Due to its stance against right-wing extremism (from some elements of the AFP) and the Maoist far-left (CPP–NPA–NDF), Akbayan has been a target of both political groups.
Akbayan has been noted to oppose the increased incursions of the People's Republic of China (PRC) naval and coast guard vessels into Philippine territorial waters and within the country's 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Akbayan has affiliate groups that represent government employees, women workers, migrants, as well as members of the LGBT community.
The party's official website states that Akbayan is an activist organisation "and proud of it", and that it "vehemently condemn(s) torture, assassination, and other violent acts that undermine human rights and freedoms regardless of whoever commits them".
While Akbayan's political-economic platform rests on the democratic-socialist foundation which PDP–Laban ostensibly shares,[11] the former differs greatly from the latter with regard to civil rights and law enforcement.