During a plenary session at the Senate last February, Senator Risa Hontiveros addressed lawmakers and her constituents in an over four-minute speech about the roadblocks hindering the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill.
Also known as a bill that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression (SOGIE), it’s been a prime target of disinformation in the over 23 years since its first filing, earning a lot of pushback from conservative groups and lawmakers. It’s also a bill that remains very close to the senator’s heart.
Standing firm at the podium, she expressed frustration over the bill’s seeming limbo state. In a winning vote earlier in the session, Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva — who is the son of renowned preacher, Rep. Eddie Villanueva — moved to have the bill reviewed by the Committee on Rules, further delaying it. While citing that she respects the decision of the collegial body, Hontiveros was steadfast in her conviction to fight for the bill until its passage. “Tatalima ako pero di ako tatahimik,” she said.
Last year, Hontiveros secured the 11th spot on the Senate slate in the 2022 elections, becoming one of the two senators in the Upper Chamber’s minority bloc. Despite the challenge, she has vowed to continue her fight to pass laws that benefit the Filipino people.
The SOGIE Bill is just one of the many bills that she’s prioritized since taking office on June 27, along with the creation of the Anti-Endo and Contracting Bill and the Anti-Hospital Detention Bill. And in the past few months, she’s been on the news demanding accountability from government personnel for a myriad of issues. Just recently, she exposed anomalies in sugar importation, claiming alleged “government sponsored smuggling,” and presented evidence that officials from the Bureau of Immigration were allegedly involved in a human trafficking syndicate.
In time for Women’s Month we asked Bahaghari Chairperson Reyna Valmores — a major advocate of the SOGIE Equality Bill — and film director Samantha Lee to sit down with Senator Hontiveros for a conversation spanning astrological placements to being a woman who takes up space.
This interview has been edited for brevity.
‘ ’16’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:10689d4f-880e-4c14-a3f9-0146bc986d16’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘On Sen. Risa Hontiveros: Blazer and trouser set from DELIVER DELIVER DAILY, Floral apron top from GABBIE SARENAS at VESTIDO, Earrings from
Reyna Valmores: How was your IWD?
Risa Hontiveros: Can I just recall what I did then? [It was] quite happy, Reyna. Nag-joint recognition kami ng Senate GAD (Gender and Development), at in fact ng TikTok. Nag-award ng top TikTok influencers at pati mga taga-Senate mismo. And then we had a really meaningful session kasi spinonsor ko ‘yung dalawa sa mga women and children bills namin. ‘Yung tungkol sa teenage pregnancy prevention, at tsaka ‘yung tungkol sa gender response and inclusive pandemic protocols.
Samantha Lee: You celebrated your birthday last Feb. 24, which makes you a Pisces.
Yes (Laughs). Kulang-kulang. Mabuhay tayong mga kulang-kulang. (Laughs).
Samantha Lee: Astrology is super big among the LGBTQ+ community. Do you think, and I don’t know how much you know about being a Pisces, but do you live up to the traditional Pisces traits?
I think so. And I love what they say about us Pisces, na napaka-ispiritwal daw, water sign, kaya gets na gets namin ‘yung fluidity. Pisces also tend to be very empathetic, in touch with our emotions, and sinusubukan talaga naming mag-connect din sa damdamin ng iba. I think that’s the real power of the Pisces.
Samantha Lee: So all the best traits.
We like to think so.
Samantha Lee: Kasi Pisces rising ako, so they use my emotional side, parang it works against me sometimes.
Kailangan i-shield mo rin sarili mo, kailangang hindi ka maburn-out, kailangan hindi mo maabsorb lahat ng negativity from your surroundings. Kailangan balansehin din namin ‘yung puso namin tsaka ‘yung katwiran.
Reyna Valmores: Actually related doon, I’m very curious personally, because I’m sure being a senator is very busy, at least if you’re doing your job. So how do you find the time?
I set that as my intention, na ok, I have 24 hours today, so kailangan sana — that’s just my wish or my prayer — magawa ko lahat ng kailangan kong gawin ngayong araw. But at the end of the day, pag matutulog na and usually I’m tired or sleepy, I think, “O di sige, sinubukan ko gawin lahat na humanely possible within the day.” Kailangang magpahinga, kailangang matulog. I’m always telling my friends na dapat ‘yung hours of sleep namin, kasama ‘yung 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. kasi that’s when the cells of our liver and other internal organs replenish and heal themselves. So sinusubukan kong i-practice ‘yung prinipreach ko, so paggising sa umaga, go ulit. Kung hindi ko natapos the day before, try to complete them this new day.
