Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros clarified that Senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan remain her political allies despite their decision to join the Senate majority — a strategic move that allowed the two to secure the chairmanships of the Senate Committees on Basic Education and Agriculture, respectively.
Hontiveros stressed that the three of them continue to be “issue-based” lawmakers.
“We and our parties are still allies, at klarong-klaro ‘yun,” Hontiveros said in a press conference.
She pointed to their cooperation on drafting Senate Resolution No. 1, filed by the minority bloc, which seeks to make bicameral conference committee deliberations on the annual national budget open to the public.
“Halimbawa sa House of Representatives, kasi ‘yung mga kapartido namin sa Akbayan, sa ML, good number mula sa LP, ay magkakasama sa bloke sa loob ng House minority. And ‘yung House minority na mula sa mga partido namin ay kasama namin do’n sa, I would call it, minority-led resolution tungkol sa open bicam,” Hontiveros said.
She added:
“So sa ganyang ding mga isyu na magkakapareho ang aming mga opinyon, ay ‘yun ‘yung bukas na posibilidad pa rin kahit dito sa Senado. So, mula sa united na minority, kaming lima, possibility lagi, depende sa isyu, maimbita rin ‘yung iba naming mga colleagues, lalo na or kasama na ‘yung dalawa.”
Hontiveros also expressed her satisfaction with her decision to remain with the minority bloc led by Senate Minority Leader Tito Sotto.
“At peace ang puso ko sa pagiging bahagi pa rin at muli ng minority. At bawat araw na dumadaan, pasaya ako ng pasaya sa sitwasyong ito,” she said.
On the issue of the Senate’s handling of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, Hontiveros emphasized the need for a unified and well-thought-out decision in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the impeachment articles unconstitutional.
“May mga pagkakaiba-iba man kami ng concerns o opinyon dito tungkol sa impeachment, nagkakaisa po kami sa minority na dapat magkaroon ng maayos na desisyon, hindi lang kami sa minority, ang buong Senado kung papaano talaga namin ititreat itong buong impeachment trial at given din yung importanteng desisyon ng Korte Suprema,” she said.