Risa Hontiveros

In this Philippine name for married women, the birth middle name or maternal family name is Navarro, the birth surname or paternal family name is Hontiveros, and the marital name is Baraquel.

Not to be confused with Pia Hontiveros.

Ana Theresia "Risa" Navarro Hontiveros–Baraquel (Tagalog: [ˈɾisa ɔntɪˈverɔs]; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist serving as a Senator since 2016. She previously served as a party-list representative for Akbayan from 2004 to 2010.

Risa Hontiveros
Official portrait, 2022
Senator of the Philippines
Incumbent
Assumed office June 30, 2016
Senate positions Chair of the Philippine Senate Women, Family Relations and Gender Equality Committee Incumbent Assumed office August 05, 2016 Preceded by Pia Cayetano Chair of the Philippine Senate Health and Demography Committee In office July 25, 2016 – February 27, 2017 Preceded by Teofisto Guingona III Succeeded by JV Ejercito Senate Deputy Minority Leader Incumbent Assumed office August 3, 2022 Leader Koko Pimentel
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives for Akbayan
In office June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010 Serving with Etta Rosales and Mario Joyo Aguja (2004–2007) Walden Bello (2007–2010)
Preceded by	Etta Rosales Mario Joyo Aguja
Personal details
Born	Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros (1966-02-24) February 24, 1966 Manila, Philippines
Political party	Akbayan (2004-present)
Other political affiliations	Liberal (2010)
Spouse	Francisco Baraquel Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1990; died 2005)​
Children	4
Relatives	Jose Hontiveros (grandfather) Daisy Avellana (aunt) Lamberto V. Avellana (uncle-in-law) Eduardo Hontiveros (uncle) Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco (aunt) Pia Hontiveros (sister) Dondon Hontiveros (cousin) Leah Navarro (cousin) Jose Mari Avellana (cousin)
Alma mater	Ateneo de Manila University (BA)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Journalist
Signature

In the Senate, Hontiveros sponsored the SOGIE Equality Bill and was an opposition figure to President Rodrigo Duterte, particularly on his controversial war on drugs. She is the de facto leader of the opposition to the administration of President Bongbong Marcos, following the end of Vice President Leni Robredo's term.

Since 2024, Hontiveros also co-hosts the radio program Oras at Bayan on Veritas 846.

Early life

Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros was born on February 24, 1966, in Manila, to a Panayanon Visayan lawyer father and a Caviteño-Mindoreño executive secretary mother. She was raised in Merville Park, Parañaque. The Hontiveros household raised their six children to "have a voice and use their voice" outspokenly with respect. In grade school at St. Scholastica’s College, Hontiveros became part of the Glee Club, where she performed in musical theaters. She also became aware of social issues at a very young age. At age 14, she was part of Repertory Philippines' adaptation of The Sound of Music as one of the Von Trapp children along with Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson, and Raymond Lauchengco. During her second year in high school, her mother guided her to attend the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition Symposium. It was also during this period when she was first introduced to activist pursuit as an organizer in her high school in the campaign against the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

When Hontiveros entered college in Ateneo de Manila University, she became active in the student council, pushing for advocacies on peace and justice for marginalized communities. While studying, Hontiveros became a working student after she applied for work and got accepted for her first journalism job. During this time, she became pen pals with Philippine Military Academy student-cadet Francisco Baraquel Jr., who initiated conversations with Hontiveros after he read her essays on social issues. As student council vice chair, Hontiveros was among the millions of Filipinos who marched in the peaceful 1986 People Power Revolution, which restored democracy in the country. After the revolution, Baraquel invited Hontiveros to attend his 1986 graduation ceremony in Baguio City. They officially became lovers later that year. Hontiveros graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences in 1987. As an environmentalist and wanting to explore the great outdoors, Hontiveros became a licensed scuba diver. After graduating from college, she worked as a teacher, while continuing her journalism job.

Like her younger sister Pia Hontiveros, she was also a television journalist and news anchor. She worked for two television networks in the country, IBC and GMA Network. Hontiveros was co-anchor on several news and public affairs programs such as Firing Line, XYZ Young Women’s TV, GMA Network News, Magandang Umaga Po, Sunday Patrol, and Headline Trese. She also worked behind-the-camera as executive-producer for Public Life with Randy David.

