Belgium: Former Akbayan Party President Machris Cabreros elected as Global Coordinator of Progressive Alliance

Brussels, Belgium: Former Akbayan Party President Machris Cabreros was recently elected by different political parties worldwide as the Global Coordinator of the Progressive Alliance (PA) in its board meeting in Brussels, Belgium.

The PA is an international organization of progressive and social democratic parties and organizations from across the globe, which includes the Akbayan Party as its member in the Philippines. It was founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. Other members of the PA have leading political parties, such as the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, the Move Forward Party of Thailand, and the Australian Labour Party, among others.

The Akbayan Party expressed their pleasure and congratulated Machris Cabreros on her election and shared that they are confident that they will be able to collectively advance their shared agenda together with their global political family through her extensive experience and expertise, invaluable contributions to their movement, and unwavering dedication to their shared political values in fighting for social justice and human rights.

Further, while sharing their pleasure, The Akbayan Party continued, “We are proud of Machris, who has led our party through many battles. It is a great honour for us to have one of our own be entrusted with an esteemed responsibility by our sister parties.”

As per the Update, Machris rose from the ranks and was elected as one of the youngest leaders of the Akbayan Party. She became the first National Chairperson of Akbayan Youth in 2007. She was elected Akbayan Party’s National President from 2015 to 2021.

With over a decade of experience in international affairs, she served as Vice President for Asia and the Pacific of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) from 2013-2017 and Network Coordinator of the Network of Social Democracy in Asia (Socdem Asia) from 2012-2022.
Her work has expanded network membership to 14 Asian progressive parties, established the regional political academy for progressives, provided a regional platform for networking with Asian social democratic parliamentarians, and supported causes of member parties working under repressive political environments.

Machris served as an ex officio board member of the Progressive Alliance, where she elevated to the global stage the democratic threats and human rights violations faced by member parties in Asia.

With her unique role, she facilitated an international human rights mission, together with the PA and the Party of European Socialists (PES), to investigate the extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration in the Philippines.

Her nomination was forwarded by Akbayan Party and signed by Senator Risa Hontiveros, National Chairperson Atty. Gio Tingson, and National President Rafaela David.