‘Time for ordinary people in Senate’

MANILA, Philippines — The Makabayan bloc is fielding 11 candidates or an almost complete slate for next year’s Senate elections.

Unlike in previous elections when they opted to coalesce with traditional parties to push for their candidates, the militant bloc this time will “try another route” to secure a Senate seat, said former Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casiño.

“We thought, ‘let’s just form our own slate and establish our own brand of politics,’” Casiño said in an interview with “Storycon” on One News.

“The time is right for an alternative kind of politics — a politics of ideologies and principles,” he added.

Their main message, Casiño said, is that it’s time to put ordinary people in the Senate.

“It’s time for ordinary people and their interests to have a voice in the Senate… We hope to translate that into clear, actual platforms,” which he said would gain the people’s support.

“By fielding 11 and presenting ourselves as the alternative to the traditional kinds of politics in a serious way, by fielding an almost full slate, we hope that we will have a bigger impact,” he added.

Joining Casiño in the Makabayan slate for the Senate are ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, former Gabriela representative Liza Maza, nurse Jocelyn Andamo of the Filipino Nurses United, transport leader Mody Floranda of PISTON, and urban poor leader Mimi Doringo of Kadamay.

Also part of the Makabayan slate are labor leader Jerome Adonis of Kilusang Mayo Uno, Pamalakaya vice chairperson Ronnel Arambulo, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairman Danilo Ramos, and Moro leader Amirah Lidasan.

“What we did consciously is to choose candidates that came from the grassroots. This is to show that our options are not limited to political dynasties,” Casiño said in English and Filipino.

“We hope that by making this contrast… we hope that we will capture the imagination of our voters,” he added.

Casiño, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2013, recognized the difficulty of fielding a full Senate slate. But he noted that this could help them energize their base.

“It’s easier to cover the entire country through our grassroots campaign… We will have a better campaign with a bigger slate,” he said.

“Through this campaign, we also hope to reinvigorate the base, the mass movement.”

As for the 12th candidate, Casiño said they have yet to finalize if they will announce a final candidate among their ranks or adopt a guest candidate.

The open slot, he added, may also allow their members to choose another candidate from a different party.

“The cooperation and alliances can happen even outside the slate,” he added, referring to sector-based slates that may be formed outside of party lines.

The Makabayan bloc currently has three representatives in Congress: Castro of ACT Teachers, Brosas of Gabriela, and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan.

Lawyer Neri Colmenares — who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in 2016, 2019 and 2022 elections — is seeking a comeback at the House of Representatives as first nominee of Bayan Muna, which lost in 2022 for the first time in over two decades.

Its second and third nominees are former Bayan Muna representatives Carlos Zarate and Ferdinand Gaite, respectively.

It’s unclear if Anakpwis, the other party-list under Makabayan that lost in the 2019 and 2022 elections, would be able to join in next year’s party-list race.

The Commission on Elections earlier announced that party-lists that have lost two consecutive elections will not be eligible to join in the next race.

The poll body has yet to release the list of party-lists eligible to run in the 2025 elections.