From 1988 to 1992, while continuing her work as a journalist, Hontiveros became the Secretary-General of the Coalition for Peace, where she led the group to push the government on establishing zones of peace to avoid violence in state negotiations. In 1990, Hontiveros married Baraquel Jr., who by that time was an official in the Philippine Constabulary. From 1998-1999, Hontiveros became the Chairperson of the Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms in the Government Panel for Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front. Hontiveros led the peace negotiations for both sides to properly discuss on social issues that would benefit the country. For her important role in the peace talks, she was awarded the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for Peace and Advocacy in 2001, and internationally-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

Political career

House of Representatives

Hontiveros first entered politics as the third nominee of the Akbayan party-list in the 2004 national elections. She was one of the prominent opposition figures during the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration, especially throughout the height of the Hello Garci controversy when a recorded call by President Arroyo to a Commission on Election (COMELEC) official surfaced after the elections. In the call, Arroyo was pushing the COMELEC official to ensure her presidential bid an additional one million votes against Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) during the 2004 presidential elections.

In 2005, Hontiveros's husband, Francisco Baraquel Jr., died of heart attack caused by severe asthma, making Hontiveros the family's sole breadwinner as all of her four children were still minors at the time, the youngest was 3 years old. On the International Women's Day of 2006, she was arrested and brought to Camp Caringal in Quezon City without a warrant by civilian-clothed government agents of President Gloria Arroyo. Various lawmakers, including Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, have called the arrest as illegal. Hontiveros was later released after public outrage and criticisms against the Arroyo administration.

In 2007, Hontiveros urged the Ombudsman, an Arroyo-ally, to inhibit during the NBN–ZTE deal corruption scandal case. The case exposed an overpriced contract signed by the Arroyo government with China's ZTE Corporation, amounting to at least $130 million in kickbacks. Arroyo's husband and COMELEC chair Lozada were also found to have been involved in bribery. Hontiveros, as House deputy minority leader, criticized the government and called for the controversial deal to be cancelled. Because of the revelations, Arroyo later scrapped the deal. On the same year, Hontiveros called on the House leadership to launch an investigation on the alleged distribution of 'cash gifts' given by the Arroyo government to congressmen. The public funds were reportedly used as Arroyo's bargain to block impeachment.

In 2008, Hontiveros exposed that under the Arroyo government's 18 "agribusiness" deals with China in 2007, at least one million hectares of Philippine forest land territories would be leased to China for 50 years, an unprecedented violation of the Constitution and the country's national integrity. Hontiveros also criticized President Arroyo's Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) agreement, wherein 148,886 square kilometers of Philippine maritime territory would be interfered and exploited by China. Due to the revelations, the Chinese "agribusiness" deals were later cancelled while the JMSU was not renewed by the government, and later declared as void and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

As Akbayan representative in the House, Hontiveros has authored numerous laws, including the Right to Labor Self-Organization Law which expanded the rights of Filipino workers to self-organize, the Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law which drastically lowered the cost of medicines in the country, and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law which gave thousands of poor Filipino farmers their own agricultural lands, among many others. She also participated in the early pride marches calling for the passage of the anti-discrimination bill (later called the SOGIE Equality Bill). In June 2009, Hontiveros marched with the LGBT+ community to denounce the Commission on Election's decision to not accredit Ladlad, the world's first LGBT partylist.

In November 2009, the Maguindanao massacre occurred, where 58 people (including 34 journalists) were killed in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur. Hontiveros called for justice for the victims, calling the massacre 'an indictment of Arroyo's coddling of impunity for her allies'. Hontiveros also criticized the prime suspect, former governor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who petitioned to post bail. Five suspects were convicted ten years later, with Hontiveros stating that although the masterminds were jailed, the quest for justice continues as several suspects remain at large and attacks on journalists continue to occur.

Hontiveros, along with her progressive allies, also began the first ever national House debates on the Reproductive Health Law (RH Law). Although the proposal did not pass into law due to conservative politicians, the debates ignited a national awareness on the need for such a law.

Senate bids

Hontiveros displays Corazon Aquino's iconic laban (fight) hand symbol after joining the Liberal Party in their campaign in the 2010 elections

Running under the ticket of then-senator (later president) Benigno Aquino III, Hontiveros lost in the 2010 national elections, placing 13th overall, one place short to be elected. In 2012, Hontiveros called for the abolition of the pork barrel system, which was not necessarily corrupt if used appropriately but have been exploited by corrupt politicians. By the end of the year, the Reproductive Health Law (RH Law) passed into law. The law mandated an age-appropriate sex education in the Philippines while providing maximum benefits to those with serious and life-threatening reproductive health conditions. Hontiveros has called on the government to fully implement the law amidst opposition from ultra-conservative factions.

