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MANILA, Philippines – The Makabayan coalition has announced that it will field a full senatorial slate for the 2025 polls which, they said, will offer fresh alternatives to voters tired of seeing the same old names in the upper chamber.
In a press conference on Thursday, July 11, the Makabayan coalition expressed confidence that they have a chance of getting seats, even if there was only one opposition candidate who won in the past two Senate elections.
“Sawa na sila sa ano ang nakahain sa darating na eleksyon – puro na lang mga angkan. Hindi na lang mag-ama, mag-ina at buong angkan ng ilang mga dinastiya,” said Antonio Tinio, executive vice president of Makabayan.
(They [voters] are tired of what they’re seeing as choices in the upcoming elections – all [political] clans. It’s not just father and child, mother and child tandems, and the the whole clan of a few dynasties.)
The coalition has not revealed their full slate yet, but they gave assurances that that they will field familiar names or those who have been working for their respective advocacies for a long time. However, the process of nominating candidates from Makabayan partylists and allied groups has already begun and they are weighing their options.
So far, only ACT Teachers Representative France Castro, whose term ends in 2025, obtained the approval of their council to gun for a Senate seat in 2025.
The rest of Makabayan’s Senate candidates will be announced in the coming days, but their platform would be reflective of their advocacies.
“[Kami ay] maghahain ng komprehensibong plataporma na tutugon sa mga interes ng mamamayan mismo (We are going to offer a comprehensive platform that aims to respond to the interest of the people),” Tinio said.
The ‘opposition of the people’
Makabayan said their lineup will be the “oposisyon ng bayan (opposition of the people)” composed of workers, farmers, and representatives of other marginalized sectors – sectors that are remembered only during elections and forgotten after, said former congressman Neri Colmenares
“Bukas naman kami sa pag-uusap sa ilang mga indibidwal na kandidato na magkaisa kami sa plataporma, magkaisa kami sa mga pananaw sa isyu (We are open to talks with individual candidates who can adopt our platforms and reflect our views on issues),” added Colmenares, who ran for the Senate in 2019 and 2022.
In February, the Liberal Party bared some of their bets for the 2025 polls: former senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, and human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.
When asked if the Makabayan coalition is open to working with the LP in the upcoming polls, Tinio said they have yet to have formal talks with the party but reiterated that they are open to welcoming individuals with a proven track record in their slate.
There have been calls for opposition figures to step up. In the last midterm elections, the opposition Ocho Derecho slate failed to secure a spot in the Senate, a first in 80 years of Philippine politics. Opposition figures in previous years have suffered a barrage of attacks from the administration of the popular Rodrigo Duterte, from red-tagging to online disinformation.
In the 2022 polls, only Senator Risa Hontiveros made it to the “Magic 12” or the winners’ circle in the Senate race.
Marcos slate not an option
They recognize that it will be an “uphill battle,” as former Gabriela representative Liza Maza put it.
Among their problems are funding a campaign. Colmenares said the electoral system is corrupt and favors those who can afford it.
“The other way, of course, is for us to run [with] the administration, but we cannot do that,” Colmenares said, even if it means that running with the Marcos administration would secure a winning post.
When Vice President Sara Duterte resigned and was immediately floated as the so-called new opposition figure, there were calls for the traditional opposition figures to run alongside the administration’s bets to keep the Dutertes in check. The Vice President had earlier said that her father and two brothers were eyeing the 2025 Senate race.
The Makabayan coalition is confident in their advocacies and their track record, saying that even the voters in the upcoming polls are cognizant of what they need to look for in a public official – their stance on the drug war, contractualization, and the West Philippine Sea – and the coalition has been vocal in those issues.
“That will expose the other candidates, whether senatorial or partylist,” Colmenares said. – Rappler.com
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