Reyna Valmores: You’ve said before that you learn a lot from your children and the constituents that you tap for help with the bills that you file, gaya ng Safe Spaces Act, ng SOGIE Bill, may consultations with the community. What has been the most challenging for you as a senator that you did not expect to hear during these discussions? Were there things you had to unlearn over the course of your career?
Wow, that’s a really good question. I haven’t been asked that before. I hadn’t thought about it. What are some of the hardest things I’ve heard from people and I’ve had to unlearn? Well maybe, one of the hardest realizations I’ve had to accept is that even we women, even those of us who say we’re feminists — kunwari, I have to check my privilege. I learned that from my kids. Just that term, that concept. And sa mga kasama dito sa advocacy namin. I’ve had to learn that sexism and misogyny isn’t in just [sexist], misogynistic men. Sometimes it’s also in us women. Kasi the way we were socialized in our families, kung paano tayo pinalaki, kung paano tayo tinuruan sa mga eskwelahan natin, even dito sa work places natin. So there are things we also have to unlearn. Kaya it makes it all the more challenging, but all the more worth it to apply ourselves to struggles like these. Kasi hindi lang pala ‘yung batas ‘yung prinoproyekto natin. Pati sarili ko, sarili natin. ‘Yan ang pinakamahirap.
‘ ’37’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:c71e7048-e1dd-47ac-ba8b-f286402225c1’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘On Sen. Risa Hontiveros: Three piece shirt and trousers set from DELIVER DELIVER DAILY, Earrings from NATALYA LAGDAMEO. Photo by KITKAT
Samantha Lee: Speaking of the SOGIE bill, it’s no secret that we’ve been trying to pass it long before you got into the Senate. I think a lot of people like me, or people from the community are just wondering, why do you think our legislators are not willing to say, “You know what, this is something that needs to happen right now.” What are the different factors that are coming into play?
I think the major factor, even more than what was prominent before the strong opposition of the hierarchy, of the most influential faith community in the Philippines. I was born a Catholic, my late husband and I had our kids baptized as Catholics. And in previous Congresses, doon pa sa simbahan ko ‘yung naramdamang pinakamalakas na pushback. Its changed or is changing now, pero I think ang pinakamalaking factor, especially for the Senate as an institution is hindi pa kami nag-catch up as an institution. With the sentiments of the public, surveys have captured that the majority of the Filipinos support, are open to, are approving of a SOGIE-based anti-discrimination bill, or a SOGIE Equality Bill. The House, how many times naunahan na kami in approving on third or final bill their version of a SOGIE Equality Bill. Nagkakataon siguro ‘yung composition ng Senate in previous Congresses or ‘yung strategic location or positions of leadership sa Senate tulad ngayon, kaya mabagal kami. But this is a bill whose time has long passed come, and the Senate has to step up. In the previous Congress and possibly in the current, kung sa balance of forces lang, sa mapping, if only we could bring the bill to a vote, to that point in the process — we had before and we could have now the numbers to pass it into law.
Samantha Lee: Whenever I see your social media posts about fighting for the SOGIE bill, I always wonder why this is so important to you.
It’s so important because it was and is important to people I love the most in life. My uncle, my friends, my daughter, so for me this is a fight habang ako’y nabubuhay. It’s a fight ’til the end. It’s a fight ’til I die. And hopefully in my lifetime, makita ko pa maging batas. And for sure in your lifetimes it will become law.
Reyna Valmores: Ito po, question naman. As a woman in politics, kasi I’m sure nakikita natin all the time when women take up space in different areas, there are still notions na mas mababa ang pagtingin sa atin. In your experience, have you ever felt belittled or viewed as someone less capable?
Yeah. At least twice when I was working as AKBAYAN’s partylist representative in the House. At the time, nilalaban namin ‘yung cheaper medicines bill. It’s since become law. Pero during the hearings, one of the senior reps, a guy, he tried to blunt ‘yung isang nilalaban ‘kong provision, and he did it by saying, “Eh, you know that provision, it’s just like a hairdryer,” as if saying tayo lang mga babae ang gumagamit ng hairdryer, and a hairdryer is this frivolous appliance that doesn’t really matter in a household.
Well in the end, naipanalo ko pa rin ‘yung provision na ‘yan. And another time, a senior rep, also a man, said to me: “Oh Risa, pwede bang may i-draft sa’king letter si Etta [Rosales], our senior rep in Akbayan. Sabi ko, “Yes sir, sure.” And si Etta, she drafted it for him, I brought it back to him the next day. Sabi niya sa’kin ba naman, “Darling, this is not the draft I need.” Sabi ko, “I am not your darling.” So sabi niya, “Oh, sorry sorry. sweetheart. This is not the letter I need.” Amin — literally, Reyna, sinigawan ko na siya: “I am not your sweetheart!” So he ran to the other end of the session hall.