Running under President Aquino's Team PNoy ticket, Hontiveros ran again for a senate seat in the 2013 midterm election. However, she lost for the second time, placing 17th in the Senate race. Her campaign slogan was Paglalaban ka, aalagaan ka ("Will fight for you, will take care of you") which reflected the gains from enacting the Reproductive Health Law and the continuing struggle for universal health care and good governance. In the aftermath, Hontiveros acknowledged Senator Serge Osmeña's observation that her mixed messages in the campaign may have been the reason for her loss. In June 2014, Hontiveros again marched with the Filipino LGBT+ community in Quezon City to renew the push for the passage of the anti-discrimination bill (later called the SOGIE Equality Bill), which she has backed in numerous occasions in the previous congresses.

In November 2014, Hontiveros was inducted as a trustee of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) board, where she served until October 2015. As a trustee, she pushed for expanded medical benefits and coverage, especially for indigents and senior citizens. Later in 2018, when Hontiveros criticized President Duterte's bloody regime and Chinese foreign policy, various fake news were circulated against Hontiveros about her alleged issues in PhilHealth. The allegations have since been fact-checked as false. Many of the bot accounts spreading the fake news were confirmed as originating from China. Duterte-allied vloggers also proliferated the fake news. Hontiveros was never mentioned in the Commission on Audit (COA) ruling mandating perpetrators to return unauthorized bonuses. Additionally, the bonuses in question were released before Hontiveros was ever appointed in the PhilHealth board.

Senate

First term (2016–2022)

Hontiveros makes her first privilege speech before the Senate in 2016

Hontiveros ran again for senator and won in the 2016 election under the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid of President Benigno Aquino III. Landing ninth place, she was proclaimed a senator-elect by the Philippine Commission on Elections, sitting en banc as the National Board of Canvassers, on May 19, 2016. She took her oath at the Cebu Provincial Capitol. In July 2016, after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in the South China Sea Arbitration, Hontiveros called on the President to assert the country's sovereignty and marine jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.

On August 2016, Senator Hontiveros launched the first-ever Senate hearing on the anti-discrimination bill, also known as the SOGIE Equality Bill. She also filed numerous bills that would benefit and give justice to rape victims, harassment victims, women, children, LGBT+ persons, farmers, fisherfolks, informal settlers, and indigenous peoples, among others. On November 2016, Hontiveros, along with hundreds of progressive groups, protested the sudden burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

On February 2017, the Philippine Mental Health Law, principally authored by Hontiveros, was filed in the Senate. The measure aims to create a mental health law for the Philippines by integrating mental health care services and programs into the nation's public health system and ensuring its availability in all hospitals nationwide. It was passed in the Senate three months later. On the same month, Hontiveros condemned the arrest of senator Leila de Lima, calling it an "outright political persecution and a travesty of the country's justice system". Meanwhile, the Speech Pathology Law, authored by Hontiveros and regulates the profession, was passed in the Senate. A staunch opponent of the re-imposition of the death penalty, Hontiveros, along with some other senators, announced in February 2017 that they would block any attempt to legislate such a law after the House of Representatives passed their version of the bill.

In August 2017, the Act strengthening the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law, principally authored by Hontiveros, was passed into law. The measure increased the penalties for hospitals that demand deposits or advance payments before administering basic emergency services to Filipinos, ending a rampant problem faced by poor Filipinos who need to go to a hospital.

Following the murders of Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman, Hontiveros opposed the deadly Philippine drug war of President Duterte. Hontiveros afterwards launched, along with some senators, the Senate investigations against the police personnel that killed delos Santos. She also took legal custody of the case witnesses, with proper written consent from the minor and their parents, after fears of police retaliation against the witness surfaced. The drug war investigations led to a heightened public awareness on the brutalities and extrajudicial killings committed by the Duterte government against Filipino civilians. Filipino scholars, academics, and investigators later found that up to 30,000 Filipinos, many of which were children not involved with drugs, were killed. In many cases, the victims were forced to turn around and killed while begging. Some bodies of the victims were wrapped in tape and intentionally left in the streets to create a "chilling effect" on nearby communities. The International Criminal Court began its lengthy investigations on the drug war crimes of the Duterte government the following year.

In September 2017, while continuing the Senate investigations for the drug war's victims, Hontiveros caught Duterte's Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II drafting fabricated charges against her. Aguirre was pictured by media on his phone writing the text messages, where the texts showed Aguirre instructing former Negros Oriental representative Jacinto Paras, a member of the controversial advocacy group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), to 'expedite' cases against Hontiveros. Aguirre used the same tactic against Senator Leila de Lima, which led to de Lima's arrest a few months past. The revelation was protested nationwide as President Rodrigo Duterte's justice secretary was allegedly focused on arresting Hontiveros instead of focusing on the drug war murder cases. Despite the pieces of evidence presented in the Senate, Duterte's justice secretary still filed cases against Hontiveros. On the same month, after the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) criticized the deadly drug war, Duterte allies in the House of Representatives reduced the commission's annual budget to only ₱1,000 (or about $20). Hontiveros, along with other members of the Senate, vowed to negotiate with their House counterparts to restore the rightful budget of the CHR. The budget was eventually restored after major public and Senate appeals.

