Sen. Risa Hontiveros has this plea to her fellow senators
Senator Risa Hontiveros urged all colleagues, including Sen. Alan Cayetano’s group, to return to work after the leadership was transferred to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.
On Tuesday, June 17, 2026, during the special Senate session, Hontiveros assumed leadership of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation following Sen. Ping Lacson’s decision to step down.
Due to Senator Joel Villanueva’s attendance during the special session, the 13-member quorum was established, which was required to elect Gatchalian as the new Senate President, replacing Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who stated prior to this that he was already stepping down.
With the new Senate Presidency, based on the report from ABS-CBN, Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged her fellow senators, especially those in the Cayetano bloc, to return to fulfilling their responsibilities as elected officials.
“Now the Senate is in order. Dapat sana kaming lahat sa buong Senado, lahat ng senador, majority at minority, ay magkaisa at least doon sa basic na balik-trabaho po kaming lahat,” the female politician said.
She also said that they are very glad to be back to work and they would be diligent to cope with their responsibilities as delayed for the past five weeks.
Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed in a previous interview that she is “seriously considering” the possibility of running for president in the 2028 elections. Her supporters have been anticipating her decision to run for a higher position. She also said that she has been preparing for this possibility.
The female senator also said in a statement that she and everyone else in the “new majority bloc” will donate their 1 month salary to the victims of earthquakes in Mindanao. To recall, a catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck offshore Sarangani, Mindanao.