Ana Theresia "Risa" Navarro Hontiveros–Baraquel (Tagalog:[ˈɾisaɔntɪˈverɔs]; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist serving as a Senator since 2016. She previously served as a party-listrepresentative for Akbayan from 2004 to 2010.
Since 2024, Hontiveros also co-hosts the radio program Oras at Bayan on Veritas 846.[2]
Early life
Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros was born on February 24, 1966, in Manila, to a PanayVisayan lawyer and a Caviteño-MindoreñoTagalog executive secretary.[3] Raised in Merville, Parañaque, she grew up in a household that encouraged outspoken yet respectful dialogue.[4]
In college at the Ateneo de Manila University, Hontiveros became active in the student council, advocating for peace and justice for marginalized communities. While studying, she worked as a journalist and became pen pals with Philippine Military Academy cadet Francisco Baraquel Jr., who later became her husband. Hontiveros graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences in 1987.[11]
After graduation, Hontiveros pursued careers in journalism and teaching. She worked for networks IBC and GMA Network, co-anchoring programs like Firing Line and Headline Trese. She also served as Secretary-General of the Coalition for Peace, advocating for peace zones and leading discussions on socio-economic reforms in peace talks with the National Democratic Front.[9] For her work, she received the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for Peace and Advocacy in 2001 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.[12]
During International Women's Day in 2006, she was arrested and brought to Camp Caringal in Quezon City without a warrant[15] by civilian-clothed government agents of President Gloria Arroyo.[16] 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.[16]
In 2007, Hontiveros urged the Ombudsman to inhibit during the NBN–ZTE deal corruption scandal case.[17] 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, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and Commission on Elections chair Benjamin Abalos were also found to have been involved in bribery.[18] Hontiveros, as House deputy minority leader, criticized the government and called for the controversial deal to be cancelled. [19] Because of the revelations, Arroyo later scrapped the deal.[18] 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.[20]
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.[21] Due to the revelations, the Chinese "agribusiness" deals were later cancelled while the JMSU was not renewed by the government,[22] and later declared as void and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.[23][24]
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,[25] the Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law which drastically lowered the cost of medicines in the country,[26] 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.[27] She also participated in the early pride marches calling for the passage of the anti-discrimination bill (later called the SOGIE Equality Bill).[28] In June 2009, Hontiveros marched with the LGBTQ community to denounce the Commission on Election's decision to not accredit Ladlad, the world's first LGBT partylist.[29]
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'.
[30] Hontiveros also criticized the prime suspect, former governor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who petitioned to post bail.[31] 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.[32]
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.[33]
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.[34] 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.[35] By the end of the year, the Reproductive Health Law (RH Law) passed into law.[33] 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.[36]
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.[37] 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.[38]
In November 2014, Hontiveros was inducted as a trustee of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
(PhilHealth) board,[39][40] where she served until October 2015.[40] As a trustee, she pushed for expanded medical benefits and coverage, especially for indigents and senior citizens.[41] 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.[42][43] Hontiveros was never mentioned in the Commission on Audit ruling mandating perpetrators to return unauthorized bonuses. Additionally, the bonuses in question were released before she was appointed in the PhilHealth board.[40][44]
As a senator, Hontiveros spearheaded significant legislative initiatives. In 2017, she authored the Mental Health Law, which integrates mental health services into the Philippine public health system, ensuring availability in hospitals nationwide.[48] She strengthened the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law in 2017, increasing penalties for hospitals demanding deposits before administering emergency care.[49] Hontiveros also championed the SOGIE Equality Bill, holding the first Senate hearing on anti-discrimination legislation for the LGBTQ community in August 2016.[50] Additionally, she authored the Speech Pathology Law, regulating the profession and requiring board examinations.[51]
Following the murders of Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo de Guzman, Hontiveros vocally opposed President Duterte's deadly drug war.[58] She initiated Senate investigations into the police personnel involved in Delos Santos' killing and provided legal custody for witnesses with proper consent, shielding them from potential police retaliation.[59] These investigations exposed widespread extrajudicial killings that targeted civilians, including children, with some victims allegedly tortured and intentionally displayed to instill fear in communities.[60] By 2018, reports estimated up to 30,000 deaths in Duterte's drug war, prompting the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into the alleged crimes.[61][62]
In September 2017, during Senate inquiries, Hontiveros exposed then-Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for conspiring to fabricate charges against her. Media captured Aguirre texting instructions to 'expedite' cases through former representative Jacinto Paras, a tactic previously used to arrest Senator Leila de Lima.[63] Despite public backlash and evidence presented in the Senate, Aguirre still pursued charges against her.[63]