In December 2017, Hontiveros became one of the recipients of the first-ever Ripple Awards by the non-governmental organization LoveYourself, which are given to "brave individuals who have made a significant impact in spreading HIV/AIDS awareness, stopping the spread of the virus, and helping to fight the stigma suffered by their communities".

In 2018, Hontiveros criticized the Duterte administration's foreign policy, calling it a "complete disaster and a threat to Philippine independence." The statement was made after a series of controversies including Duterte's pronouncement to make the Philippines "a province of China" in front of the Chinese ambassador, the Duterte government's approval for a Chinese military aircraft to breach protocols and land at the civilian Davao International Airport, the surfacing of a video footage showing China's Coast Guard stealing the catch of Filipino fishermen at Panatag shoal near Zambales, and the continued position of President Duterte to not enforce the South China Sea Arbitration ruling. Afterwards, numerous Duterte-allied vloggers and bot accounts, many of which originate from China, began spreading fake news targeting Hontiveros. Various fact-checking national news networks have denounced the proliferation of fake news in social media. In April 2018, Hontiveros filed a Senate resolution calling on the government to ban Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), which are Duterte-backed gambling corporations that have committed tax evasions, harbored illegal Chinese nationals, and conducted other illegal activities. However, POGOs would later be regulated by a Duterte-backed law, which instead effectively legalized and expanded POGOs in 2021. In May 2018, Hontiveros criticized Malacañang for its "sheepish response" to China's intrusions and exploitation in the South China Sea and Benham Rise. On May 11, Hontiveros condemned the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, calling it a "stab to Constitution's heart". In July 2018, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, co-authored by Hontiveros and aimed at formally establishing the BARMM which was essential to peace in Mindanao, was ratified into law. On the same month, the amended Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, authored by Hontiveros and provides mandatory Philhealth coverage for all PWD’s, was passed by the Senate.

On August 16, 2018, a year after Kian delos Santos' fatal shooting, Hontiveros filed a resolution seeking to declare every August 16 as a "National Day of Remembrance" for all the victims of extrajudicial killings under the drug war.

On September 11, 2018, Hontiveros along with other opposition senators sought a probe against Duterte's revocation of the amnesty of Senator Antonio Trillanes. The revocation was initiated by Duterte with the aim to imprison Trillanes for criticizing him. On September 20, 2018, Hontiveros criticized President Rodrigo Duterte, calling him the "real destabilizer", after Duterte accused numerous progressive universities and Liberal opposition figures of a destabilization plot that sought to oust him from office, despite both the military and the police force eventually clearing all universities and Liberal opposition figures from the alleged ouster plot. On September 24, 2018, Hontiveros exposed the ₱2-billion (estimated $37-million) "tara" (grease payment) system profit of military general Jason Aquino, whom Duterte appointed as the head of the National Food Authority. In October 2018, the Senate approved the proposed Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act of 2017, which Hontiveros principally authored and sponsored, and aimed in preventing and punishing street harassment, among others. The bill passed the House in January 2019, and was signed into law in July 2019.

In November 2018, Hontiveros received the Equality Champion Award from the Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy (Lagablab) Network for her push for equality laws in the Senate, especially the SOGIE Equality Bill (which stalled in both the 17th and 18th Congresses), and her fight against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity expression in the country. In the same month, Hontiveros reiterated that the influx of illegal Chinese workers in the Philippines is an "assault on sovereignty and economy". Hontiveros has continuously appealed to the government to "stop normalizing rape and sexual abuse amidst Duterte's sexually provocative remarks and tirades that objectify women and LGBTs". In December 2018, the First 1,000 Days Law (or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng mga Nanay Law), principally authored by Hontiveros and provided additional benefits to children and their parents, was passed into law.

In January 2019, Republic Act 11166, or the HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018, passed into law. Hontiveros was the principal author and sponsor of the law in the Senate. The new HIV law aids in expanding access to evidence-based HIV strategies and facilitates easier access to learning about one's HIV status. The passage of the law was lauded by the World Health Organization. In the same month, Hontiveros filed a bill to legalize divorce in the Philippines. The Social Weather Stations reported that a majority of Filipinos support the proposed divorce bill.

