7/29/2019 Walden Bello Fact Sheet FINAL

1/2

Why Walden Bello andAkbayan Suck

BioWalden Bello is a Filipino author,academic, and political analyst. He isa professor of sociology and publicadministration at the University ofthe Philippines Diliman, as well asexecutive director of Focus on theGlobal South in Bangkok, a project

of Chulalongkorn University's SocialResearch Institute. He is alsochairman of the board ofGreenpeace Southeast Asia andserves on the boards ofTransnational Institute (Amsterdam)and Food First (Oakland). Belloserves on the Program Board of theInternational Centre for Trade andSustainable development in Geneva,Switzerland, which provides NGOswith information on the World TradeOrganization.1

Born November 11, 1945 in Manila,Philippines, he became a politicalactivist following the declaration ofMartial Law by then-PresidentFerdinand Marcos on September 21,1972. Bello currently sits as amember of Congress in thePhilippines' House ofRepresentatives where he serves asthe political party Akbayan's secondnominee.

First, A Word About the Party-list SystemThe Philippine House of Representatives has two representative systems. Oneis your district representative.This should be familiar to you because this ishowwe do it in the U.S. District reps account for 80% of the House.

The other system is sectoral, in which the other 20% of the House is elected tooffice via whats called the party-list system of representation. Specifically, un-derrepresentedsectoral groups such as labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cul-

tural communities, women, youth, etc. (except the religious sector) are encour-aged to participate in the party-list election. A voter therefore has two votes inHouse of Representatives elections. Neither vote affects the other.)2 Lets talkAkbayan (Similar to Anakbayan, No?)

Representing the Underserved? Not Quite.Walden Bellos Akbayan Citizens Party is a party of a corrupt system. Hereswhy... The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is the national bodycharged with determining the legality of party-list groups and if they truly rep-resent underserved sectors. By the very nature of the party-list system, theparty or organization must be grassroots and independent of the government(R.A. 79413). However, evidence shows that Akbayan works very closely with

the government of the Philippines.4

1.Akbayan is an active member of a Team PNoy5, a 2013 National Electionscoalition led by...wait for it...President Benigno Aquino. Other members includesuch traditional political parties as the Nacionalista Party (Ferdinand Mar-cos), Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Corazon Aquino), and the NationalUnity Party. Team PNoys goal is to support candidates of the current Phil-ippine president.

2. Akbayan members already occupy high positions in the current government!You can find a full list in the Facts section of this letter of complaint filedby BAYAN members and other concerned individuals to the COMELEC:bit.ly/QZR3Qn.

3. Akbayan has some deep pockets thanks to some deep connections to theruling elite. In the 2010 elections, Akbayan raised over P120,000,000 (about$290,000)6. Compare this to such major political parties as the Liberal Party(P158,000,000) and the Nacionalista Party with a paltryP80,000,000. OfAkbayans funds, P14,000,000 came from the Aquino-Cojuangco family (re-sponsible for the Hacienda Luisita massacre of striking farmers).

Akbayan should immediately be disqualified from participation in the 2013Party-list elections. Its registration and accreditation as a political party eligiblefor participation in the Party-list elections should be removed and canceled.

Unfortunately, late last year, the COMELEC officially allowed Akbayan to par-ticipate in the upcoming 2013 elections (booooo...hissssss).7

1theglobalist.com/AuthorBiography.aspx?AuthorId=392

2en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectoral_representation_in_the_House_of_Representatives_of_the_Philippines

3www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1995/ra_7941_1995.html

4www.scribd.com/doc/110504167/Akbayan-Disqualification-Call-Submitted-to-COMELEC-October-8

5newsinfo.inquirer.net/347691/aquino-x-factor-lp-slate-renamed-team-pinoy

6www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/25/12/akbayans-p112m-war-chest-kris-biggest-donor

7www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/20/12/akbayan-bayan-muna-allowed-run-2013

http://www.scribd.com/doc/111013503/Complaint-vs-Akbayan-Finalhttp://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1995/ra_7941_1995.htmlhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/111013503/Complaint-vs-Akbayan-Finalhttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/20/12/akbayan-bayan-muna-allowed-run-2013http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/20/12/akbayan-bayan-muna-allowed-run-2013http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/25/12/akbayans-p112m-war-chest-kris-biggest-donorhttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/10/25/12/akbayans-p112m-war-chest-kris-biggest-donorhttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/347691/aquino-x-factor-lp-slate-renamed-team-pinoyhttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/347691/aquino-x-factor-lp-slate-renamed-team-pinoyhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/111013503/Complaint-vs-Akbayan-Finalhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/111013503/Complaint-vs-Akbayan-Finalhttp://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1995/ra_7941_1995.htmlhttp://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1995/ra_7941_1995.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectoral_representation_in_the_House_of_Representatives_of_the_Philippineshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectoral_representation_in_the_House_of_Representatives_of_the_Philippineshttp://www.theglobalist.com/AuthorBiography.aspx?AuthorId=392http://www.theglobalist.com/AuthorBiography.aspx?AuthorId=392http://www.scribd.com/doc/111013503/Complaint-vs-Akbayan-Finalhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/111013503/Complaint-vs-Akbayan-Final

7/29/2019 Walden Bello Fact Sheet FINAL

2/2

The System is the ProblemBAYAN believes the system is inherently corrupt and needs an overhaul--the president, the Congress, the military,etc. All of it is mired in corruption, favoring landlords and multinational corporations, and heeding the influence ofU.S. interests. Akbayan would rather work within this same system, close to the perpetrators of the semi-feudal andsemi-colonial system. Take for instance, conditional cash transfers (CCTs).

