Part 1: The campaign that brought Akbayan to record-breaking victory

1 week ago 12

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

Emman Hizon woke up in the morning of May 12 believing that Akbayan Citizens’ Party would secure at least one seat in the House of Representatives, that is, if election surveys were accurate.

But by night time, it was clear that the outcome exceeded all expectations. Akbayan had pulled off the biggest surprise during the 2025 elections by topping the race dominated by political dynasties and factions loyal to either side of the warring Duterte and Marcos camps.

“Of course we were confident of winning, but what we didn’t expect is how massive that winning would be,” Hizon, the party’s vice president, told Rappler.

By the end of the official counting, Akbayan received 2,779,621 votes, or 6.63% of the total votes cast for the party-list race, which allowed them a maximum of three seats. These seats will be taken by Chel Diokno, incumbent Representative Percival Cendaña, and Haima Kiram Ismula.

Akbayan did not only save itself from being delisted, but was also able to hit a record of being the party-list group to receive the biggest number of votes in Philippine electoral history.

But this victory — Akbayan’s biggest since its establishment in 1998 — was not a spur of the moment nor overnight thing, but was six years in the making following their “devastating loss” in the 2019 elections. It was the culmination of unpacking and unlearning comfortable actions, and taking on steps that other progressive groups would’ve had a hard time doing.

Several people involved in the campaign told Rappler that the stars seemed to align for Akbayan in the 2025 elections. The once-unshakeable Marcos-Duterte alliance had fractured into warring camps, dragging their supporters into messy infighting. A broader section of the electorate, that had grown disillusioned and weary, began searching for an alternative.

This reality, according to Hizon, gave progressive groups “a space in between that could be maximized.”

“I’m not giving any undue credit to [Marcos and Duterte] because hindi naman sila nagpanalo sa amin (they did not make us win),” he said. “I’m just saying that there’s a political context to how [2025] is quite different from 2022 and 2019, so there’s space for us to really maximize and to promote our messages.”

But a central turning point came when Akbayan confronted an uncomfortable truth that it had a branding problem. In the thick of the highly polarized 2022 presidential election, Hizon recalled how a communications expert bluntly said that voters couldn’t distinguish Akbayan from the rest of the progressive side of the political spectrum. The group had a solid message, yes, but it was getting lost in the noise.

It was too late in 2022 when they realized this, Hizon recalled. That year’s elections saw them finishing 57th with only 236,226 votes, securing a 19th Congress seat only in September 2024 after the Commission on Elections canceled the registration of An Waray.

“Akbayan tries very hard and very consciously to really have its own brand,” he said. “Even on the issues that we advocate for, we try to really make a mark in terms of branding and political messaging, but we were told that we have a name problem.”

That was perhaps the turning point. With an eye towards the 2025 elections, Akbayan stopped clinging to old frames and instead reimagined itself not as a static label or a noun, but as a verb. It transformed its name to refer to reaching out, to embrace, and to stand with. The phrase would later evolve into the campaign’s heartbeat: “Kapag mahal mo, Akbayan mo.”

“It tells us our story beautifully na kapag mahal mo ang bayan, kabataan, iba’t ibang sector, akbayan mo, kasi kailangan nagtutulungan tayo para sa pagbabago,” Akbayan president Rafaela David said in an episode of In the Public Square with Rappler columnist John Nery.

(It tells our story beautifully, that when you love the country, the youth, and various sectors, you walk with them in solidarity because real change requires all of us working together.)

The campaign that brought Akbayan to record-breaking victory

This wasn’t just a shift in language but also a recalibration of tone and strategy. Akbayan, often seen as uptight like other progressive groups, learned from its past and borrowed what worked from unlikely sources. Doing so helped the group break through and tell a story that finally resonated without abandoning their principles.

“Puwede mo naman i-convey (You can convey it) in a way that is happy and inspiring, so the story is about solidarity and unity, about making things simple for us trying to soften our image but maintaining our brand as Akbayan,” Hizon said.

Akbayan recognized a critical opening in such a volatile landscape and moved decisively to occupy it. In the face of political turmoil between Marcos and Duterte, it made moves to carry out its renewed vision alongside continued advocacy for causes it has long upheld.