Hontiveros opposed lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility, which Duterte initially wanted to be nine years of age. She was awarded the Silver Rose Award by Solidar at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on January 29, 2019, in recognition of her contributions "to social justice and solidarity". Hontiveros was cited as "a progressive politician who is fighting for ideals and freedom in the Philippines". In February 2019, the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Law, principally authored and sponsored by Hontiveros, officially became law. The law ensures that children under 18 years old are not recruited, re-recruited, used or arrested by armed groups. On the same month, the Universal Health Care Act, principally authored by Hontiveros and aimed to expand the country's health care infrastructure to make health care available to all Filipinos, was enacted into law. In March 2019, the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, principally authored and sponsored by Hontiveros, was enacted into law. The measure provided additional benefits to both parents and made it easier for parents to avail benefits in SSS. On the same month, the Simulated Birth Rectification Law, principally sponsored and co-authored by Hontiveros, was enacted into law, improving the country's adoption system which would allow more orphaned children to enjoy rights and benefits. In April 2019, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4P's Law, authored by Hontiveros along with Senator Leila de Lima, was enacted into law. The measure established a national poverty reduction program where conditional cash transfers were directed towards impoverished families.

On June 2019, Hontiveros again marched with her allies during the annual pride parade, advocating for the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill for the 18th Congress. More than 70,000 participants attended, almost three times larger than the previous year. On July 19, 2019, Duterte's Solicitor General, Arroyo-ally Jose Calida, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed charges against Hontiveros and other members of the opposition for "sedition, cyber libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice". She was cleared of all charges on February 10, 2020. On July 24, Hontiveros pushed for the passage of the National Land Use Act, which would better protect farmers and the environment. In October 2019, Hontiveros renewed her call for the government to fully implement the Reproductive Health Law (RH Law).

On February 2020, Hontiveros launched a Senate investigation which exposed the "pastillas scam" system within the Bureau of Immigration. Under the illegal system, Chinese nationals were allowed seamless entry into the country in exchange for money. The investigations found that the masterminds of the system illegally amassed up to 40 billion pesos. Hontiveros urged President Duterte to file cases against the culprits, to which Duterte claimed months later that he has fired the officials involved. However, it was later revealed by media that the officials involved in the pastillas scam were eventually put back by Duterte in the immigration bureau.

On August 2020, Hontiveros urged an investigation of Chinese men's illegal activities, including prostitution, in a casino at Clark in Pampanga. Hontiveros also called for an independent investigation on the murder of Anakpawis chairman Randall Echanis. On August 18, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Hontiveros urged the Department of Health to withdraw the memorandum that suspended the special risk allowance of public health workers. She has backed the passage of the "Magna Carta for Seafarers", as well as the establishment of more medical schools in state universities and colleges.

On August 26, 2020, Hontiveros urged President Duterte to communicate plans to protect the Philippines from China's aggression in the South China Sea amid territorial disputes. She also called on the government to speed up the digital infrastructure support for MSMEs during the pandemic. By the end of August, she advocated for the Office of the President to drop the Chinese firms involved in building military installations in the territories of the Philippines in the South China Sea. On September 7, 2020, Hontiveros criticized Duterte's declaration of absolute pardon for United States Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, who has been convicted in the homicide of trans Filipina, Jennifer Laude, calling Duterte's move an "affront not only to the LGBTQI+ community but to the Filipino people". In February 2021, Hontiveros sought for a Senate investigation on the trafficking of Filipino women in the Middle East. In April 2021, Hontiveros launched the Healthy Pinas Mobile Clinic, her nationwide mobile health clinic network where centers were established in every region across the country, many were in far-flung areas. The wide network was in response to the health needs of the public. It provided free x-rays, blood chem, ultrasound, ECG, and check-ups, among many others.

In August 2021, Senators Hontiveros and Gordon launched a Senate investigation on the Pharmally scandal, a string of anomalies surrounding the multi-billion worth of contracts that the Duterte government awarded to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation. Initially an inquiry into audit findings about the poorly spent P67 billion pandemic funds, the investigation later revealed a full-blown corruption scandal backed by President Duterte and involved his Chinese economic adviser Michael Yang (Yang Hongming). Throughout the investigations, President Duterte disallowed his allies from cooperating with the Senate investigations and instructed them to pursue a counter-investigation in the House, while attacking the senators who led the investigations in the Senate.

In December 2021, Hontiveros urged and warned the government against the 100% foreign ownership of telecommunication companies in the Philippines, which she calls a threat to national security. In January 2022, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Law, principally authored by Hontiveros, passed into law, making child marriages illegal nationwide. In April 2022, the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, co-sponsored by Hontiveros, was enacted into law. The measure provided financial aid and other pathways for the citizens in Marawi to rebuild their city in the aftermath of the deadly Marawi siege. In May 2022, the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act of senator Hontiveros was passed into law, providing rights to thousands of children abandoned by their parents. In June 2022, the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, principally authored by Hontiveros and mandates government to give aid to all solo parents, lapsed and formally became law.

