Hontiveros open to lead minority in Senate

FILE: Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros. (Photo: Senator Risa Hontiveros/Facebook)

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said she is open to assuming the minority leadership in the 20th Congress, but emphasized that Senate reorganization remains a matter of numbers and individual choices.

“Of course, ‘yun naman ‘yung pangarap ng alin mang minority of an outgoing Congress, lalo na kung nakapagpanalo ng mga dagdag na kaalyadong senador (Of course, that’s the aspiration of any minority member in an outgoing Congress, especially if there will be additional allied senators),” Hontiveros said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

She acknowledged, however, that the group with the next biggest number after the majority could claim the minority role, in which case she said she is prepared to form an independent bloc.

Hontiveros firmly ruled out joining the majority, citing the need to stay consistent with her stance over the past nine years.

While being able to work with majority senators on key bills, investigations, and budget reforms, Hontiveros said her role is to offer an “alternative pole or center of gravity” for opposition and independent voices both inside and outside the Senate.

Asked whether Senators-elect Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan share her preference for joining the minority, Hontiveros said that while she hopes they end up in the same bloc, she respects their independent decision-making.

“Wish ko na magsama kami sa minority o sa isang independent bloc. Pero alam niyo naman, kami lahat ng mga senador dito, we have our own decision-making process, we have our own pananaw. At nagre-respetuhan kami diyan kahit at lalo na sa loob ng tinatawag kong oposisyon (I wish for us to be together in the minority or in an independent bloc. But as you know, all of us senators have our own decision-making processes and our own perspectives. And we respect that, especially within what I call the opposition),” she said.

When asked further if there had been any agreements during the campaign period to stick together post-election, Hontiveros said there were no hard commitments but only a shared sense of camaraderie.