EXCERPTS OF INTERVIEW: SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE CHIEFS

Q: Malaking usapin ngayon sa Kongreso sa lower chamber yung pag-andar, ang paggulong nitong panukala para sa Maharlika Sovereign Wealth Fund. Aprubado na ng kumite kanina sa lower chamber, I'm certain that the Senators are also talking about this kasi if it does get passed the House, it's also going to the Senate. Your take on this sovereign wealth fund?

SRH: Makarinig lang ako ng salitang Maharlika, medyo nagkakaheebie-jeebies din ako diyan eh. It's part of the legacy of the martial law dictatorship, yung mythmaking na talagang sinusubukang pigain, to really milk it, nirerehabilitate yung ala-alang iyon, to the detriment of accountability for human rights violations and plunder of the past. And speaking of plunder, kasi ang sovereign wealth fund, hindi naman yun magiging bagong imbensyon sa mundo pero kapag tinitignan natin, sovereign wealth fund, these are state-owned and managed funds, usually sourced from reserves ng isang bansa.

Ngayon ina-articulate pa na baka imobilize dito sa sovereign wealth fund na ito yung mga pera ng mga miyembro ng SSS, GSIS, Pag-ibig. So medyo ops teka muna, pag-usapan natin yan ng maayos at pag-isipan dahil ang pension fund, yan ay pagmamay-ari parin ng mga miyembro kahit pa depende pa sa mga charters nila, yung mga pension institutions may invest this. Given very strict rules, IRRs laid out in the charter, hindi basta-basta pwedeng angkinin lamang ng estado, because in those pension institutions, they are state funds, yes, but held in trust by government for the members, ang mga mamamayan.

Q: Si Congresswoman Stella Quimbo, I think she's still with the Liberal Party. I know you're with Akbayan, but this is an allied part from your perspective. She's a co-sponsor of the bill.

SRH: I really respect Rep. Stella as an economist, pero dahil hindi pa naman naka-file o tinatalakay ang counterpart measure na ganyan sa Senado o hindi pa umaakyat sa amin kasi siyempre lahat ng mga revenue bills ay nageemanate muna sa House. Pagdating sa amin, then we will have the opportunity to, in our own formal process, really hear it in committee, and lalo na, debate it as a plenary, kung aabot sa interpellation at amendment.

Q: If you don't mind, in the context of the plenary at the Senate, eh kamusta po ba ang oposisyon? How would you assess so far under this Congress your voice, your influence, your ability to at least have the opposition's voice only heard but really making a difference?

SRH: May magandang tradisyon ang Senado at kami ni Minority Leader Sen. Koko Pimentel ay fully intending and have been operating on that commitment the past five months, na may espasyo talaga ang minority sa loob ng Senado, as part of checks and balances, as part of fiscalizing within and beyond the Senate, lalo na vis-a-vis the Executive.

So far, yung numerical smallness namin naleleverage parin naman on what I think are important debates. For example, on the sugar importation fiasco, sa legacy ng batas militar, and more recently, yung budget, lalo na sa confidential and intelligence funds. Kahit siguro pagdating dito sa isyu ng sovereign wealth fund, and I think, possibly, we won't be alone either, kaming dalawa lang, kasi depende sa tinatalakay, depende sa advocacies ng bawat senador, and we find that we can make common cause across the minority-majority divide and then beyond the Senate, andiyan pa naman yung opposition forces and we do intend to broaden and to strengthen para maghalal ng mas maraming opposition senators at local government officials at district reps narin, to be in a better position to contest in 2028 as well.

Q: Considering the past two elections.. How can you do things differently this time?

SRH: Yun ang mga tanong na kailangan naming sagutin sa aming sarili and really use the answers to improve how we work -- politically, electorally. So yun yung inaatupag namin these days. Alam namin that we've lost the last three electoral cycles, and kailangan naming alamin at tanggapin at gamitin yung mga leksyong iyon to organize and fight better so that we can win.