Second term (2022–present)

Hontiveros speaking at a Team Robredo–Pangilinan campaign rally in Antipolo, 2022

Hontiveros sought re-election as a senator in the 2022 election under Team Robredo–Pangilinan, the main opposition ticket. She was also named as a guest candidate of the Labor and Ecology Advocates for Democracy (LEAD) senatorial slate of Leody de Guzman, another presidential candidate. She was successfully reelected for a second term, ranking 11th out of the 12 winning candidates with more than 15 million votes. She was projected to be the only opposition senator in the 19th Congress. On June 27, she became the official leader of the opposition after she took her oath of office before outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo at the Quezon City Reception House. Robredo magnified that the torch of the opposition leadership is now in the hands of Hontiveros, who is the highest-elected opposition figure.

During the 19th Congress, she became part of the two-member Senate minority bloc alongside Koko Pimentel, who was elected as Minority Floor Leader. On August 3, 2022, Pimentel named her as Senate Deputy Minority Leader. Hontiveros chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality. In January 2023, Hontiveros revealed that Filipinos were being trafficked to Cambodia for crypto scams by a Chinese mafia group aided by corrupt officials from the immigration bureau. A few months before, her Senate investigations also found that Chinese groups were trafficking Filipinos in Myanmar. The investigations have led to the rescue of multiple Filipino victims.

Hontiveros with the President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen and her pet cat Think Think during a visit to Taiwan, May 2023

In May 2023, Hontiveros visited Taipei, Taiwan, to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu amid China's perceived aggression in the region. She became the first sitting Philippine government official to visit the country, with which the Philippines does not maintain official diplomatic relations due to its adherence to the One China policy, since Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas in 2011. Hontiveros also visited Overseas Filipinos in Taiwan whom she stated were potentially affected by Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian's anti-Taiwan independence statements in the Philippines. Hontiveros stressed the importance of adopting a "peaceful approach" in resolving the South China Sea dispute and expressed her dedication to engaging in diplomatic, legal, and "respectful" negotiations with all relevant states "to advance peace and stability in the entire South China Sea."

Hontiveros opposed the establishment of the Maharlika Investment Fund, the proposed sovereign wealth fund for the Philippines. On May 31, 2023, she became the only senator who voted against the bill proposing its creation, which President Bongbong Marcos certified as urgent a week prior. Hontiveros explained that, while she believed that the country needed a new form of public financing, proposing a sovereign wealth fund was premature and more suitable in the medium term once the Philippine economy has commodity-based surpluses or surpluses from external trade from state-owned enterprises. In June 2023, she again rallied her allies during the 2023 pride march, calling for the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill. The march was attended by over 110,000 participants, becoming the largest pride march in Southeast Asia. In July 2023, Hontiveros filed a resolution urging the government to declare July 12 as West Philippine Sea Victory Day, in commemoration of the Philippine victory in the South China Sea Arbitration case. In September 2023, during a budget hearing, Hontiveros grilled the ₱500 million confidential fund sought by Vice President Sara Duterte for her office operations. On the same month, a separate investigation in the House found that Duterte spent ₱125 million pesos in confidential funds from her previous budget in only 11 days. Hontiveros has criticized the vice president's spending spree which utilized millions of pesos in confidential funds. On November 7, after a series of Senate investigations led by Hontiveros exposed a religious cult in Socorro that physically, emotionally, and sexually abused locals, notably children, the government formally filed cases against the cult's leaders, saving multiple child victims in the process. On the same month, Hontiveros filed a resolution urging the government to cooperate with the drug war investigations of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Hontiveros during the Senate investigation of Alice Guo

In March 2024, Hontiveros led a Senate investigation on Apollo Quiboloy, leader of religious cult Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and a close ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The investigations concluded that Quiboloy, accused of sexual trafficking and sexual abuse, had abused numerous minors, including children, throughout his cult's operations, and has also committed money laundering. The cult leader is also wanted in the United States for illegal activities. Arrest warrants were afterwards issued by the Senate and the Department of Justice. Former president Duterte and his daughter, vice president Sara, aided Quiboloy to avoid arrest, but failed after Quiboloy was arrested a month later.