The party intensified its scrutiny of Vice President Sara Duterte with incumbent Representative Percival Cendaña endorsing one of the earliest impeachment complaints filed against her. Through the Atin Ito movement, members of Akbayan joined fisherfolk in Philippine waters to assert the country’s sovereignty despite threats of China-led propaganda and harassment.

“It was something that showed voters a different kind of activism and a different kind of active citizenship that it can be peaceful, it can be creative, even in the face of a giant enemy,” David said, adding that these were issues that cut across political lines and affiliations.

Akbayan Chel Diokno joins wage hilke protest

Bringing in Diokno

Akbayan reentered the race with revitalized branding, a strong track record, and a renewed determination to bounce back from consecutive defeats. These elements became the driving force behind its comeback campaign.

But even the most compelling message needs a credible figure to bring it to life. This is why many party-list groups bank on celebrities’ star power over their actual nominees in the run-up to elections.

For Akbayan, that “celebrity” was its first nominee, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, who, despite falling short in the 2019 and 2022 races, already cultivated a loyal following endearingly called “CHELdren.”

“It was clear that we had to be both principled but also pragmatic in engaging elections so we can see the path to victory,” David said, recalling the discussions about Diokno as top nominee. “At the end of the day, what was clear is that as we engage 2025 we have to prepare, not just to run, but to win.”

One path they saw was Senator Risa Hontiveros’ trajectory from Akbayan representative to senator. Diokno, during the filing of candidacies in October 2024, said that foregoing another Senate run was a “principled decision.” Working at the House of Representatives, he pointed out, was still the same as serving in the Senate.

His name was first floated among Akbayan circles right after the 2022 elections, according to party chairman emeritus and political analyst Ronald Llamas, but formal talks only began a year and a half ago. He was officially chosen by members during a national congress in 2024.

“It was not that hard since [he and Akbayan] share common principles, analysis, vision, and platform,” he said. “Ang kulang na lang ay iyong formal membership (What was just missing was formal membership).”

Diokno became a member of Akbayan only in September 2024, but their relationship could be traced to decades ago. First, through his human rights work as chairperson of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) which Akbayan often sought assistance from. This connection deepened when Diokno tried his luck at a Senate seat, in both instances running alongside Senator Risa Hontiveros, a top Akbayan leader.

“When he decided he wanted to be a member, we were very excited so we said ‘of course, Atty. Chel, we would love you to be part of Akbayan,’” Hizon recalled. “And then, there was a clamor from our members and partner social movements to maybe nominate [him] as our number one nominee going to the 2025 elections.”

The tradition in Akbayan, Rappler learned, was that the incumbent representative would be the group’s first nominee in the succeeding polls. Cendaña, who held the group’s seat in the 19th Congress following An Waray’s exit, “graciously slipped down” to be second nominee, according to Hizon.

The move to place Diokno as the top nominee was “thoroughly deliberated” and voted upon by Akbayan’s general membership. Hizon said that the legacy of the Diokno family when it comes to fighting for human rights and democracy plus Akbayan’s track record of progressive groups was a match made in heaven.

“We think [Diokno] really brings a lot of things to Akbayan and at the same time, Akbayan also brings a lot of things to [him],” Hizon said. “We saw that with all of these things combined, we have more chances of winning in the 2025 elections.”

The Risa effect

A crucial part of the winning formula is Senator Risa Hontiveros, who served as the party-list group’s representative in the House from 2004 to 2010. These days, one could see her social media videos celebrating the electoral victories of her allies with unmistakable joy. She was, for so long, the sole genuine opposition figure in the Senate after all.

But her path to the Senate was far from easy. After two unsuccessful bids, she finally secured a seat in 2016, placing 9th with nearly 15.9 million votes.

The Duterte years were especially difficult for voices of dissent. Yet Hontiveros, along with then-senator Leila de Lima, remained outspoken critics of the administration’s violent policies, particularly the war on drugs. But standing firm came with consequences. De Lima was unjustly detained on trumped-up drug charges and later lost her reelection bid. Hontiveros managed to retain her seat, but narrowly placed 11th.

The outcome of the 2022 elections and the broader political climate during the latter years of the Duterte administration served as a wake-up call. It signaled the need for a strategic shift in the camp of Akbayan’s most successful leader.

