Compromised Leftisms (Initial Version)

8/13/2019 Compromised Leftisms (Initial Version)

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Hansley A. JulianoDepartment of Political Science

Ateneo de Manila University


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The 2ndAquino administration,once with potential for reformand development for a majorityof Philippine society (success in

some aspects), is challengedwith delegitimation.

Organizing a partys network ofmovements towards alliance

with outside forms points to

important insights on why andhow a mainstream, governingleftist presence in thePhilippines is a muddy reality.


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Special considerationgiven from period of 2008to late 2013.

Emphasize the decisions,tensions and continuingcontestations involvedand surrounding theirdirections.

Comparativequalitativeanalysis


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1. Largely directed towards a developmentalist framework.2. Most of these parties projects stands on platform of reform.

Allied movements prioritize changing situations of social

inequality. Difference produce tensions.3. Tensions on transition stems from varying political praxis4. Philippine parliamentary Left, like other SMs worldwide, face

temptation of privileging national politics as sole terrain,diminishing capacity to truly critique and offer alternatives.


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Akbayan, founded in 1998, was initiallycomposed of 4 political blocs:Movementfor Popular Democracy (MPD);Bukluran sa Ikauunlad ng SosyalistangIsip at Gawa(BISIG);Pandayan parasa Sosyalistang Pilipinas(Pandayan);andSiglo ng Paglaya(Siglaya)/Padayon.

Partido Manggagawa(PM) wasestablished in 2001 after labor-sectormembers ofSANLAKAS clamored fordirect representation.

Bayan Muna, while formally establishedas a party in 1999, was a de factoheir ofthe 1980s movement networkBagongAlyansang Makabayan (BAYAN).


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Key sectors that weremarked as activesupporters by theseparties include (but are

not limited to): Labor Rural Sector Urban Poor Government Employees Overseas Filipino

Workers (OFWs) LGBT sector Education and Youth

All parties have servedin Congress via theParty-List System: Akbayan(1998-

onwards) Partido Manggagawa

(2001-2007) Bayan Muna(2001-

onwards)

AkbayanandBayanMunasPL seats rangefrom 2-3 seats, whilePMwas able to winusually 1 seat.


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Social movements, NGOs and POsshare frameworks (largelydevelopmental, focusing on social

justice issues, slants to the left of

the Philippine political spectrum) Legislative track record of these

parties in Congress could besummarized in efforts to makegovernment efficient and

accountable to its constituencies. Expectations of these parties withregards to governmentsreceptivity to reform differ, whichlikely explains their differentiatedstrategies.


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Akbayanand Liberal Party (LP)partners on particular issues;alliance was framed alongpolitical strategy for 2010 and

2013 elections. Risa Hontiveros fielded as

senatoriable for both electioncycles, but lost (13thand 17th).

Nonetheless, engagement is

viewed as useful and successfulby Akbayan leaders; itsupposedly helps in their image(Interviews with Reps. Bello andBag-ao, 2012).


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Representative Committee Membership Working UnderWalden Bell o Overseas Workers Affairs - Chairperson(Journal #12) N/A

Economic Affairs -Member for the Majority(Journal

#6) Ramon Durano VI (NPC) Food Security -Member for the Majority(Journal #12) Agapito Guanlao (BUTIL) Foreign Affairs -Member for the Majority(Journal #7) Al Francis Bichara (Nacionalista) Housing and Urban Development -Member for the

Majority(Journal #8) Rodolfo Valencia (Liberal)

Labor and Employment -Member for the Majority(Journal #7) Emil Ong (NUP-Liberal Coalition) Suffrage and Electoral Reforms -Member for the

Majority(Journal #7) Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. (NUP-Liberal Coalition)Kaka Bag-ao Agrarian Reform - Vice Chairperson(Journal #4) Pryde Henry Teves (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)

Appropriations -Member for the Majority (Journal #13) Joseph Emilio Abaya (Liberal) Constitutional Amendments -Member for the Majority

(Journal #5) Loreto Leo Ocampos (Liberal) Human Rights -Member for the Majority (Journal #9) Rene Relampagos (Liberal) Justice -Member for the Majority(Journal #8) Niel Tupas, Jr. (Liberal) Land Use -Member for the Majority (Journal #15) Jeffrey Ferrer (NPC) Mindanao Affairs -Member for the Majority (Journal

#11) Arnulfo Go (NUP-Liberal Coalition) National Cultural Communities -Member for the

Majority(Journal #16) Teodoro Baguilat, Jr. (Liberal) Population And Family Relations -Member for the

Majority(Journal #15) Rogelio Espina (Liberal) Women And Gender Equality -Member for the Majority

(Journal #7) Angelica Amante-Matba (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)


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Name Former Position inAkbayan Current GovernmentPost Office

Ronald Llamas Party President Presidential Adviser Office of thePresidential Adviser

on Political Affairs

(PAPA)Loretta Ann Rosales Chair Emeritus Chairperson Commission on

Human Rights (CHR)Joel Rocamora Party President Secretary/Lead Convenor National Anti-

Poverty Commission

(NAPC)Mario Aguja 2ndParty-List

RepresentativeMember, Board of

TrusteesGovernment Service

Insurance System(GSIS)

Daniel Edralin National Vice-Chairperson Member and Chairpersonfor Committee on OFWs Social SecuritySystem (SSS)

