During the years of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines, Walden Bello worked from the United States to expose the Marcos regime’s financial links with the World Bank and its irresponsible use of development loans.

Later, after breaking with the Communist Party of the Philippines, he joined Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party, a Philippine electoral alliance of socialists and progressives. He served in Congress as an Akbayan party-list representative in 2010.

But he resigned from his position in March 2015, citing his disagreement with the party’s support of the Aquino presidency due to its deviation from promises of good governance and accountability.