Bayan Muna (People First), the Philippines largest and most influential grassroots-based political party, held its 5th national convention today at the University of the Philippines, vowing to rock Philippine politics by not just recapturing the top slot in next year’s partylist elections but by electing two activists to the Senate: Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza.

The party first surprised traditional politicians and pundits in 2001 when it won the maximum three seats for partylist organizations and ended up as that year’s top vote-getter, debunking the canard that leftist, progressive politics has no place in the country’s electoral elections. It repeated the feat in 2004 and paved the way for the blossoming of other genuine, grassroots-based partylist organizations which also won seats in the House of Representatives.

Bayan Muna today is known nationwide for its unflinching and consistent opposition to the Arroyo administration. Its representatives authored laws banning violence against women, pushing for health care and providing expanded free legal aid for indigents. It supported impeachment complaints that sought to hold Arroyo accountable for her serious violations of the Constitution. It is a vocal critic of unfair and one-sided relations between the Philippines and the United States, and has pushed for an independent, pro-Filipino foreign policy.

In 2007, a year after enduring the extrajudicial executions of dozens of its municipal, provincial and regional officials, Bayan Muna recaptured the maximum three seats and yielded the top spot to another group. Its third seat was filled only this year after a Supreme Court decision that corrected the mistakes of the Commission on Elections in appreciating the results of the elections.

All throughout the convention, Bayan Muna paid tribute to its roster of martyrs and heroes — the local Bayan Muna leaders who were killed as they were leading anti-Arroyo mass actions and pro-people campaigns in their localities. This honorable roster is a testament to this party’s unwavering commitment to give flesh to our people’s aspirations for good governance, authentic democracy and pro-people progress.

It is interesting to note that Bayan Muna and its allied partylist groups Anakpawis, Gabriela and Kabataan now have a total of eight seats in Congress. Despite all the hardships, the legal persecution of their representatives, the redbaiting against their parties and the policy of annihilation waged against them by the corrupt Arroyo administration, this bloc has persevered and remains steadfast in pushing for principled politics.

Bayan Muna has indeed come a long way since 1999 and 2001. Now it sets its sights on the Senate, with the goal of electing Satur Ocampo as senator. This is not impossible considering Ocampo’s long pro-people record, Bayan Muna’s vaunted electoral record, its prominent role in fighting Arroyo and the Politics of Change encapsulized in the party program. Ocampo would be a welcome addition to the Senate where he vows to be a champion of working people and a tireless fiscalizer.

Liza Maza meanwhile is a fearless feminist and patriotic leader. She now chairs Gabriela, the country’s biggest women’s alliance. Like Ocampo, she has served as Member of Congress for nine years, initially for Bayan Muna and later for Gabriela. She is a champion of women’s rights, workers’ concerns and consumer welfare. She is also known as the author of the proposed law allowing divorce, a long-standing demand by abused marital partners.

To push its electoral reach further, Bayan Muna helped convene the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan (Makabayan, Patriotic Coalition of the People) with its allied parties and scores of local officials. The coalition is now in talks with other political parties, pushing the adoption of its reform platform and seeking support for the candidacies of Ocampo and Maza. The objective is not merely to win more seats in the partylist elections and two seats in the Senate. For Bayan and Makabayan, the pretext is expanding the reach of grassroots based parties within the legislature and the political system — in recognition of the crying need for authentic reforms, the Filipinos’ yearning for new politics, and its own growing political strength.

All told, that’s a whiff of fresh air in the Philippines’ rotten political firmament that is dominated by traditional politicians, dynasties and their spin doctors and apologists.