# Akbayan

The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, better known as Akbayan (lit. 'the escorting of each other' or 'the support for one another' or 'the collective putting of an arm over the shoulders of another'), is a social democratic and progressive political party in the Philippines. 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.
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 organizations from the country's social democratic, democratic socialist, 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. 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.
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 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 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). In 2016, the party allied itself with the Liberal Party to form the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuid, supporting Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo's campaigns and criticizing other candidates. After the election, it joined the Magnificent 7, a group of Liberal Party and Magdalo Party-List members. The party publicly criticized several policies of the Duterte government, 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".

## Ideology

The party includes both democratic socialists and social democrats as members. While Akbayan's political-economic platform rests on the democratic-socialist foundation which PDP–Laban ostensibly shares, the former differs greatly from the latter with regard to civil rights and law enforcement.

## 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
### Presidential and vice presidential

| Year | Presidential election | Presidential election | Presidential election | Presidential election | Vice presidential election | Vice presidential election | Vice presidential election | Vice presidential election |
| Year | Candidate | Votes | Vote share | Result | Candidate | Votes | Vote share | Result |
| 2010 | None | None | None | Benigno Aquino III (Liberal) | None | None | None | Jejomar Binay (PDP–Laban) |
| 2016 | None | None | None | Rodrigo Duterte (PDP–Laban) | None | None | None | Leni Robredo (Liberal) |
| 2022 | None | None | None | Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. (PFP) | None | None | None | Sara Z. Duterte (Lakas–CMD) |

### Legislative elections
#### Senate

In 2010, one of their representatives Risa Hontiveros ran for Senate as a member of Liberal Party, but Akbayan supported her. She only started to run as Akbayan in 2013, and on subsequent elections.

#### House of Representatives elections in districts

In 2013, Kaka Bag-ao ran for the Dinagat Islands seat under the Akbayan label and won; she ran under the Liberal Party label in subsequent elections.

#### Results

Congress of the Philippines :
| House of Representatives (Districts) | House of Representatives (Districts) | House of Representatives (Districts) | House of Representatives (Districts) | House of Representatives (Districts) | Senate | Senate | Senate | Senate | Senate | Senate |
| Year | Votes | Vote share | Seats won | Result | Year | Votes | Vote share | Seats won | Ticket | Result |
| 1998 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Lakas plurality | 1998 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | LAMMP win 7/12 seats |
| 2001 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Lakas plurality | 2001 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | People Power Coalition win 8/13 seats |
| 2004 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Lakas plurality | 2004 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | K4 win 7/12 seats |
| 2007 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Lakas plurality | 2007 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Genuine Opposition win 8/12 seats |
| 2010 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Lakas plurality | 2010 | Only supported a candidate | Only supported a candidate | Only supported a candidate | Only supported a candidate | Liberal Party win 4/12 seats |
| 2013 | 34,239 | 0.12% | 1 / 293 | Liberal Party plurality | 2013 | 10,944,843 | 3.68% | 0 / 12 | Team PNoy | Team PNoy win 9/12 seats |
| 2016 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Liberal Party plurality | 2016 | 15,915,213 | 4.97% | 1 / 12 | Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid | Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid win 7/12 seats |
| 2019 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | PDP–Laban plurality | 2019 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | Otso Diretso | Hugpong ng Pagbabago win 9/12 seats |
| 2022 | Did not participate | Did not participate | Did not participate | PDP–Laban plurality | 2022 | 15,470,005 | 3.56% | 1 / 12 | TroPa | UniTeam win 6/12 seats |

### Party-list elections

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 it as a winner after the Supreme Court of the Philippines upheld the COMELEC Resolution which revoked the party-list's registration of An Waray.
| Election | Votes | % | Party-list seats |
| 1998 | 232,376 | 2.54% | 1 / 51 |
| 2001 | 377,852 | 2.50% | 1 / 51 |
| 2004 | 852,473 | 6.70% | 3 / 52 |
| 2007 | 466,112 | 2.92% | 2 / 53 |
| 2010 | 1,058,691 | 3.50% | 2 / 57 |
| 2013 | 827,405 | 3.02% | 2 / 58 |
| 2016 | 608,449 | 1.88% | 1 / 59 |
| 2019 | 171,713 | 0.62% | 0 / 61 |
| 2022 | 236,226 | 0.64% | 1 / 63 |

### Representatives to Congress

| Period | 1st Representative | 2nd Representative | 3rd Representative |
| 11th Congress 1998–2001 | Etta Rosales | — | — |
| 12th Congress 2001–2004 | Etta Rosales | Mario Aguja | — |
| 13th Congress 2004–2007 | Etta Rosales | Mario Aguja | Risa Hontiveros |
| 14th Congress 2007–2010 | Risa Hontiveros | Walden Bello | — |
| 15th Congress 2010–2013 | Walden Bello | Kaka Bag-ao | — |
| 16th Congress 2013–2016 | Walden Bello (2013–2015) | Barry Gutierrez | — |
| 16th Congress 2013–2016 | Angelina Ludovice-Katoh (2015–2016) | Barry Gutierrez |
| 17th Congress 2016–2019 | Tomasito Villarin | — | — |
| 18th Congress 2019–2022 | Out of Congress |
| 19th Congress 2022–2025 | Perci Cendaña (2024–) | — | — |