Percival Cendaa National Chairperson Commissioner-at-Large National YouthCommission (NYC)


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Bayan Muna (Interview w/Rep. Carlos Zarate, 2013): Bayan Munachose to split

constituencies per sector;reorganized as MAKABAYANCoalition (Bayan Muna,Anakpawis, Gabriela,

Kabataan, Courage, Migrante,ACT-Teachers, Katribu, AkapBata, Piston, Kalikasan andAking Bikolnon)


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MAKABAYAN Coalitioneventually chose to supportNacionalista Party coalitionled by Sen. Manuel Villar inhis 2010 presidential bid,

with Satur Ocampo andLiza Masa as senatoriables,

but lost (25thand 26th,respectively)

FormerBayan MunaRep.Teodoro Casio was fieldedas independent senatoriablein 2013, but also lost (22nd)


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Partido Manggagawa(PM) (c/ointerview with former Rep. ReneMagtubo, 2013): Unable to win seats via the PL

system since 2007; coupled withlack of resources, membershipremains but mobility diminished.

PM currently actively engages incommunity projects and building

alliances amongst labourorganizations nationwide

Now one of the main pillars of natl.labour coalition NAGKAISA.


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Cycle Akbayan Bayan Muna Partido Manggagawa(PM)

Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats

1998 232,376 2.54% 1 Did not participate Did not participate

2001 377,852 2.50% 1 1,708,253 11.30% 3 216,823 3.32% 1

2004 852,473 6.70% 3 1,203,305 9.46% 3 448,072 3.52% 1

2007 466,112 2.92% 2 979,039 6.14% 3 119,054 0.75% 0

2010 1,058,691 3.50% 2 746,019 2.47% 2 140,257 0.47% 0

2013 827,405 2.90% 2 946,308 3.34% 2 Did not participate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election,_1998https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election,_2001https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election,_2004https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2007https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2010https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2013https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2013https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2010https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2007https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election,_2004https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election,_2001https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_general_election,_1998


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Parties capability to actually foster a notion ofpolitical agency and citizenship along professedideas of being the democratic Left shows someincongruities with choices of political projects, withthe sectors they supposedly represent beginning toexpress their own concerns for their movements.


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Relationship with Labour (APL) Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)

formally organized November 1996

Serves as Akbayans key link to laborsectors and urban poor

Interview with APL leaders (2012) Institutional autonomy from Akbayan;

Never supported Roxas, and is unlikelyto support Pres. Aquino up to this day;

Concernedwith demobilization andbureaucratization creeping in the party


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Relationship with Rural Sector National Consultation of Aug. 1986 createdPAKISAMA;

KATARUNGANorganized since 1990s. Both are Akbayans key link to rural sectors (farmers,

fisherfolk and indigenous peoples) PAKISAMA left in 2009; KATARUNGAN still allied. Interview with Mr. Soc Banzuela (2012):Partnering

with LP/Aquino was met with reservation, butstimulated optimism: issues withAkbayans

affirmative action towards representation. Interview with Mr. Danilo Carranza (2013):Partnership

with LP/Aquino disappointing due to continued failureof Agrarian Reform, but acknowledges limitations ofAkbayan in actually affecting Aquino and LPs policies.


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Interview with former Rep. Magtubo (2013): Since 2007,PMis largely operating along mass-

movement lines, and has largely liaised with other

parties in order to advance agendas and issues(establishing links with senatoriables and parties,lobbying in congressional committees).

There is tacit agreement amongst PM leadershipand membership that grassroots organizing is key,

and advancing grassroots interests allows partiesto direct voting behaviour. Example: PALEA, NAGKAISA organizing, truck

and tricycle driver orgs lobbying city ordinances.


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Interviews with MAKABAYAN reps: Rep. Carlos Zarate,BM(2013):

Memberships activities and issues (violations of

agrarian reform, abolition of pork barrel, rightsviolations due to RP-US military exercises) havealways been at the centre of advocacies, even iftranslation to legislation is rough.

Rep. Terry Ridon,Kabataan(2013): Movements express which issues party

representatives should take up, and should bedetermined democratically (Ex.Abolish PorkBarrel, Cybercrime Law).


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Negative identification Conscious efforts to either transform or

disassociate from the legacies of prior leftisms. Proximity to power may drive a party to

rewrite their narratives and rhetoric. Developments on Party List System fetishizing

marginal representation; project ofestablishing strong and mainstreamparties becoming contradictory.


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Contentious claim-making between leftist parties as towho is the genuine representative of the marginalizedsectors of Philippine society resurrects questions on , thequestion of how Philippine leftist movements dealt with

representative democracy. Victimization discourse and intransigent propagandasymptomatic of leftist impotence to communicativecapitalism (Dean 2009)


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Differentiation amongst leftists unappreciated by thegeneral public, with the Oct. 2012 tussle betweenmembers ofAkbayanandAnakbayanmet withdisapproval and confusion.

APL, PM and PAKISAMA endorsed candidates withprogressive agendas, even traditional politicians. Eruption of the multiple Pork Barrel scams in 2013

has inspired mixed responses from leftist groups: Criticisms by leftist groups of the pork barrel system were

deemed tepid or ironic. Akbayan,PMandMAKABAYANwere present in 8/26/13

Million People March: however, there is wider coverage ofuncritical middle-class outrage.

Disconnect with the public a long-standing issue.


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Compromised Leftisms (Initial Version)

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