Sen. Risa Hontiveros delighted fans of her pairing with Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian after posting photos of them before attending President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Hontiveros uploaded a photo of them doing a finger heart gesture on Monday, July 27, with the caption: “Hi Winners [and] WinRi Neyshun! Hello mula sa akin [and] SP Win”
She tagged the page of Gatchalian in the post.
Hontiveros’ post has garnered 7,700 reactions and more than 220 comments so far, with some Filipinos sharing their reactions to the upload.
“The POGO busters,” a Facebook user wrote, commenting on the two senators’ stance against the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators.
“GRABEEE, PANALO KAMING WINNERS! NILAYAG EH. WE LOVE YOU, SEN. DAWD AND SEN. MOWM,” another quipped, referring to “WinRi” shipping, the name of their pairing coined by online Filipinos.
In slang, “shipping,” derived from the word “relationship,” refers to fans’ desire for two personalities to be together romantically.
“Sobrang kilig ako dito. LoveWins,” another commented, adding emojis.
“Gawin na notebook cover ‘yan,” a different Pinoy quipped.
“Kyot HAHHAHAHAHA,” another commented.
Hontiveros also posted a photo of herself with her youngest daughter, Sinta, and Gatchalian.
The post caught the attention of several Filipinos, particularly “WinRi” fans.
“Meet the Step Dad,” a Facebook user quipped.
“Talagang me kilig factor… Parang real mother and father ni bunso,” another wrote.
“Boom, kilig to the bonessss!!!!!Meet the daughter yarn?? Lord, ‘yung puso ko, sobra sobra na [Sherwinnn], jusqooooo,” a different Pinoy commented.
“Happy family, kakilig, so lovely,” another said.
‘WinRi’
The “WinRi” pairing, derived from their names Win and Risa, began online after some Filipinos started sharing video edits and clips of Hontiveros and Gatchalian’s friendly interactions in the Senate.
The posts prompted social media users to ship the two senators, with some saying they are “perfect” for each other, while commending their professionalism and work ethic in legislation.
Both were first elected to the Senate in 2016 and have since closely collaborated on legislative work over the years.
One of their most highest-profile collaborations was the four-year Senate probe into Philippine offshore gaming operators, with Hontiveros chairing the inquiry under the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian previously said he was “honored” to be associated with Hontiveros.
“Nakakakilig at, of course, para sa akin, malaking karangalan. Si Senator Risa ay isa sa pinakahardworking, napakasipag, matapang, at magaling na senador natin. Very serious sa trabaho. Para sa akin, it’s an honor to be associated with her,” he said last month.
Hontiveros, meanwhile, said she welcomes the positive energy that the “WinRi” pairing has been generating amid the issues faced by Filipinos as a community.
“Yung mga bata… mukhang natutuwa sa akin, natutuwa kay SP Sherwin,” she said last month.
“I do thank them for their interest in ‘yung trabaho namin sa Senate, at ‘yung suportang nage-generate nila among other netizens para sa trabaho ng Senado,” Hontiveros added.
Hontiveros said she has a long-time partner, while Gatchalian was previously in a long-term relationship with actress Bianca Manalo.
