10/07/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/18igaEAfFE/
Ok, I understand the frustration.
Ang daming nagsasabi ngayon na si Risa Hontiveros daw ay hindi winnable. Hindi raw populist. Walang mass appeal. Damaged beyond repair na raw dahil sa mga gawa-gawang kontrobersiya, fake news, at paulit-ulit na demolition job ng mga trolls.
Pero ang tanong: bakit nga ba takot na takot sila kay Risa?
Simple lang. Because Risa represents everything they cannot easily control.
She is one of the strongest and most credible alternatives after Leni Robredo. She is also the complete opposite of Sara Duterte. Risa is intelligent, composed, experienced, principled, and genuinely focused on public service. Hindi siya puro tapang-tapangan. Hindi siya puro drama. Hindi siya umaasa sa political dynasty, fear, or blind loyalty. She has real legislative experience, real policy work, and a real track record.
And that is exactly why they hate her.
Risa has been one of the clearest voices for women’s rights, gender equality, and protection against abuse. Hindi lang siya nagsasalita tungkol sa women empowerment for slogans. She turned that advocacy into actual legislation.
She pushed for the Safe Spaces Act, also known as the Bawal Bastos Law, which protects women, LGBTQ+ people, students, workers, and ordinary citizens from gender-based sexual harassment in streets, public spaces, schools, workplaces, and even online spaces. That law matters because it told every bastos, predator, harasser, and abuser that women’s bodies are not public property and harassment is not a joke.
She also championed the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, a major victory for working mothers and families. Hindi maliit na bagay ang dagdag na paid maternity leave. It recognizes that women are not machines. It recognizes motherhood, recovery, health, and family care as real social responsibilities, not personal burdens women should carry alone.
And beyond women’s rights, Risa also helped push landmark public welfare laws like the Mental Health Law. Again, hindi ito pang-clout. Hindi ito pang-ingay lang. These are real laws that affect real people: mothers, workers, students, abuse survivors, patients, families, and ordinary Filipinos who need government to actually care.
Then came Alice Guo and the POGO scandal.
Risa was at the center of exposing the dangerous web connected to POGOs, human trafficking, fake identities, foreign-linked criminal operations, and national security risks. Hindi maliit na issue ang POGO. Hindi ito simpleng sugal lang. The damage to the Philippines cannot be understated. It showed how foreign-linked networks, corruption, trafficking, and organized crime can quietly pe*****te our institutions and weaken the political fabric of the country.
Then we also saw Risa hold Sara Duterte accountable during the confidential funds fiasco. Habang ang iba tahimik, takot, o naglalaro ng safe, Risa asked the hard questions. She stood her ground. She showed the public what real oversight looks like.
Kaya hindi aksidente na siya ang target ng trolls.
They need people to believe that Risa cannot win. They need the public to think she has no chance. They need us to overthink, doubt, panic, and surrender before the fight even begins. That is the DDS frame of mind. That is exactly the mental trap they want everyone to fall into.
For the last many elections, ganito tayo. Lagi nating sinasabi na mas magaling ang kalaban. Mas marami sila. Mas malakas sila. Mas maingay sila. Mas popular sila. And the more we repeat that, the more we condition ourselves to lose.
Elections, especially in our political culture, are often treated like a cockfight. Hindi laging tungkol sa kung sino ang mas qualified, mas honest, o mas may malasakit. Para sa marami, ang tanong lang ay: sinong manok ang mananalo? And once their candidate wins, kahit incompetent, corrupt, or destructive, they still celebrate because they can brag that their side won.
That is the grim and blunt reality of our politics.
But that is also why mindset matters.
Stop declaring defeat before the battle even starts. Stop repeating the enemy’s propaganda. Stop saying Risa is not winnable as if that is an absolute truth. That is not analysis. That is surrender disguised as political realism.
Risa is winnable if people actually fight for her.
Risa is winnable if we stop allowing trolls to define her.
Risa is winnable if we keep reminding people of what she has done: the Bawal Bastos Law, the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, the Mental Health Law, the fight against POGOs, the exposure of Alice Guo, the defense of women and children, and the demand for accountability from the powerful.
So yes, think positive. Do not overthink. Do not over-analyze every fake issue thrown at her. Do not let the DDS mindset live rent-free in your head.
Just keep pushing.
Keep talking about her achievements.
Keep defending the truth.
Keep reminding people that the Philippines deserves leaders who are intelligent, courageous, compassionate, and accountable.
And right now, Risa Hontiveros is one of the clearest examples of that kind of leadership.
- JLB
