Senator Kiko Pangilinan denied accusations that he and Senator Bam Aquino “betrayed” Senator Risa Hontiveros following their decision to join the Senate majority bloc.
In an interview on Headstart with Karen Davila on ABS-CBN News Channel, Pangilinan stressed that there was no act of betrayal and that they informed Hontiveros of their plans just days after the initial partial and unofficial results of the 2025 midterm elections were released.
“From Day 1, right after the campaign and results came out, I talked to her a couple of days later and we already discussed this, independent minority, so walang ano. In fact the ‘betrayal’ eh gawa-gawa nung ilang mga kritiko namin, hindi naman gawa-gawa, feeling ng ibang kritiko namin pero as between me and Risa, wala ‘yun,” Pangilinan said.
He added that he and Aquino even invited Hontiveros to join them in the majority bloc and aim for the influential Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairmanship, but she declined. That position is now held by Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
“In fact I asked her (Hontiveros) eh, dapat ikaw maging blue ribbon committee chairman sa majority eh,” he emphasized.
Pangilinan maintained that their decision to join the majority was driven solely by the desire to secure key committee chairmanships, while still remaining “independent-minded” lawmakers in the Senate.
He also appealed to their supporters to understand their political move.