarlan, officially the Municipality of Nagcarlan ( tgl, Bayan ng Nagcarlan), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,866 people. It is northeast of San P ...

* Ernesto Balida - Vice Mayor,

Batad, Iloilo Batad, officially the Municipality of Batad ( hil, Banwa sang Batad, tgl, Bayan ng Batad), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,157 people. In 1950, the ba ...

* Petnel Sombrado - Vice Mayor,

Dinagat, Dinagat Islands Dinagat, officially the Municipality of Dinagat ( Surigaonon: ''Lungsod nan Dinagat''; ceb, Lungsod sa Dinagat; tl, Bayan ng Dinagat), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Dinagat Islands, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

* Zoltan Edera - Vice Mayor, Libjo, Dinagat Islands * Liezl Aguirre - Councilor,

San Jose del Monte, Bulacan San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM; fil, Lungsod ng San Jose del Monte), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...

* Tobit Cruz - Councilor,

Taytay, Rizal Taytay, officially the Municipality of Taytay ( tgl, Bayan ng Taytay; ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. It is also known as the Garments Capital of the Philippines. Most occupation of the residents are relate ...

* Erwin Dimaculangan - Councilor,

Alitagtag, Batangas Alitagtag, officially the Municipality of Alitagtag ( tgl, Bayan ng Alitagtag), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,819 people. Geography According to ...

* Elaine Teope - Councilor,

Luisiana, Laguna Luisiana, officially the Municipality of Luisiana ( tgl, Bayan ng Luisiana), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 20,859 people. Locals call the town ''Little ...

* Laurence Sombilla - Councilor,

* Richard Pavico - Councilor,

San Pablo, Laguna San Pablo, officially the City of San Pablo ( fil, Lungsod ng San Pablo), is a 1st class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 285,348 people. It is located in the souther ...

* Gilbert Arrabis Jr. - Councilor,

Daanbantayan, Cebu Daanbantayan, officially the Municipality of Daanbantayan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Daanbantayan; tgl, Bayan ng Daanbantayan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of ...

* Wilfredo Punay - Councilor, Tubajon, Dinagat Islands * Samson Tidalgo - Councilor, Tubajon, Dinagat Islands

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1998 establishments in the Philippines Centre-left parties in Asia Citizens' Action Parties Feminist organizations in the Philippines Feminist parties in Asia Former member parties of the Socialist International Party-lists represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines Political parties established in 1998 Progressive Alliance Social democratic parties in Asia