Hontiveros: Pink, yellow must consolidate for 2028

MANILA, Philippines — “Yellow” and “Pink” forces should consolidate their ranks and strengthen the opposition by building on their gains from the surprisingly good finish of two of their candidates and party-list groups in the May 12 elections, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

In an interview with The STAR’s “Truth on the Line” on Friday, Hontiveros said she has her eyes set on strengthening the opposition both in and outside of Congress, especially with the sterling performance of some of its candidates in the last polls.

She was referring to the surprise top five finish of returning senators Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan, as well as Leila de Lima’s election as Mamamayang Liberal party-list representative and Hontiveros’ party Akbayan leading in the party-list race with three seats, one reserved for human rights lawyer Chel Diokno.

“In unity, there is strength. That is why I proposed to our allies that in the nine months after the elections, we prioritize uniting our forces, evaluate our performance in the midterms and find out the lessons for future elections moving forward,” Hontiveros said.

She said their forces should prepare for the long battle ahead for the 2028 national elections.

“We should continue to organize, educate and mobilize – separately, parallel or together – leading up to what I hope to be the formation of a strong slate to fight and win in 2028,” she said.

Hontiveros, a former Akbayan party-list representative, is the highest elected official of the opposition aligned with the late president Benigno Aquino III’s Liberal Party.

Earlier, when asked if she would be willing to lead the opposition slate as presidential candidate in 2028, she said it’s a decision that can only be made after consultation.

Former vice president Leni Robredo, who is now Naga City mayor, used to be the highest elected official in the opposition. But she lost her presidential bid in 2022. She has relaunched her flagship program “Angat Buhay” as a nongovernment organization for poverty alleviation.

Also in her interview with “Truth On The Line,” Hontiveros defended her move to ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the Duterte die-hard supporter (DDS) vloggers who sow disinformation against her on social media, saying they have crossed the line when it comes to freedom of expression.

She said they had a role in the disinformation network of a group spreading the video of Michael Maurillo, who claimed she paid him P1 million to testify against accused sex offender Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

“I have always stood for freedom of expression and of the press. But what they did – produce and propagate the video – and their comments on social media against me, our witnesses, my staff, the Senate itself – that is crossing the line. Sumosobra na sila,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros was reacting to criticisms from the DDS vloggers for including them in her cyberlibel complaint against Maurillo before the NBI. While Hontiveros wanted cyber libels raps against Maurillo, she said she was only seeking the NBI’s help in looking at the vloggers’ role in the propagation of the video.

Denial

The vloggers denied sharing the “Pagtanggol Valiente” video. But their social media pages are flooded with memes on Hontiveros and quote cards about Maurillo’s allegations of witness tampering.

“Risa Hontiveros, kung napahiya ka ng todo sa pagbaligtad ng iyong testigo, problema mo iyon. Bakit mo ako idinadamay sa kahihiyang sinapit mo (If you felt humiliated by your witness’ recantation, that’s your problem. Why drag me into this),” said Jay Sonza in a Facebook post. Sonza is also friends with the account holder of the “Pagtanggol Valiente” as can be gleaned from social media page Friends list.

Lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles said on her Facebook page that while she did not repost the video, she discussed the allegations on her livestream, where she claimed to have presented all sides of the issue.

Her page is clearly supportive of the Duterte camp, with one livestream showing her wearing a “Bring Him Home” green cap, worn by many supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte now detained in The Hague while awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.

“This is free speech. As a government official we strongly urge Sen. Risa to look towards protecting this right and ensuring open discussions on matters of public interest. The presentation of witnesses in legislative inquiries and the possibility of subornation of perjury is one such matter,” the former Duterte press secretary said.

Krizette Chu – an editor at the Manila Bulletin who became meme fodder when she broke down in a House inquiry on fake news – also chided Hontiveros for dragging her into the issue.

“Senator Hontiveros’ inclusion of my name is, I strongly believe, a form of political harassment. It is a clear attempt to silence dissent, intimidate critics and deflect attention from serious allegations of wrongdoing,” Chu said in her statement on Facebook.

In the “Truth On The Line” program, Hontiveros said the DDS vloggers are part of a disinformation network behind the “Pagtanggol Valiente” video, which was uploaded on newly created Facebook and YouTube accounts on June 24, or a day after Maurillo called her office and asked for help after being allegedly “kidnapped.”

Hontiveros sought the NBI’s help to preserve computer data of Maurillo and the vloggers so they could be used as evidence of their coordinated role in discrediting the Senate probe on Quiboloy’s alleged abuses in his sect Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

“We will hold them accountable for justice. That is why I complained to the NBI to find out who is behind the production and spread of the videos in their network,” Hontiveros said.

In the Feb. 19, 2024 Senate inquiry, Maurillo hid behind the alias “Rene” and testified that he was sexually abused in the sect’s property and that he pretended to be deaf and blind to beg for alms to fund Quiboloy’s lavish lifestyle.

He also testified working as a landscaper in Quiboloy’s “Glory Mountain” in Davao, where he claimed he was physically abused by Quiboloy and where he saw former president Rodrigo Duterte and then Davao city mayor now Vice President Sara Duterte get firearms from Quiboloy.

Backpedalling

But on video now circulating, Maurillo recanted his Senate testimony and accused Hontiveros of bribing him, an allegation the senator denied.

Even if his retraction would later be found to be credible, Maurillo would still face perjury for lying under oath in a Senate inquiry.

Hontiveros expressed concern over Maurillo’s safety after the latter, before he turned the tables on her, sought to be rescued from his abductors at Glory Mountain. But she said Maurillo has to face the consequences of his actions.

The senator also took exception to being criticized by a colleague and staunch Duterte supporter Robin Padilla for her alleged double standards.

Defying Senate rules on courtesy to members, Padilla called out Hontiveros on Facebook for not “practicing what you preach.”

“I really do mind statements from my colleagues. I am sure my colleague knows in his heart my fighting principles in the name of freedom of expression and of speech,” Hontiveros said.

She laughed off Davao City Rep. Polong Duterte’s reported statement calling her a “spoiled brat crybaby.”

“Wow ha. To say that to someone who survived the six years of the Duterte administration when I had never acted like a spoiled brat,” Hontiveros said in response.

“I really feel strongly about this complaint. But he will never see me shed tears like a crybaby,” she added.