Akbayan clinches 3 House seats, tops 2025 party-list race for first time
MANILA, Philippines (First published May 14; Updated 9:45 a.m., May 16) — Akbayan continues to dominate the party-list race, beating Duterte Youth by nearly half a million votes and outpacing 153 other groups, according to the latest partial and unofficial election results.
Defying pre-election preference surveys, Akbayan pulled off a surprise in the 2025 midterm elections. Once seen as at risk of losing its seat based on some polling firms' projections, the party-list emerged as the frontrunner after Filipino voters made their final picks in the May 12 elections.
Akbayan had amassed over 2.776 million votes as of 2:41 p.m. on May 15 — the party-list's best performance to date. The last time it received over a million votes was in 2010.
This year’s elections mark the first time in over two decades that the group has secured three seats, a feat it last achieved in 2004.
A huge comeback. In 2022, it also nearly lost representation entirely, placing 57th when only the top 56 party-lists were allocated seats. It ultimately made it to Congress after the Supreme Court disqualified An Waray in 2024.
Akbayan also defeated Duterte Youth, a group founded in 2016 in support of former President Rodrigo Duterte, by around 450,000 votes.
While it placed second, this is the first time Duterte Youth has secured three seats after winning just one in each of the past two Congresses. Its strong showing, with 2.3 million votes so far, comes as no surprise even in pre-election surveys.
Analysts have linked its performance to recent developments, including former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment.
RELATED: 5 party-lists poised to secure 3 House seats, latest survey shows
Meanwhile, regional party-list Tingog is poised to increase its seats from two to three in this year's elections, rounding out the list of top party-list winners. Over 1.817 million Filipinos voted Tingog.
It is led by the Romualdez family, with House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s son, Andrew Julian Romualdez, as its first nominee.
With 99.12% of election returns processed, a fourth party-list — 4Ps — is now poised to win three seats, up from the two projected earlier.
4Ps, which advocates poverty alleviation and shares its name with the government aid program, has secured 1.461 million votes or 3.51% of those counted so far.
Its seats are expected to go to House Minority Leader Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan, Rep. Jonathan Clement Abalos — nephew of former Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos — and businessman Edward Cigres.
| # | Party-List | Percent | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AKBAYAN | 6.66% | 2,776,316 | 3 |
| 2 | DUTERTE YOUTH | 5.59% | 2,327,549 | 3 |
| 3 | TINGOG | 4.36% | 1,817,461 | 3 |
| 4 | 4PS | 3.51% | 1,461,427 | 3 |
Note: Figures are based on the processed election returns by media transparency servers, which reached 99.12% as of 2:41 p.m. on May 15.
The party-list race has seen more groups securing three seats this year, a marked contrast to 2022, when only ACT-CIS achieved this.
This shift suggests increased support for certain groups, likely due to votes being redirected from other party-lists, as Filipinos are limited to voting for just one.
Who will fill Akbayan's seats?
Leading the list of Akbayan's nominees is human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, son of the late Martial Law opposition leader Jose “Pepe” Diokno.
This will be his first time serving as a lawmaker, following two unsuccessful bids for the Senate where he fell short of the “Magic 12.”
Working with members of Congress is not new to Diokno. In 2001, he served as a private prosecutor during the impeachment trial of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada, and was later appointed general counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Diokno also recently served as a resource person in congressional inquiries into the extrajudicial killings in Rodrigo’s war on drugs.
The other two seats will be filled by incumbent Rep. Perci Cendaña, who endorsed the first impeachment complaint against the vice president, and Moro leader Dadah Ismula.
Up for two House seats
While more party-lists are likely to secure three seats in Congress this year, the number of groups expected to win two seats has decreased. According to the latest partial and unofficial results, only two party-list groups are set to gain two seats instead of the earlier three.
These are ACT-CIS and Ako Bicol, groups that were among the top five in the 2022 elections. This also means they will retain their current two seats in the House.
| # | Party-List | Percent | Votes | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | ACT-CIS | 2.97% | 1,237,929 | 2 |
| 6 | AKO BICOL | 2.57% | 1,072,171 | 2 |
Note: Figures are based on the processed election returns by media transparency servers, which reached 99.12% as of 2:41 p.m. on May 15.
ACT-CIS, which aims to represent the oppressed and marginalized by focusing on crime prevention, will be represented by incumbent Reps. Edvic Yap and Jocelyn Tulfo, both of whom come from political families.
One of its three seats in the 19th Congress was held by Rep. Erwin Tulfo, who is now poised to become a senator after ranking fourth in the senatorial race, with 17.065 million votes in the latest partial, unofficial results.
Another regional party, Ako Bicol, retains its two seats in Congress with Rep. Elizaldy Co winning reelection. Co had stepped down as chair of the House appropriations committee following the 2025 national budget deliberations and had been a vocal critic of the vice president before going quiet.
The second seat will no longer be filled by Rep. Raul Angelo "Jil" Bongalon, who was supposed to serve as one of the appointed prosecutors in Sara's impeachment trial. He ran for a district seat but lost. Instead, it will be taken by incumbent Legazpi City Mayor Alfredo Abaroa Garbin.
How are seats allocated?
To secure at least one seat, a party-list must receive 2% of the votes cast, automatically granting them a single seat. The remaining seats are then allocated among these groups until they reach a maximum of three seats.
Party-lists that receive less than 2% of the vote may still secure one seat. For instance, if the top six party-list groups are allocated 16 seats, the remaining 47 seats will be distributed to other party-lists based on their rankings, with one seat per group.
Only 63 of the 316 House seats are reserved to party-lists, in line with the 20% mandated by law.
The estimated seats for each party-list were computed by Philstar.com, following the seat allocation formula upheld by the Banat vs Comelec Supreme Court ruling.
It used the partial and unofficial results as of 2:41 p.m. on May 15, where 99.12% of election returns have been processed by media transparency servers.
The results of this year's midterm elections came as quite a shock to Filipinos and even candidates themselves, as many unlikely party-lists and senatorial candidates garnered more votes than they expected.
You may view the full list of party-list rankings here.
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Editor's Note: The updated list reflects minor changes in the number of party-lists that would be granted more than one seat, and those that will receive only one seat. An earlier report found that only three party-lists would be granted three seats, and another three with two.
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