Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said she is eager to hear what President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will say in his speech when he delivers his inaugural address on June 30.
Hontiveros said it cannot be denied that almost all Filipinos are looking forward to what the Marcos administration has to offer and how it will differ from the outgoing Duterte administration.
“Kaya inaabangan ko talaga ang inaugural address para malaman kung ano at kung paano magiging pareho at magiging iba ang papasok na administrasyon sa kasalukuyan (That’s why I am really waiting for his inaugural address to know what and how the incoming administration can be like or can be different from the present administration),“ Hontiveros told reporters in a recent interview.
“Para rin mas luminaw at mas tumining ano yung mga terms of engagement sa pagitan ng legislature at executive (It would also help clarify and shed light on what would be the terms of engagement between the legislature and the executive branch of government),” the senator added.
As the only opposition lawmaker who won in the last May 2022 national and local elections and will join the 19th Congress, Hontiveros said she cannot help but have qualms about the country’s future.
The senator admits any reservations she feels for the incoming administration stems from her being part of an activist group during the dying days of Martial Law and the Marcos dictatorship.
“So siguro tapat na yung quota ko ng takot mula sa nakaraan, mahalaga rin sa akin yon bilang gabay din para magkaroon ng karunungan (So I guess I already have a quote in terms of fear of what happened in the past; it’s also important for me to use that as a guide so we can also gain more knowledge),” she said.
Hontiveros also said she is certain that whatever input she gains from the inaugural address would be useful to the upcoming minority and to the whole opposition “moving forward,” in order to make it also useful for the people.