Akbayan to be Independent and progressive part of the minority

OFFICE OF AKBAYAN PARTY-LIST REP. TOM VILLARIN

PRESS RELEASE

July 25, 2016

AKBAYAN TO BE 'INDEPENDENT, PROGRESSIVE' MINORITY

As Congress starts its regular session today, Akbayan Party-list Representative Tom Villarin announced his plans to remain in the minority, no matter the results of the bid for House Speakership may be.

"It is a vote for real checks and balances, of preserving Congress as a democratic institution," Villarin stressed.

In a previous statement, the Akbayan solon has announced that the party-list will "engage the Duterte administration along its goals of fighting poverty, achieving just and sustainable peace, pursuing an independent foreign policy that aims for amity with all nations and asserts our sovereignty, and upholding the rule of law at all times."

By pursuing these, Akbayan is keen on moving forward with its agenda independent of any other political bloc's support.

"Akbayan votes to be with an independent minority. We will continue to be a voice of reason, of ferreting out the truth, and will engage the majority based on principles and for the common good," the lawmaker said.

Villarin has also appealed to the administration by citing inequality and democracy as issues equally important to criminality and illegal drugs.

"Our people's longing for change expressed through the ballot in the May 2016 elections gave him such mandate and now translates to people's high expectations for this administration to deliver on its promises," Villarin said.

"If the administration goes against the core principles we stand for, we will disagree without being disagreeable," he added.