That same month, Duterte allies in the House of Representatives slashed the Commission on Human Rights budget to just ₱1,000 (approximately $20) following its criticism of the drug war. Hontiveros joined other senators in negotiating to restore the budget, which was reinstated after widespread public outcry and Senate appeals.[64]
In December 2017, Hontiveros was among the inaugural recipients of the Ripple Awards by LoveYourself, a non-governmental organization recognizing individuals for their significant contributions to raising HIV/AIDS awareness, combating its spread, and reducing stigma in communities.[65]
In April 2018, she filed a Senate resolution calling for a ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) due to their alleged tax evasion and other illegal activities. Despite her efforts, a 2021 Duterte-backed law regulated and expanded POGOs.[70][71]
Hontiveros co-authored the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which formally established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to promote peace in Mindanao. The law was ratified in July 2018.[72][73] That same month, her proposed amendment to the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities, mandating PhilHealth coverage for all PWDs, was passed by the Senate.[74]
In May 2018, Hontiveros condemned the removal of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, describing it as a "stab to the Constitution's heart."[75] In August, she filed a resolution to designate August 16 as a "National Day of Remembrance" for victims of extrajudicial killings under the government's war on drugs, marking the anniversary of Kian delos Santos' death.[76]
In September 2018, Hontiveros, alongside opposition senators, called for a Senate probe into President Duterte's revocation of Senator Antonio Trillanes' amnesty, accusing the president of targeting Trillanes for his criticisms.[77] She criticized Duterte as the "real destabilizer" after he accused progressive groups and opposition figures of plotting to oust him, claims that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and police later dismissed.[78][79]
That same month, Hontiveros exposed a ₱2-billion "tara" (grease payment) system within the National Food Authority under its head, military general Jason Aquino.[80] She also championed legislative efforts to protect public spaces, with the Senate approving her proposed Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act of 2017, which criminalized street harassment. Signed into law in 2019, it was a landmark measure against catcalling and harassment.[81][82]
In December 2018, her First 1,000 Days Law, aimed at improving maternal and infant health, was enacted.[83] She continued advocating for marginalized groups, receiving the Equality Champion Award in November 2018 for her work on the SOGIE Equality Bill and fight against discrimination.[84]
Several key laws she authored or sponsored were enacted in 2019. These include the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Law, which protects children from recruitment by armed groups,[90] and the Universal Health Care Act, which expands access to health services.[91] She also sponsored the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, which increased benefits for working parents,[92] and co-authored the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Law, institutionalizing cash transfers to alleviate poverty.[93][94]
Hontiveros has also been a consistent supporter of the SOGIE Equality Bill and participated in the 2019 pride parade, which had over 70,000 attendees.[97] Additionally, she advocated for the National Land Use Act to protect agricultural land and the environment, and called for the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law to address health issues, including the increasing prevalence of HIV.[98][99]
In February 2020, Hontiveros initiated a Senate investigation that exposed the "pastillas scam", a scheme within the Bureau of Immigration allowing Chinese nationals to enter the Philippines illegally in exchange for bribes. It was revealed that the masterminds amassed up to ₱40 billion through this operation. While President Duterte claimed to have fired those involved, media reports later uncovered that the officials were reinstated.[100][101][102]
In 2020, she also highlighted other significant issues. Hontiveros pushed for investigations into illegal activities in Pampanga's Clark Freeport Zone, including Chinese-linked prostitution, and called for a probe into the murder of Anakpawis chairman Randall Echanis.[103][104] She urged the Department of Health to reinstate the suspended special risk allowance for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for legislation such as the "Magna Carta for Seafarers" and the establishment of medical schools in state universities.[105][106]
Hontiveros consistently opposed China's territorial claims in the South China Sea, urging the government to act against Chinese aggression and sever ties with Chinese firms involved in military activities on Philippine territories. She also criticized President Duterte's absolute pardon of U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, convicted of killing trans Filipina Jennifer Laude, calling it an insult to the Filipino people and the LGBTQ+ community.[107][108]
In 2021, Hontiveros sought a Senate investigation onto the trafficking of Filipino women in the Middle East and launched the Healthy Pinas Mobile Clinic network, which brought free medical services to underserved communities nationwide.[109][110]
In August 2021, Senator Hontiveros, alongside Senator Dick Gordon, spearheaded a Senate investigation into the Pharmally scandal. The inquiry exposed anomalies in multi-billion peso contracts awarded to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation for pandemic supplies, allegedly backed by President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese adviser Michael Yang. Despite resistance from the Duterte administration, which barred allies from cooperating and launched a counter-investigation, Hontiveros remained vocal about the corruption uncovered during the hearings.[111]
In January 2022, her Prohibition of Child Marriage Law was enacted, making child marriage illegal nationwide.[113] In April 2022, the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, which she co-sponsored, provided financial aid and recovery assistance for citizens affected by the Marawi siege.[114]
