There’s really no one in the Senate that can equal Senator Risa Hontiveros in terms of rendering service to the Filipino people. A socialist feminist in a nest of trapos, she has been truly consistent in pushing progressive legislation since she joined the House of Representatives in the early 2000’s. When I joined the House as her colleague representing Akbayan in 2009, she provided an example to a neophyte congressman of how to navigate traditional politics while pushing progressive causes without compromising one’s principles. Over the years, we might have had some differences, but they were, in retrospect, insignificant. Her politics of principled pragmatism has resulted in at least 25 landmark laws, including the historic Expanded Maternity Leave Law (RA 11210), which gives working moms 105 days of paid maternity leave, and the Mental Health Law (RA 11036), which provides the first legal framework over mental health care in the country.
In 2024, she led the charge in the Senate to ban the infamous POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) controlled by Chinese criminal gangs that took advantage of the protection offered by the previous Duterte administration. This led to the exposure of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and former Duterte spokesman Harry Roque as central figures in the expansion of the POGOs.