In the Senate, mas slight na kumpara sa noon sa House, but at one time, a colleague of mine, we were interpolating on the floor, sa plenary na, out of committee na ito noon. He said something like, “Gosh, with all this talk about gender sensitivity, wow it’s so hard to be a man.” Sabi ko sa kanya, “Oh you should try being a woman.” Pati siya, napatawa.
Samantha Lee: For Mother’s Day last year on Instagram, your daughter Sinta posted that having you as a mother is having the responsibility to understand that we are not the only ones relying on you, and that we share you with our country. So I’m just curious how you balance both.
May joke kaming mga single moms, how do we do this? How do we take care of our kids, manage our household, work outside the home as well. And sa amin na mga aktibista o politiko, also work in politics and governance. Ang joke naming mga solo moms is we sleep less (Laughs). It’s a serious joke. We sleep later, we wake up earlier just to try to invent more time to do all the things that we love and that are important to us. It was also very clear to me when the kids were younger. When they were kids, kasi I didn’t want to miss any of their important experiences in life and I think, although they’re grown up na, so they need me less or in different ways or in some days not at all. I like to think that now that they’re adults, and later on in their lives, pag naalala nila na papa was there, and pag naalala nila na mama was there, mama is here, na it’ll make a difference.
Reyna Valmores: Miss Universe question: what is the greatest thing that being in public service has taught you?
It has taught me what the women’s movement has always been telling the world. That the personal is political. Kasi diba, the things that are important to us in our personal lives, in our families’ lives, that’s what we fight for in politics. Tapos ‘yung nakikita nating mga mali pa, or kulang pa sa pulitika, dama natin every day how those impact our families and even on our personal lives. So kung ano mang trabaho magagawa ko, magagawa ng team ko, magagawa naming lahat sa partido ko, sa movement namin, they’re what will shape or recreate the world for my kids and for their kids, and their generations. Na hindi lang naturuan, pero na-affirm sa’kin, what the women and LGBT, all the gender movements have always been telling the world.
Samantha Lee: In a recent speech at Camp Aguinaldo, to celebrate Women’s Month, you said that: “the fight is still on. We still need to increase female participation in all levels of governance, in politics, in positions of power.” Whenever I talk to young girls these days and ask them what they want to be, the most common answers I hear are YouTubers or influencers — how do you think we can convince more young women to get into public service?
For women like me who are already in public service, we do have the added responsibility to keep encouraging young women to join the fold. We have to make ourselves available and accessible to them, whether it be through social media or through on the ground community dialogues, so they can see and feel that pursuing a life of service is indeed possible.
“So kung ano mang trabaho magagawa ko, magagawa ng team ko, magagawa naming lahat sa partido ko, sa movement namin, they’re what will shape or recreate the world for my kids and for their kids, and their generations.”
We also need to show that public service is a worthwhile pursuit. That it can bring so much meaning and joy into our lives as women. That public service can also be as fun, as entertaining, as interesting as being a YouTuber or an influencer. That public service needs more young women like them who have the creativity, talent, and skills to improve the lives of others.
Having said that, there is also nothing wrong with wanting to be an influencer or a YouTuber, but I hope that our young women become more intentional in the message they want to put out on these digital spaces. We have to recognize that online platforms are also a way that helps young women discover themselves, develop values, and hone skills that contribute not only to achieving their dreams, but also to serving others.
Samantha Lee: Last year, CNN PH Life did a story on the percentage of women leaders in government. The figures show that we’re ahead when compared to other countries but still fall behind the standard set by the UN. Why do you think this is so?
By and large, the Philippines is still deeply patriarchal. There are still communities in our country that force girls to marry instead of helping them finish an education. There are still husbands that prohibit wives from pursuing careers of their own choosing. There are still sectors that fight to deprive our women of our basic rights. These factors all contribute to a culture that makes pursuing leadership positions very difficult. Nonetheless, we who are in government can keep pushing for gender-sensitive reforms in our policies, laws, and programs, in order to make our institutions a more conducive place for our women.
Reyna Valmores: How do you think we can teach Filipinos to value women’s leadership?
We should have constant discussions — at home, in school, in workplaces, in all the communities we belong to — on the invaluable contributions of women leaders to our nation, and in these conversations, we need to always highlight that there is a wealth of research and information that affirms what we’ve always known to be true: we hold our country back if we hold our women and girls back. True gender equality is not just a fight we need to win for idealistic reasons; it is a fight that we need to win to concretely improve every Filipino’s life.
***
