Risa Hontiveros

Risa Hontiveros
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Akbayan
In office
June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010
Personal details
Born Ana Theresia Hontiveros
(1966-02-24) February 24, 1966
Manila, Philippines
Nationality Filipino
Political party Akbayan Citizens' Action Party (2004-present)
Other political
affiliations		 Liberal Party (2010)
Team PNoy (2013)
Koalisyon ng
Daang Matuwid (2016)
Spouse(s) Francisco Baraquel Jr.
(1990–2005) (his death)
Relations Pia Hontiveros (sister)
Dondon Hontiveros (cousin)
Children 4
Residence Matandang Balara, Quezon City
Alma mater Ateneo de Manila University
(AB Social Sciences, Cum Laude)
Occupation Activist
Profession Journalist
Religion Roman Catholicism

Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel (born February 24, 1966), more popularly known as Risa Hontiveros, is a Filipino socialist activist and journalist, who was the representative of Akbayan in the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2004 to 2010. She is the older sister of journalists and television hosts Gringgay and Pia Hontiveros.

Activism

In Hontiveros's career as a politician and activist, she has been affiliated with a number of organizations and movements, including the following:[1][2]

Political career

Hontiveros first entered politics as the third nominee of Akbayan Party-list in the 2004 National Elections. She is one of the prominent figures of the anti-GMA forces, especially during the height of the Hello Garci controversy of 2005.[3] In the International Women's Day of 2006, she was arrested and brought to Camp Caringal in Quezon City without warrant despite the peaceful nature of the assembly marking the global event.[4] Hontiveros eventually became Akbayan's first nominee in the 2007 Midterm Elections. She was a member of the House Minority as well as the following Committees in the 14th Congress:

Successful pieces of legislation that were crafted and filed by Hontiveros in Congress include the Cheaper Medicines Law that lowers the cost of essential medicines by allowing parallel importation and compulsory licensing, and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law that extends the old CARP Law as well as provides a program better suited to the needs of the farmers and the agrarian reform beneficiaries. Hontiveros’s legislative track record also include, among others, the Anti-Prostitution Bill that aims to look at prostitution as a symptom of inequitable and exploitative social structures and prostitutes, the Gender Balance Bill that aims to ensure women’s representation in all structures of governance, and the Students' Rights and Welfare (STRAW) Bill that aims to promote and protect students' liberties at all levels and in both public and private schools.[5]

Running under the ticket of then-Senator Benigno Aquino III, Hontiveros placed 13th overall in the senatorial race - almost making it to the Top 12 in the 2010 National Elections. Following her graceful defeat in the elections, she remained active in numerous issues concerning the marginalized and the abuses of the previous administration. She became a prominent figure alongside Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Pia Cayetano in the nationwide campaign for the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) Law, which she co-authored during her stint in Congress.

Running under the Team PNoy ticket, Hontiveros ran again for a Senate seat in the 2013 midterm election. However, she lost for the second time, placing 17th in the Senate race. Her campaign slogan was 'Paglalaban ka, aalagaan ka,' which reflected the gains from the enactment of the RH Law and the continuing struggle for universal health care and good governance. In the aftermath, Hontiveros acknowledged Senator Osmena's observation of her mixed messages in the campaign may have been the reason for her loss.[6]

As of early December 2014, Hontiveros was inducted as a Trustee of the PhilHealth board.[7][8] She is running in the 2016 election under the Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid of Benigno Aquino III.[9]

Personal life

Hontiveros was part of the Von Trapp children in the Repertory Philippines' play 'The Sound Of Music,' alongside Lea Salonga, Monique Wilson and Raymond Lauchengco during her childhood.[10] It is also during this period when she was first introduced to activist work as an organizer in the campaign against the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in her high school.[11][12]

Having served as a journalist for ten years before venturing into politics, Hontiveros is a recipient of the Kapisanan ng Mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas' Golden Dove Award for Best Female Newscaster. Because of her work in the peace talks with the National Democratic Front, she also received the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award for Peace and Advocacy in 2001, and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2005.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Hontiveros-Baraquel, Risa". Member Information - 14th Congress. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  2. ↑ "Rep. Risa Hontiveros". AKBAYAN: Ibangon Dangal ng Pilipino (Party Website). Akbayan Citizens' Action Party. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  3. ↑ Marcelo, Pepper (September 1–15, 2006). "Risa Hontiveros Baraquel: Not Your Typical Politico". Planet Philippines. Buzzword Media Corporation. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  4. ↑ VIDEO: ABS-CBN's news report of the arrest of Cong. Risa Hontiveros, 9 March 2006
  5. ↑ "Personal Information, BARAQUEL, Risa Hontiveros". I-Site: The Information Site on Philippine Politics and Government. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  6. ↑ http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/29917-serge-jun-magsaysay-risa-hontiveros-lost-reason
  7. ↑ http://www.interaksyon.com/article/100456/akbayans-hontiveros-appointed-to-philhealth-an-warays-noel-to-pcso
  8. ↑ http://politics.com.ph/post/risa-hontiveros-named-to-philhealth-board
  9. ↑ Bea Cupin (2015-10-11). "It’s final: LP completes 12-person Senate slate". Rappler. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
  10. ↑ VIDEO: Repertory Philippines' The Sound of Music guesting in Student Canteen (1980)
  11. ↑ VIDEO: Risa Hontiveros' profile
  12. ↑ "Women Leaders (Philippines)". Resources, publications, and papers of the Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics. Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics. October 16, 2002. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  13. ↑ "Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Risa Hontiveros on 1000PeaceWomen". Retrieved 2012-07-17.

External links

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