Hontiveros vows to defend an ‘independent’ Senate

Senator-elect Risa Hontiveros (right) takes oath before Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III (left) at Cebu Provincial Capitol. (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)

Senator-elect Risa Hontiveros vowed to push for a “strong and independent” Senate that could not be stopped by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte from conducting inquiries.

“I am one of the senators who are saying: ‘But that’s part of our mandate.’ That’s part of the oath that we also swore to the people and it is very consistent with my politics as a leader of Akbayan,” Hontiveros told reporters after her oath-taking before Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III at the Capitol Social Hall yesterday.

Duterte earlier warned some congressmen not to make the mistake of conducting a congressional inquiry on his anti-crime campaign or they have to fight him.

Hontiveros said Duterte’s statement was intended not only for the House of Representatives but also for the Senate.

Hontiveros, who chairs the Akbayan partylist, said they would remain allied with Liberal Party but would be willing to discuss specific issues with senators of the now administration party, the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), particularly goals to have a “strong and independent” Senate.

With her were her three children — Kiko, Ianna, and Sinta — and some of her relatives and colleagues.

She said she decided to take her oath of office in Cebu as a way of thanking Cebuanos for their support.

“Even when I lost twice at the national level, Cebu had always included me in the victory. I was always in the top 12 in Cebu,” she said.

Hontiveros placed seventh in the senatorial race in Cebu in the May 9, 2016 elections and received 528,865 votes.

Hontiveros said that once in the Senate, one of her priorities is the passage of the law that would standardize the salaries and institutionalize the benefits of Barangay Health Workers (BHWs).