1Sambayan

1Sambayan is a broad coalition of democratic forces representing the broad spectrum of legitimate political persuasions in the Philippines. It aims to usher in a competent, trustworthy administration in the May 2022 national elections by fielding a single slate of national candidates: president, vice president, and 12 senators.

The movement began in September 2020, when economic recession and unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic had set in, the number of infections kept rising, and the incumbent administration had shown itself incapable of a sensible, effective response to the crisis.

Election lawyer Atty. Howard Calleja spoke with Jesuit priest Fr. Albert Alejo and La Salle Brother Armin Luistro about the urgency of preparing for the next election. That started a series of meetings that attracted patriotic personalities who wanted to find a way of restoring good governance in the country. They spoke with government officials, politicians, sectorial group leaders, and businessmen, who all agreed that Filipinos deserve much better leadership than the current one.

But there wasn’t much that can be done under the regime. The group knew the battle would be in the May 9, 2022 national elections. Thus, their work was cut out for them: The democratic forces must fall behind a single slate of national candidates to ensure victory.

The next step was to enlist the help of prominent, credible personalities with unquestioned integrity to lead the new group, particularly in its task of nominating prospective national candidates.

First to come to mind was retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, legal luminary and champion in the fight for the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. He agreed to join the group in a heartbeat, and proposed to make it an inclusive coalition of democratic forces.

“The unifying factor among all of these groups is that they believe that we should prevent an authoritarian government from taking hold in the Philippines in the next election,” says Carpio, who has been chosen by the coalition to be 1Sambayan’s chairman.

“We have to bring back good governance, respect for human rights, integrity, and honesty in government,” he adds.

Through Carpio’s invitation, two other champions of democracy and justice joined 1Sambayan: retired Ombudsman and Supreme Court Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, and former Foreign Affairs Secretary, Ambassador Albert del Rosario.

Justice Tony, Justice Chit, Amb. Albert, Bro. Armin, and Paring Bert are the convenors of 1Sambayan, who will lead the selection process of the democratic forces’ unified national slate for the 2022 elections.