Hontiveros eyes Senate reelection in Eleksyon 2022

Senator Risa Hontiveros will seek another term in the Senate in the upcoming 2022 national and local elections.

She made the confirmation in a virtual interview with reporters Thursday while mourning the death of her ally, former President Benigno Aquino III, who passed away earlier in the day.

“Only because you asked me [the] question, ang yes ko ay sa unang tanong mo,” Hontiveros said when asked if she will vie for Senate reelection.

“But there will be time to share more about that with you kasi nga may iniintay tayong anunsyo ng isang kapwa pamilya natin,” she added, referring to Aquino’s demise.

Hontiveros said it would be premature to give “a hard-nosed assessment” on the effect of Aquino’s death to the opposition’s plans for the 2022 polls.

But she emphasized that like Aquino, the opposition will “make the most of it.”

“Let's make the most of it, do our best, para iyan ay maglikha ng the most public good na puwede para sa ating mga mamamayan lalo na ngayong panahon ng pandemya at resesyon,” she said.

(Let’s make the most of it, do our best, so that we can create the most public good for our countrymen especially in this time of pandemic and recession.)

“I'm sure even PNoy has many ideas about how to recover from this terrible health and economic crisis, tulad noong araw-araw niyang iniisip noong siya ay Presidente pa natin,” she added.

(I’m sure even PNoy has many ideas about how to recover from this terrible health and economic crisis, just like how he dealt with it when he was still our president.)

Hontiveros is still eligible to run for her second term in the Senate. She was first elected to the chamber in 2016.

Under the 1987 Constitution, a senator’s term of office runs for six years and they are only allowed to run for two consecutive terms.

Apart from Hontiveros, Senator Francis Pangilinan also said he will vie for reelection in the upcoming polls.

So far, Hontiveros, Pangilinan and Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero are the ones who officially announced their senatorial bid in the 2022 elections. — RSJ, GMA News