Akbayan

Part of a series on
Socialism
Development Age of the Enlightenment French Revolution History of socialism Revolutions of 1848 Socialist calculation debate Socialist economics
Ideas Calculation in kind Collective ownership Cooperative Common ownership Commune (model of government) Economic democracy Economic planning Equal liberty Equal opportunity Free association Freed market Industrial democracy Input–output model Internationalism Labor-time calculation Labour voucher Material balance planning Peer‑to‑peer economics Production for use Sharing economy Social dividend Social ownership Socialism in one country Socialist mode of production To each according to his contribution/needs Workers' self-management Workplace democracy
Models Communalism Participatory economics Democratic confederalism Market economy Market socialism Lange model Mutualism Socialist market economy Socialist-oriented market Planned economy Decentralized planning Inclusive Democracy OGAS Project Cybersyn Soviet-type Social ecology
Variants 21st-century African Arab Agrarian Anarchism Authoritarian Blanquism Chinese Communism Democratic Ethical Ecological Feminist Fourierism Free-market Gandhian Guild Laissez-faire Liberal Libertarian Marhaenism Marxism Municipal Nationalist Owenism Reformism Religious Revolutionary Ricardian Saint-Simonianism Scientific Social democracy State Syndicalism Third World Utopian Zionist
By country Argentina Australia Bangladesh Brazil Canada China Communist China Nationalist China Estonia Greece Hong Kong India Iran Italy Netherlands New Zealand Pakistan Sri Lanka Tunisia United Kingdom United States Vietnam Yugoslavia
People More Hall Saint-Simon Babeuf Owen Fourier Thompson Hodgskin Cabet Enfantin Proudhon Blanc Herzen Bakunin Marx Barmby Engels Lavrov Lassalle Morris Jones Kropotkin Bernstein Malatesta Kautsky Taylor Plekhanov Jaurès Dewey Barone Du Bois Goldman Lenin Luxemburg Blum Russell Pannekoek Recabarren Einstein Trotsky Keller Attlee Tawney Neurath Polanyi Makhno Bordiga Debs Cole Ho Tito Mao Nagy Pertini Gerhardsen Orwell Douglas Senghor Erlander Allende Hoxha Kreisky Mitterrand Nasser Mandela Crosland Bookchin Dubček Zinn Castoriadis Thompson Manley Castro Che Chomsky King Craxi Laclau Sanders Mouffe Ali Öcalan Žižek Corbyn Layton West Hedges Varoufakis
Organizations First International Second International Third International Fourth International Fifth International Labour and Socialist International Socialist International World Federation of Democratic Youth International Union of Socialist Youth World Socialist Movement International Committee of the Fourth International Progressive Alliance
Related topics Anarchism Capitalism Communist society Criticism of capitalism Criticism of socialism Economic calculation problem Economic system French Left Left-libertarianism Libertarianism List of socialists List of socialist economists Marxist philosophy Nanosocialism Progressivism Socialism and LGBT rights Socialist calculation debate Socialist Party Socialist state Types of socialism
Economics portal  Politics portal  Socialism portal

Akbayan was formally founded in 1998 by different civil society organization and various left organizations from the country's social democratic, democratic socialists, 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.[5] It has also been critical of the Communist Party of the Philippines, particularly their actions in the countryside against peasant groups and communities and what they 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 by both political groups.[6]

Akbayan members protesting granting of bail for former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for 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 former President Gloria 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 Chinese Consular Office protesting the Chinese'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).[7][8] In 2016, they allied themselves with the Liberal Party and the Magdalo Group, supporting Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo's campaigns and criticizing other candidates. After the election, they joined the Magnificent 7, a group of Liberal Party and Magdalo members. They publicly criticized several policies, 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".[9]

The party follows democratic socialist[1] and social democratic[3] ideologies. Akbayan shares its democratic socialist platform with the mainstream ruling party, PDP-LABAN, but with several differences with regards to their views on civil rights and law enforcement.

Akbayan members calling for the passage of the CARPER Law

Creative action for the passage of the Reproductive Health Law in 2012

• Republic Act 9189 – The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003[10]
• Republic Act 9481 – Right to Labor Self-Organization Law[11]
• Republic Act 9502 – Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law[12]
• Republic Act 9700 – Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law[13]
• Republic Act 10354 – Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law[14]
• Republic Act 10351 – Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco or The Sin Tax Law[15]
• Republic Act 10368 – Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013[16]
• Republic Act 10667 – Philippine Competition Act[17]
• Republic Act 10028 – Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Law[18]
• Republic Act 10742 – Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Law
• Republic Act 10643 – Graphic Health Warning Law[19]
• Republic Act 10932 – Anti-Hospital Deposit Act[20]
• Republic Act 11036 – Mental Health Act[21]
• Republic Act 11166 – HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018[22]

Akbayan is only one of two parties (the other is Butil) to win seats in all party list elections in the Philippines. 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%.

• Official website