“Si Hontiveros, sinasabing model politician na, pero noong elections, rank 11 lang so kahit nanalo [noong 2022], parang nakaka-humble din ‘yun na hindi mo pa talaga nababasa ang Filipino voters,” Monica Magpantay, Hontiveros’ communications director in the Senate, said.

(Hontiveros is tagged as a model politician but she still only ranked 11, so even if we won, it was still humbling as we realized that we still do not have a grasp of the Filipino voters.)

Magpantay joined Hontiveros’ team during a period of internal recalibration and one of their key decisions was to look beyond the traditional opposition base. These voters, after all, were already familiar with Hontiveros’ track record and were likely to support her regardless. The real challenge was expanding her appeal to reach not only the undecided, but also those from across the political aisle, and present her as a credible and unifying candidate.

“You already know your audience, your base support, and then the challenge for the post-2020 pandemic is to go beyond them, which should have been the strategy of many,” she said.

“So kailangan din namin maging mas efficient sa targeting ng message kasi hindi naman namin mata-target lahat, so focus talaga kami sa gusto namin mangyari which is to reach beyond our core support,” Magpantay added.

(So we also need to be more efficient in targeting our message. We can’t target everyone. So we’re really focusing on what we want to achieve, which is to reach beyond our core support.)

One of the most effective strategies Hontiveros’ team employed was the use of short-form videos on social media. These clips offered a fresh and more relatable side of the Senator to her existing supporters, while cleverly riding on trends to reach new and unfamiliar segments of the electorate.

On TikTok, where she has 1.8 million followers, Hontiveros is often seen tackling serious issues with a lighthearted or even sassy tone. One standout example was a video where her team humorously recapped the whirlwind political year 2024. The video reminded the public of her role in leading high-profile Senate hearings on topics ranging from detained doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy, to the controversy surrounding Alice Guo and POGOs, and even the actions of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Magpantay said Gen Z members of her team were tasked with monitoring trending videos they could leverage. They also benefited from having an in-house production team that handled everything, from brainstorming to filming and editing, instead of outsourcing these tasks to a different group.

“Magtiwala ka talaga sa team mo, sila naman talaga ang pinaka-nakakakilala sa principal, in this case si Senator Risa (Trust your team since they’re the ones who know the principal best, in this case, Senator Risa),” she said.

“One of the mistakes also from the past campaigns is just that they rely too much on the third party,” Magpantay added.

Making everything fall into place takes time and effort. Behind the funny and seemingly unpolished TikTok videos lies a great deal of work not just in production, but also in ensuring the message lands exactly where it’s intended to.

“Akala siguro mga tao parang spur of the moment decision lang na, sige, magpaka-brain rot tayo pero kaya nandoon na kami sa ganoong path kasi nag-invest kami sa messaging na in time ay hindi na awkward,” she said.

(People probably think it was just a spur of the moment decision like, ‘Sure, let’s go full brain rot,’ but the reason we ended up on that path is because we invested in the messaging early on, so that eventually, it wouldn’t feel awkward anymore.)

Not everyone embraced the new approach right away. One example of an execution that initially drew criticism was in August 2024 when Hontiveros released a video featuring Diokno and former senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan that was styled after the popular sitcom FRIENDS, complete with its iconic theme song. This move was first met with mixed reactions but all three eventually won their election bids.

“Noong unang nilabas iyan last year, sabi nila cringe pero ngayon hindi na,” she said. “Ngayon ang saya-saya na, nire-repost na.”

(When that first came out last year, people said it was cringe, but not anymore. Now, it’s seen as fun and people are even reposting it.)

Hontiveros’ strategy to expand her reach beyond the usual base, combined with her solid track record in the Senate, allowed her to cultivate a reputation that resonated across a broad spectrum of voters.

Her credibility and influence, Diokno’s strong track record, and their respective networks could have made Akbayan’s bid for a seat in the House of Representatives seem like a walk in the park. But the campaign early on faced a major challenge: how can they bring all these strengths together and ultimately convert into votes for Akbayan in the 2025 elections? (To be concluded.) – Rappler.com

Read Entire Article