Opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros expressed her gratitude for the supportive messages she has been receiving following her conduct at the Senate hearing on the previous administration’s war on drugs.
The lawmaker went viral on the X (formerly Twitter) platform for her conduct at the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee hearing initiated following the revelations at the House of Representative‘s Quad Committee hearings on the extrajudicial killings.
As of this writing, Hontiveros’ name is among the top Philippines Trends list of the platform, next to former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In the hours-long Senate hearing on Monday, October 28, the lawmaker called out the former president for repeatedly hurling expletives and said his administration’s drug war was “never” something Filipinos should be proud of.
She also said there should be “no honor” for being called “The Punisher” when thousands of people “have died” in his name.
“The Punisher” is a moniker associated with Duterte, which appeared in TIME magazine’s feature on him for their cover story in May 2016.
Hontiveros also had heated exchanges with the 79-year-old when she questioned him on his intentions regarding his flagship drug war.
Some Filipinos lauded her for how she attempted to hold him accountable, unlike some of her colleagues who defended the “war on drugs” campaign like Duterte allies Sen. Bato dela Rosa and Robin Padilla.
“Hindi nag-imbestiga ang Senado. Binigyan nila ng justification ang pekeng drug war ni Duterte. Nakakahiya ang mga Senador. Maliban kay Risa,” Kapamilya ng Manggagawang Pilipino secretary general Jerry Grácio said.
“Finally, someone pointed out that Duterte admitted the existence of the Davao Death Squad. Only Sen. Risa had the guts to confront Duterte’s admission, while Jinggoy, Bato, and others were too focused on scratching the old man’s back. Shameful,” another online user wrote.
“Senator Jinggoy’s lame attempt to lighten the mood during the Senate hearing on the war on drugs showed how insensitive he is toward the victims of extrajudicial killings. Fortunately, Senator Risa was there to sternly remind Jinggoy Estrada that it was not a laughing matter,” a different Pinoy said.
“Maliban lamang kay Sen. Risa, pinakita ng mga senador kahapon sa hearing na lahat sila hawak sa leeg ni Duterte. Just for this alone, I will support the move to a parliamentary form of gov’t [government], tutal — wala namang silbi ang halos lahat ng mga nakaupong senador,” another X user said.
Hontiveros acknowledged the comments and said that “they mean a lot” to her.
“Let’s extend this support to the victim-survivors of Duterte’s drug war — sa mga lolo, lola, magulang, asawa o partner, anak, kapatid, at kaibigan na naiwan at patuloy na naghahanap pa ng hustisya. Laban!” she said on the X platform on Tuesday, October 29.
Maraming salamat po sa mga messages of support! They mean a lot.
Let’s extend this support to the victim-survivors of Duterte’s drug war— sa mga lolo, lola, magulang, asawa o partner, anak, kapatid, at kaibigan na naiwan at patuloy na naghahanap pa ng hustisya.
Laban! ✊🏼
— risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) October 29, 2024
“Maraming salamat po sa mga messages of support! They mean a lot,” the senator also said in a Facebook comment.
Meanwhile, lawyer Salvador Panelo, who used to be Duterte’s spokesperson, explained that the former president was “toying” with Hontiveros during the hearing following the heated exchanges.
“He was repeating these things because the lady senator [Hontiveros] could not understand him… that’s the trouble with someone who is not a lawyer, she doesn’t know anything about law, about crime, about criminal responsibility,” he told BNC’s “At The Forefront.”
It is not required for a Philippine senator to become a lawyer before serving the public.
Hontiveros initially entered politics as a prominent opposition figure during the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and has since become a party-list representative and a senator.
ALSO READ: Hontiveros lands on Philippine trends list of X after Marcos bans POGOs | ‘Nakakalungkot din’: Hontiveros reacts to Dela Rosa’s emotions on ICC probe filing | Hontiveros uses Bea Alonzo meme in response to Duterte’s confi funds statement
Meanwhile, the Senate’s drug war probe follows the revelations from the House Quad Committee hearings accusing Duterte and his allies, Sens. Bong Go and Dela Rosa, of incentivizing drug war killings, among others.
The lawmakers denied the allegations.
Duterte has since admitted to giving kill orders and the presence of a death squad in his bailiwick, Davao City.
Human rights groups estimate that his drug war has resulted in around 30,000 extrajudicial killings, while government data places the number at 6,000.
