Risa Hontiveros

Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel (born February 24, 1966), more popularly known as Risa Hontiveros, is a Filipina activist, journalist, and politician who was the representative of Akbayan in the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2004 to 2010. She is the older sister of journalists and television hosts Gringgay and Pia Hontiveros.

Activism

In Hontiveros's career as a politician and activist, she has been affiliated with a number of organizations and movements, including the following:^[1][2]

• Coalition for Peace (served as Secretary-General from 1988 to 1992)
• National Peace Conference (serving on its Governing Council since 1990).
• Government Panel for Peace Talks with the National Democratic Front (chairing the Panel's Reciprocal Working Committee on Socio-Economic Reforms from August 1998 to June 1999)
• Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (Pandayan/Forge for a Socialist Philippines), a democratic socialist political organization (re-elected as Chairperson in August 2001)
• Pilipina, a socialist feminist organization
• Amnesty International Pilipinas (member of the Board of Directors)
• Institute for Politics and Governance
• Akbayan Citizens Action Party (Chairperson)

Political career

Hontiveros first entered politics as the third nominee of Akbayan Party-list in the 2004 National Elections. She is one of the prominent figures of the anti-GMA forces, especially during the height of the Hello Garci controversy of 2005.^[3] In the International Women's Day of 2006, she was arrested and brought to Camp Caringal in Quezon City without warrant despite the peaceful nature of the assembly marking the global event.^[4] Hontiveros eventually became Akbayan's first nominee in the 2007 Midterm Elections. She was a member of the House Minority as well as the following Committees in the 14th Congress:

• Appropriations
• Ethics and Privileges
• Foreign Affairs
• Good Government and Public Accountability
• Health
• Higher and Technical Education
• Human Rights
• Natural Resources
• Peace, Reconciliation and Unity
• People Participation
• Rules
• Trade and Industry
• Women and Gender Equality

Successful pieces of legislation that were crafted and filed by Hontiveros in Congress include the Cheaper Medicines Law that lowers the cost of essential medicines by allowing parallel importation and compulsory licensing, and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law that extends the old CARP Law as well as provides a program better suited to the needs of the farmers and the agrarian reform beneficiaries. Hontiveros’s legislative track record also include, among others, the Anti-Prostitution Bill that aims to look at prostitution as a symptom of inequitable and exploitative social structures and prostitutes, the Gender Balance Bill that aims to ensure women’s representation in all structures of governance, and the Students' Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Bill that aims to promote and protect students' liberties at all levels and in both public and private schools.^[5]

Running under the ticket of then-Senator Benigno Aquino III, Hontiveros placed 13th overall in the senatorial race - almost making it to the Top 12 in the 2010 National Elections. Following her graceful defeat in the elections, she remained active in numerous issues concerning the marginalized and the abuses of the previous administration. She became a prominent figure alongside Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Pia Cayetano in the nationwide campaign for the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law, which she co-authored during her stint in Congress.

Running under the Team PNoy ticket, Hontiveros ran again for a Senate seat in the 2013 Midterm Elections. However, she lost for the second time, placing 17th in the Senate race. Her campaign slogan was 'Paglalaban ka, aalagaan ka,' which reflected the gains from the enactment of the RH Law and the continuing struggle for universal health care and good governance. In the aftermath, Hontiveros acknowledged Senator Osmena's observation of her mixed messages in the campaign may have been the reason for her loss.^[6]

As of early December 2014, Hontiveros was inducted as a Trustee of the PhilHealth board.^[7][8]

She is slated to step down as the Chairperson of Akbayan in 2015, but faces speculation that she may attempt to run for the Senate one last time in next year's elections.

Personal life

Hontiveros was part of the Von Trapp children in the Repertory Philippines' play 'The Sound Of Music,' alongside Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson and Raymond Lauchengco during her childhood.^[9] It is also during this period when she was first introduced to activist work as an organizer in the campaign against the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in her high school.^[10][11]

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.^[12]

References

External links

• Official Facebook page
• Official Twitter account
• Official Volunteers for Risa Hontiveros website