Other landmark laws authored or co-authored by Hontiveros include the Foundling Recognition and Protection Act, passed in May 2022, granting rights to abandoned children,[115] and the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, which became law in June 2022, mandating government support for solo parents.[116]
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.[117] 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.[118] 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.[119] Robredo magnified that the torch of the opposition leadership is now in the hands of Hontiveros, who is the highest-elected opposition figure.[120]
During the 19th Congress, she became part of the two-member Senate minority bloc alongside Koko Pimentel, who was elected as Minority Floor Leader.[121] On August 3, 2022, Pimentel named her as Senate Deputy Minority Leader.[122] Hontiveros chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.[123] 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.[124][125]
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.[126] 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 Filipinosin 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."[127]
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-basedsurpluses or surpluses from external trade from state-owned enterprises.[128][129] 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.[130][131][132] 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.[133][134] In September 2023, during a budget hearing, Hontiveros grilled the ₱500 million confidential fund sought by Vice President Sara Duterte for her office operations.[135] 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.[136] Hontiveros has criticized the vice president's spending spree which utilized millions of pesos in confidential funds.[137] 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.[138][139] On the same month, Hontiveros filed a resolution urging the government to cooperate with the drug war investigations of the International Criminal Court (ICC).[140]
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,[141] 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.[142][143][144] Former president Duterte and his daughter, vice president Sara, aided Quiboloy to avoid arrest,[145][146] but failed after Quiboloy was arrested a month later.[147]
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.[148][149] POGOs were previously regulated by the previous administration of president Rodrigo Duterte,[150] who allowed[151][152] POGOs to operate near Filipino military bases, likened by Filipino security experts as a "trojan horse".[153] 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.[150][154][155][156][157] Guo afterwards escaped to Indonesia, but was later caught by local police and imprisoned back to the Philippines.[158][159] Guo, who was initially suspected by Hontiveros as a spy,[160] 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.[161][162][163] Senator Hontiveros has called on President Marcos to formally ban POGOs in numerous occasions,[164][165] a call which was later heeded.[166]
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".[167][168] Many of the victims were just children, majority were girls while some were boys,[169] when they were sexually enslaved and gang-raped on a daily basis by the Japanese Imperial Army, composed of male adults.[170][171] 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.[172] Japan falsely claimed that the issue was resolved by the 1952 Treaty of San Francisco,[173] 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.[174][175][170] 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,[170][176][177] 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.[174][178][179]
In August 2024, Hontiveros urged the government to take China to international court after China's continued aggressive actions in the South China Sea.[180] 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.[181]
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,[182][183] the Senate launched its own investigations. Hontiveros was the lone senator[184] 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.[185][186] 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.[187] On the same month, Hontiveros amplified her push to pass the Magna Carta of Children bill.[188][189] 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.[190]
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.[191]
Republic Act 9700 – Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension With Reforms (CARPER) Law[192] – 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.[193]
Republic Act 11036 – Philippine Mental Health Law – safeguards the mental health of Filipino citizens through education, medical advancements, and other support systems.[194][195]
Republic Act 11166 – HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018[85] – 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[196] – 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.
Risa Hontiveros married Francisco Baraquel Jr., a captain in the Philippine Constabulary, military officer, and former editor-in-chief of The Corp at the Philippine Military Academy.[197][198] Their relationship began through letters after Baraquel read Hontiveros' essay in her St. Scholastica yearbook. They became pen pals while Hontiveros was a working student at the Ateneo de Manila University and an activist, and Baraquel was a cadet at the Philippine Military Academy. They married in 1990 and had four children: Kiko, Ianna, Issa, and Sinta.[11] Francisco died in 2005 of a heart attack caused by severe asthma, leaving Hontiveros to raise their children as a single parent.[199]
Hontiveros, a licensed scuba diver and former teacher at Ateneo de Manila University, is also a passionate animal welfare advocate. She has adopted multiple stray dogs and cats, including an aspin from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, the organization founded by her aunt, Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco.[200][201]
^"Senate opens 19th Congress". Senate of the Philippines (Press release). July 25, 2022. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
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