Walden Bello, A Social Democratic ReformerConditional cash transfers are when a government or organization gives a subsidy to a poor or needy family only ifthey jump through various hoops, like send their children to a certain school or apply for a particular job. If you

dont meet the conditions, you dont get help from the government. One famous example in the U.S. is the non-profit Project Prevention (projectprevention.org) that gives money to drug addicts and low-income women if theyget sterilized. For real. I wish this was a joke8.

Bello and Aquino (and the World Bank9) favor CCTs. As for progressive Filipinos like BAYAN, CongressmanTeddy Casino says it well: From the start, the progressive party list bloc led by Bayan Muna had criticized the CCTas a massive dole-out, an unsustainable, corruption-prone palliative to poverty that would also perpetuate patronagepolitics and push the country further into debt.10 We believe it is more worthwhile working for comprehensiveagrarian reform, national democracy, and an end to U.S./corporate imperialism.

Calling Legal Organizations Commies... Sound Familiar?On October 12, 2012, Walden Bello accused youth organization Anakbayan and trade union Kilusang Mayo Uno ofbelonging to the Communist Party of the Philippines on Philippine television (ABS-CBN).11 Dictator FerdinandMarcos, the Philippine military then and now, and the current administration have all used these accusations thatlegal, aboveground leftist organizations are Communists. And this framing leads to deadly results. Under this accu-sation, BAYAN leaders are gunned down (Kitari Capion), disappeared (Melissa Roxas), and detained (Morong 43).

Questions to Ask Congressman Bello1. How do you respond to assertions that your party Akbayan Party-list is not a true party-list organization repre-

senting a marginalized group, but rather representing the interests of the government/Malacaang?2. I have a question about your support of conditional cash transfers. When the idea of CCTs first came out, you

and your party were against them. Then you later authored House Resolution 594 supporting CCTs. Why?3. You were once an outspoken critic of the Government of the Philippines, and now you work extremely close to

that same government. How did you come to change your mind?4. What is your ultimate vision for the Philippines?5. What are your thoughts on the relationship between the Philippines and the United States? Doesnt imperialism

still play a role in their relationship?6. Why do you continue the rather dangerous claim that BAYAN organizations are front groups for the Communist

Party of the Philippines? What proof is there?7. Youve received a great deal of campaign funds from the Aquino-Cojuangco family and you are officially a part

of the Aquino voting coalition Team PNoy. Here, in the U.S. that would be seen as being accountable to a verywealthy and powerful family. How do you respond?

More Reading Feel free to explore the links in the footnotes.

More on Bellos red-baiting: bit.ly/S9bZbO. A collection of Walden Bellos op-eds at the Philippine Inquirer: bit.ly/13ivPan. There was that other thing about Bello accusing Philippine progressive activist and organizer Jose Maria Sison of

trying to assassinate him, which was completely false: bit.ly/YwxXDR.

8 This unfortunately has gone global: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11545519

9web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:575774500.html

10newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101126-305463/Casio-The-problem-with-CCT-and-the-opportunism-of-Akbayan

11sanfranchrp.com/2012/10/18/sf-chrp-condemns-bellos-red-baiting/

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101126-305463/Casio-The-problem-with-CCT-and-the-opportunism-of-Akbayanhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5757745,00.htmlhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5757745,00.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11545519http://bit.ly/YwxXDRhttp://opinion.inquirer.net/tag/walden-bellohttp://bit.ly/S9bZbOhttp://bit.ly/S9bZbOhttp://bit.ly/S9bZbOhttp://www.projectprevention.org/http://sanfranchrp.com/2012/10/18/sf-chrp-condemns-bellos-red-baiting/http://sanfranchrp.com/2012/10/18/sf-chrp-condemns-bellos-red-baiting/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101126-305463/Casio-The-problem-with-CCT-and-the-opportunism-of-Akbayanhttp://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20101126-305463/Casio-The-problem-with-CCT-and-the-opportunism-of-Akbayanhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5757745,00.htmlhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5757745,00.htmlhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5757745,00.htmlhttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTPRRS/EXTCCT/0,,contentMDK:22040461~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5757745,00.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11545519http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11545519http://bit.ly/YwxXDRhttp://bit.ly/YwxXDRhttp://opinion.inquirer.net/tag/walden-bellohttp://opinion.inquirer.net/tag/walden-bellohttp://bit.ly/S9bZbOhttp://bit.ly/S9bZbOhttp://www.projectprevention.org/http://www.projectprevention.org/