Marking National Heroes’ Day on Monday, Aug. 26, the Makabayan Coalition added three more names to its 2025 senatorial slate, stressing its bid for multisectoral representation in the Senate.
During its proclamation rally at Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila, Makabayan announced Filipino Nurses United (FNU) Secretary-General Jocelyn Andamo, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) President Mody Floranda and Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) Secretary-General Mimi Doringo as progressives’ additional bets to win Senate seats next year.
The seven previously slated candidates under Makabayan are the following:
- Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Secretary-General Jerome Adonis
- Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo
- Gabriela Women’s party-list Representative Arlene Brosas
- Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Chairperson Teddy Casiño
- ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro
- Former Gabriela Women’s and Bayan Muna party-list Representative Liza Maza
- Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Chairman Danilo Ramos
With only 10 senatoriables announced, progressives have yet to complete their Senate ticket, following an earlier plan to field a full 12-seat roster.
Addressing progressive groups and Makabayan supporters who attended the program, BAYAN Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. presented the coalition’s slate of sectoral representatives as a “grassroots alternative” to traditional politicians in the Senate.
“[M]ay alternatibo, may pagpipilian, may bagong pag-asa. May magagawa tayo dahil sa wakas, mayro’n tayong pagkakataong maglagay ng katulad natin sa Senado … Hindi mga bilyonaryo, hindi real estate developer, hindi mga human rights violators, hindi mga korap,” he said.
Political clans occupy more than half of the seats in the Senate. Notably, both the Cayetano and Villar political dynasties have two Senators each serving in the upper chamber at the same time.
In a statement posted on Facebook last July, Makabayan also described its senatorial ticket as the “true opposition” in next year’s midterm elections amid the “self-serving interests” of the Marcos-Duterte administration.
“Panahon na po para ipabatid sa pinakamaraming mamamayang Pilipino na may buhay na alternatibo sa impyernong kinasasadlakan natin ngayon,” Reyes Jr. added.
Sailing to Senate
Among the sectoral leaders seeking a Senate seat is fisherman and PAMALAKAYA Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo, who underscored the challenges facing fisherfolk and their livelihood in the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“Ipinagkakait ang karapatan ng mga mangingisda na pakinabangan ang ating likas-yaman sa kabila na mayro’n tayong politikal, legal na batayan na sa atin ang West Philippine Sea,” Arambulo said.
The WPS is an oceanic region in the South China Sea (SCS) falling within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a domain of sea extending beyond a coastal state’s onshore territory.
According to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, such a state bears exclusive rights to the exploration and exploitation of natural resources within the said area.
Using what it calls the “nine-dash line” — a U-shaped line crossing the EEZ of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia — China has laid claims of sovereignty over most of the SCS.
In a landmark ruling in 2016, however, The Hague-based intergovernmental organization Permanent Court of Arbitration backed the Philippines’ WPS claim, citing Beijing’s lack of legal basis to assert “historic rights” to the said waters. Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan likewise rejected China’s claims.
Arambulo also pressed for a foreign-independent approach to the maritime dispute, recalling former President Duterte’s “downplaying” of the 2016 arbitral ruling and the incumbent Marcos Jr. administration’s expansion of the Philippines’ military cooperation with the United States (US).
“Ang US ay walang pinag-iba sa China; imperyalistang bansa na ang layunin kung bakit sila nandito ay upang dambungin ang ating likas-yaman. Sila ang dahilan kung bakit lalong na-provoke ang China diyan sa West Philippine Sea. Kaya, malinaw na ang dalawang interes ng bansa na ito ay hindi natin kakampi,” the Makabayan senatorial nominee added.
Maritime clashes between Manila and Beijing have intensified over the past year, including a collision in June that left a Filipino sailor seriously injured, Philippine boats damaged and other equipment looted by armed Chinese Coast Guard personnel.
Filipino fisherfolk have also faced threats to their livelihood as Chinese vessels continue to block their access to traditional fishing grounds and damage the marine ecosystem in the contested region.
Once elected, Arambulo promised that the concerns of fisherfolk and everyday Filipinos will be heard at the Senate.
“[A]ng pagsuporta sa Makabayan Coalition ay pagsuporta sa ating sarili dahil ang … kinakatawan nito ay ang nobenta porsiyento ng mamamayang Pilipino mula sa hanay ng mga mangingisda, mga magsasaka, manggagawa, mga maralitang lungsod, mga driver, mga manggagawang pangkalusugan,” he added.
