Senator Risa Hontiveros may be the only opposition bet in the pool of new senators proclaimed on Wednesday, May 18, but volunteers from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) made sure she was not alone in this victory.
Hontiveros, the lone opposition senator winning the recently-concluded elections, was the only senator-elect who earned the cheers from volunteers at the PPCRV command center during the proclamation ceremony.
Hontiveros earned applause from the volunteers thrice, to be exact, when the proclamation of the 12 winning senators was shown live at the command center inside the Quadricentennial Pavilion at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila.
The lone opposition senator first received a resounding applause from the volunteers when her name was mentioned by Comelec Commissioner George Erwin Garcia as he enumerated the winning senatorial bets.
WALANG IWANAN, TULOY ANG LABAN
At the end of her speech, Hontiveros earned applause from the PPCRV volunteers who are watching the proclamation live from the command center here at the UST. @manilabulletin pic.twitter.com/seoLaFMYyX
— Betheena Unite (@MB_unite) May 18, 2022
The more than 200 volunteers, who were encoding physical election returns, once again applauded Hontiveros when she was called for proclamation.
The final applause happened when she ended her speech with the phrase: Walang iwanan. Tuloy ang laban (No one will be left behind. The fight carries on).
She was the only winning senator who received cheers from the volunteers of the Catholic church-based poll watchdog.
In her speech, Hontiveros said winning her reelection bid is almost a miracle. She placed 11th with over 15 million votes.
"Looking back at everything we went through, I cannot help but think that it is almost a miracle that I am standing before you today. But the truth is, I am able to mark this new journey because of the love and hardwork of everyone around me," Hontiveros said as she encouraged the citizenry to work together and look after each other.
Hontiveros is the only candidate from the opposition slate led by Vice President Leni Robredo to succeed in the 2022 elections.