BY WENDELL VIGILIA and RAYMOND AFRICA
OUTGOING Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday passed the torch to reelected Sen. Risa Hontiveros as the new leader of the opposition and carry the fight for change forward under the incoming Marcos administration.
Hontiveros took her oath before the Vice President on Monday. She was accompanied by her three daughters.
Robredo, who will cease to be the chairman of the Liberal Party upon stepping down on June 30, said she texted Hontiveros immediately after it became clear that she lost the May 9 presidential race to now President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to tell her that “you are now our leader.”
“Kaya please know na nasa likod mo lang kami. Nasa likod mo lang kami, tutulong kung kailan mo kami kailangan. Uulitin ko ‘yun ngayon, Sen. Risa, na you are now the highest elected official sa oposisyon and lahat kami masaya na ikaw ‘yung natitirang humahawak ng ating bandila (So please know that we’re behind you. We’re behind you, we’ll help when you need us. I’ll repeat it again, Sen. Risa that you’re the highest elected official of the opposition and we’re glad that you’re the one left to hold the flag),” Robredo said in her speech after the oathtaking.
Robredo said Hontiveros, who was the lone opposition candidate who won in the senatorial race, has always been “steadfast in fighting for good governance” and expressed confidence that the lawmaker will be a formidable leader of the opposition.
“’Yung aking paghanga sa ‘yo ay lalo pang dumoble noong ikaw ay nabigyan na ng pagkakataon na humawak ng kapangyarihan — from being in Congress hanggang sa pagiging senador. Nagamit mo ‘yung posisyon para maging boses ng pinaka-maliliit. (My admiration for you was doubled when you were given the chance to hold more power, from being in Congress to a senator. You were able to use your position to be the voice of the downtrodden),” she said.
Hontiveros promised to “stand on the side of human rights, due process, and participatory democracy at all times.”
“We have always been a nation choosing to hope for a fresh start, for better outcomes, for progress. But we have no time to lose. Every effort counts. Every day is a chance for me, and for us in government, to do justice to every Filipino,” she said.
She likewise pledged to “uphold the dignity of all Filipinos, reject violence, oppression, disinformation and historical revisionism, in support of our collective aspirations for a just and equal society that values its past as it charts its future.”
Hontiveros also affirmed her campaign promise of providing Filipinos with “healthy buhay at hanapbuhay (healthy life and provide livelihood)” and said she is set to file at least 20 health and economic-related bills at the start of the 19th Congress.
These bills include the Security of Tenure Bill (Anti-Endo bill), Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality bill, Universal Social Pension bill, rights and welfare of informal and gig economy workers and maternity benefits for female workers in the informal sectors, among others.
Hontiveros thanked her supporters for the trust and for giving her an opportunity to serve in the Senate one more time.
“It is with great privilege and deepest gratitude that I pledge, once more, to serve the interests and welfare of the Filipino people. Maraming salamat sa lahat ng hindi naubusan ng tiwala at pag-asa sa kabila ng lahat (Thank you very much to everyone who have continuously trusted and hoped despite every challenge),” she said.
Robredo disclosed that it was Hontiveros who led the push to field a united opposition ticket to beat Marcos Jr. in the polls, a move that did not materialize after Robredo’s talks with fellow presidential candidates Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso failed.
“Bago pa ako gumalaw, si Senator Risa, gumagalaw na para magkaroon ng united opposition. Pareho kaming hindi nagwagi pero masaya ako na kahit papaano, nandiyan ka na standing strong. Alam ko na hindi mo kami papabayaan (Before I even moved, Sen. Risa was already moving to form a united opposition. We both did not win but I’m happy that somehow, you’re still there standing strong). I know that you’ll never forsake us),” Robredo said.