In May 2024, Senator Hontiveros, along with Senator Gatchalian, led a Senate inquiry on Bamban mayor Alice Guo (or Guo Hua Ping) over the town executive's dubious Filipino citizenship status and links to a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGOs) in her town which was raided for involvement in suspected illicit activities. POGOs were previously regulated by the previous administration of president Rodrigo Duterte, who allowed POGOs to operate near Filipino military bases, likened by Filipino security experts as a "trojan horse". The series of investigation on Guo was highly publicized by the mainstream media and gave a limelight to the numerous illegal activities of Chinese-owned POGOs, which includes fake citizenships, murders, torture, illegal detentions, drug use, prostitution, slavery, and money laundering, among many others. It was also revealed that Michael Yang, the Chinese economic adviser of president Duterte involved in the Pharmally scandal, was part of the POGO criminal activities. Arrest warrants were issued against Guo and her associates. Guo afterwards escaped to Indonesia, but was later caught by local police and imprisoned back to the Philippines. Guo, who was initially suspected by Hontiveros as a spy, was later confirmed as a Chinese spy by She Zhijiang, a former Chinese spy now jailed in Thailand, who also confirmed that Chinese espionage work in the Philippines was intensified beginning in 2016 during the pro-China pivot of former President Duterte. Senator Hontiveros has called on President Marcos to formally ban POGOs in numerous occasions, a call which was later heeded.

In July 2024, Hontiveros appealed to the government again to fast-track the reparations for Filipino victims of sexual slavery during the Japanese occupation, also known as "comfort women". Many of the victims were just children, majority were girls while some were boys, when they were sexually enslaved and gang-raped on a daily basis by the Japanese Imperial Army, composed of male adults. Hontiveros filed a measure in the Senate regarding the matter in 2023, citing the recent 2023 ruling from the United Nations-CEDAW which favored the Filipino victims. Japan falsely claimed that the issue was resolved by the 1952 Treaty of San Francisco, which it "interprets" as settlement for all its war crimes. The treaty does not mention the "comfort women" system and many other atrocities that were publicized after the 1952 treaty signing. Many atrocities were intentionally covered-up by Japan after the war, including its human experimentations and live human vivisections against Filipinos and other Asian nationals, resulting to the non-mention of these crimes in the treaty. No Filipino "comfort woman" has ever been compensated through reparations. Additionally, it was impossible for the 1952 treaty to include "comfort women" and human experimentation victims as the treaty was signed 5 decades before the first Filipino "comfort woman" victim, Lola Rosa Henson, came out to the public due to rampant victim-blaming in 1992, and more than 6 decades before Japan's human experimentation on Filipinos was confirmed by a Japanese veteran involved in the crimes who finally made an overdue confession in 2006.

In August 2024, Hontiveros urged the government to take China to international court after China's continued aggressive actions in the South China Sea. On the same month, Hontiveros sought to realign the "improper" ₱10 million book fund request of vice president Sara Duterte, after it was found that the personal book of Duterte would be published and distributed nationwide using public funds.

In October 2024, after the House Quadcom committee confirmed the existence of a reward system created by the previous Duterte government for extra-judicial killings, as well as the existence of a Duterte-sponsored death squad, the Senate launched its own investigations. Hontiveros was the lone senator who confronted former President Duterte in the hearing about his role in the death of young Filipinos such as Kian delos Santos, which later confirmed the remorseless brutalities and killings conducted by Duterte and his previous government. As the hearing progressed, Duterte, on record, accidentally admitted the existence of his death squad and revealed that all his previous police chiefs, including Senator Bato dela Rosa, were heads of his murderous group. On the same month, Hontiveros amplified her push to pass the Magna Carta of Children bill. In November 2024, the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act, authored by Hontiveros, were passed into law. The measures added codification on the country's EEZ and established the three official international sea lanes of the country, both adding protections to Philippine national territory and security.

Legislation

Hontiveros has crafted numerous legislation that have benefited the Philippines. A few of her many laws include the following:

• Republic Act 9502 – Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law – significantly decreased the cost of quality medicines in the country.
• Republic Act 9700 – Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension With Reforms (CARPER) Law – improved the agrarian reform program of the government.
• Republic Act 10932 – Act Strengthening the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law – strengthened the penalties against hospitals who violate the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law.
• Republic Act 11036 – Philippine Mental Health Law – safeguards the mental health of Filipino citizens through education, medical advancements, and other support systems.
• Republic Act 11166 – HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018 – expands access to evidence-based HIV strategies and facilitates easier access to learning about one's HIV status.
• Republic Act 11313 – Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act – protects Filipinos (notably women) from catcalling, groping, persistent requests, and other forms of street harassment.

Personal life

Senator Hontiveros during the opening session of the Senate.

