Akbayan still with Aquino, denies internal conflict

MANILA, Philippines – Where does Akbayan stand on President Benigno Aquino III? 

An Inquirer report on a leaked personal letter of Akbayan Representative Walden Bello to President Benigno Aquino III, seeking the relief of key Cabinet officials fueled speculations that not all is well between the Liberal Party and its key civil society ally. 

Malacañang, quoting Presidential Political Adviser Ronald Llamas – a senior Akbayan leader – on Tuesday shot down the speculations. He said the Akbayan party still supports Aquino, a stance supported by other party members.

Akbayan Representative Barry Gutierrez told Rappler that withdrawing their support for Aquino is “obviously not in the agenda” of the party list group. 

“There will always be points of disagreement on specific issues but none of them have been big enough for us to consider breaking off with the President and his party in so far as the bigger reform project is concerned,” Gutierrez said. 

Akbayan does not share Bello’s stand on the issue of sacking Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Gutierrez said, as the appeal made by Bello was “very clearly” his own. 

After all, Bello has his “own personal relationship” with the President and is even Aquino’s “textmate,” Gutierrez said. 

“What happened with Congressman Bello, as he has made it very clear, it was his personal opinion,” he said.

Gutierred added: “It was discussed within the party and the party’s position was essentially to adhere to our position that under the current law, what Secretary Abad did was allowable that’s why since last year we have been pushing for amendments to the existing budget reform laws to come up with a clear definition of savings, to come up with a clear definition when the executive can suspend releases and what the executive can do to savings.”

He said Bello “obviously…had very, very strong opinions not really on the substance of the issue concerned but rather on what will be the implications politically on the continued stay of Secretary Abad in the Cabinet.”

“He expressed them in a personal letter to the President. It’s very clear, I believe, that is not reflective of Akbayan’s stand. It is not a disagreement with the party’s stand,” Gutierrez added.  

Despite the difference in opinion between Bello and the party, Gutierrez said there are no cracks within the organization. 

“There is no division. Of course, in any party, there will always be, I suppose, variances in opinion in handling specific issues but at the end of the day, our internal democracy is consistent that after each discussion, there will be debates and it’s clear that the party position will be adhered to by everybody concerned,” he said.

Gutierrez added that “it’s also part of our internal party democracy is to allow individuals the freedom to express their own individual opinion so long as it is their individual opinion.”

Issue-based

After the President revealed in a TV5 interview that he is now open to charter change to clip the powers of the Supreme Court, and possibly run for a second term, Akbayan released a statement asking Aquino to clarify his stand on charter change and term extensions. 

Since then, Gutierrez said the party believes Aquino has made it clear that the President’s statement was not a marching order to his allies.  

In the past, Akbayan had clashed with the administration on issues such as the Philippine-United States Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the cybercrime law, agrarian reform, and the latest, on charter change.  

Akbayan opposes charter change, whether on political or economic provisions.  

“There might be disagreements with specific issues but all of these are clearly on the record but by and large as a party our position has remained the same – that we are a part of the administration coalition will continue to support the President,” Gutierrez said. 

Akbayan is one of organizations behind the Koalisyon ng Mamamayan para sa Reporma (Kompre), Gutierrez said. The coalition is a pro-administration group launched on the same day that a protest rally against pork barrel was held at the Luneta in Manila.

An organization set up after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, Akbayan entered into a coalition with the Liberal Party in the 2010 presidential elections to support Aquino’s candidacy. 

Akbayan leaders hold key posts in the Aquino government, including Llamas, Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Etta Rosales and National Anti-Poverty Commission head Joel Rocamora. Former Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros ran for the Senate under the administration coalition in the 2010 and 2013 elections but lost. – Rappler.com