Akbayan-Anakbayan ideological rift a non-issue with Comelec

The ideological conflict between Akbayan party-list and the so-called militant left led by Anakbayan will not be a factor when the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decides whether or not to disqualify Akbayan from next year’s elections.   This was according to Commissioner Rene Sarmiento, head of the Comelec First Division, when asked if the historical roots of the two groups’ conflict would have any bearing on their en banc resolution. “Ideologically magkaaway naman talaga ‘yung dalawa,” Sarmiento told GMA News Online on Thursday. “Pero sa amin, hindi ‘yun issue for our resolution. That’s a good backgrounder. But not for the purpose of factoring them in our resolution.”   Anakbayan, along with Kilusang Mayo Uno and the League of Filipino Students, has filed a petition asking the Comelec to disqualify Akbayan Citizen’s Action Party on the basis of having nominees or members with government posts. Another group – led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kontra Daya and Lingayen archbishop Oscar Cruz – followed suit. Sarmiento said the commissioners sitting en banc have yet to decide on Akbayan’s fate.   No longer about the party-list law Elections watchdog Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms (IPER) claimed the militants’ petition is no longer about the essence of the party-list law, which aims to open the halls of Congress to the marginalized and underrepresented. The case became merely a campaign of Anakbayan and their allied groups against Akbayan, a likely result of their political differences, according to executive director Ramon Casiple. “Dati pa na may mga sumasakay sa proseso at naniningit ng mga partisan agenda. Talagang campaign siya,” Casiple said. “Mayroong political attack. It’s beyond simply disqualifying Akbayan though that is the immediate na hinahabol nila,” he added. He even went on to say that the militants were merely threatened by the successes of Akbayan. “May takot sila that Akbayan will come into mainstream as a left party representing leftist policies na matagal na nilang gustong sulungin.” Mudslinging Reached for a comment, Vencer Crisostomo of Anakbayan said he was not surprised IPER is defending Akbayan since it is its research arm. “Etta Rosales is the president of the board of trustees and Joel Rocamora is a board member,” Crisostomo said in a text message, referring to the Commission on Human Rights chief and the National Poverty Commission head, respectively, both former Akbayan officials. He noted that their petition is not exclusive among leftists’ groups. “The petitioners against Akbayan also include bishops, businessmen and academe, no longer just Left groups.” Akbayan, meanwhile, affirmed that the disqualification case is the militant left’s smear campaign against them. “We definitely don’t think this is about the essence of the party-list. It is very clear that the issues being raised against us are baseless. And that Anakbayan do not understand the party-list law,”Akbayan nominee Barry Guttierez said in a text message. He further accused the militant left of violating the party-list law themselves, for taking up the “practice of forming multiple party-lists and transferring their nominees around them.” The Akbayan nominee is referring to the Makabayan Coalition party-list representatives switching groups every elections – Lisa Maza, who used to represent Bayan Muna but now Gabriela, and Raymond Palatino, who transferred from Kabataan party-list to Kalikasan for the 2013 elections. “So who really is violating the essence of the party-list?” Guttierez asked. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News