Hontiveros's husband, Francisco Baraquel Jr., was a police officer, military man, captain in the Philippine Constabulary, and former editor-in-chief of The Corp in the Philippine Military Academy. Baraquel traces his roots from Camarines Sur and Albay. Hontiveros and Baraquel's relationship started after Baraquel read an essay written by Hontiveros in her St. Scholastica yearbook. Baraquel found Hontiveros' views interesting, and sent a letter to her, which eventually led the two to becoming pen pals. At the time, Baraquel was a standout cadet at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio while Hontiveros was a working student and activist from Ateneo de Manila University. Hontiveros applied for and was accepted for her first journalism job when she was still a student. After the People Power Revolution, Baraquel invited Hontiveros to his 1986 graduation ceremony in the PMA. On the same year, they officially became lovers, and later married in 1990. Francisco died in May 2005 after a heart attack due to severe asthma. They have four children together, namely Kiko, Ianna, Issa and Sinta, who Hontiveros raised as a single parent.

On her father's side, she is part of the Hontiveros, Miraflores, Acevedo, and Pardo clans which traces their roots in Western Visayas. On her mother's side, she is part of the Suasa clan of Cavite and the Navarro clan of Occidental Mindoro. Her father, Atty. Ramon Pardo Hontiveros was from Roxas City, Capiz and is the youngest among ten siblings. Her great-grandfather was Leon Pedrosa Miraflores, who was born in Mandurriao, Iloilo. Due to Spanish policies at the time, his children adopted the surname of their mother, Genoveva Hontiveros, because they were unmarried. Her grandfather, Jose Miraflores Hontiveros of Tangalan in Aklan, served as senator and a delegate to the 1935 Philippine Constitutional Convention. Her grandmother was violinist Vicenta Ruiz Pardo. Aside from being a senator, Jose Hontiveros was also appointed as associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Jose's older sister, Lutgarda, married Jose Bautista Tirol, the representative of Capiz at the Philippine Assembly. Jose Hontiveros and Jose Tirol worked together in a law firm. Her aunts and uncles include National Artist for Theatre Daisy Hontiveros Avellana and her husband National Artist for Film Lamberto V. Avellana of Mountain Province, guerilla-revolutionary and advertising executive Lenny Hontiveros and his wife Rosita Osias (daughter of Senate president Camilo Osias of La Union), Jesuit priest and the Father of Filipino Liturgical Music Eduardo Hontiveros, and Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) founder and first president Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco and her economist-husband, 1971 Constitutional Assembly member, and Rizal representative Alejandro Lichauco who was arrested by the dictator for refusing to sign the 1973 Constitution that aimed to legitimize the dictatorship. Hontiveros has five siblings, which includes multi-awarded journalist Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan and Aboitiz sustainability executive Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, who is married to the descendant of the revolutionary general Miguel Malvar. Some of her cousins include singer Leah Navarro, Cebu City vice mayor Dondon Hontiveros, theatre actress and visual artist Ivi Avellana Cosio, film director Jose Mari Avellana, and Roxas City vice mayor Teresa Almalbis. Some of her nephews and nieces include model and former Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7 housemate Luis Hontiveros, and singer-guitarist Barbie Almalbis.

Having served as a journalist for ten years before venturing into politics, Hontiveros is a recipient of the Kapisanan ng Mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas' Golden Dove Award for Best Female Newscaster. Because of her work in the peace talks with the National Democratic Front, she also received the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for Peace and Advocacy in 2001 and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2005. Her years of government service earned her the 2019 Solidar Silver Rose Award for social justice from parliamentarians from the European Union, while in 2023, her alma mater, Ateneo de Manila University, bestowed her their Government Service Award for her exemplary public service.

Aside from being a journalist and lawmaker, Hontiveros, who is a staunch environmentalist, is also a licensed scuba diver. She also worked before as a teacher, where she taught at Ateneo de Manila University after graduating from college.

Hontiveros is also an animal lover. At one point, she had more than ten dogs and cats living in her home, many were originally strays. Among her "fur babies" include Hippo, a shih tzu-maltese mix, & Vega, an aspin she adopted from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which was founded by her aunt, Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco, known as the Mother of Animal Welfare in the Philippines.

Awards and recognition

• 1994 Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Golden Dove Awards for Best Female Newscaster
• 2001 Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for Peace and Advocacy
• 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nomination
• 2007 Bayi Citation for Exemplary Leadership in Politics and Governance
• 2017 Love Gala Ripple Award for HIV-AIDS awareness
• 2018 Lagablab Network Equality Champion Award
• 2019 Solidar Silver Rose Award for social justice
• 2022 APCOM Shivananda Khan Award for Extraordinary Achievement
• 2022 PeopleAsia's Women of Style and Substance
• 2023 Red Whistle Ally for Change Award
• 2023 National Bahaghari Champion Award
• 2023 Ateneo Government Service Award for exemplary public service

External links

• Media related to Risa Hontiveros at Wikimedia Commons
• Senator Risa Hontiveros – Senate of the Philippines
• Official Facebook page
• Official Twitter account
• Official Volunteers for Risa Hontiveros website