HOTSPOT
They may not be talking or they may not totally like one another at all, but what’s important right now is that they are doing what needs to be done in Congress. I’m referring of course to the oppositionist forces of Makabayan congresspersons led by France Castro and Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros.
At the House where lawmakers are rediscovering the immense power they have over the national budget, ACT Teachers Rep. Castro and fellow Makabayan lawmakers Raoul Manuel of Kabataan and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela are not just notable. They are the leaders whose mere presence immediately catch the attention of a vice president who is either allergic to or unable to answer questions.
It didn’t matter that Castro is the deputy minority leader, and that her Makabayan colleagues are in the minority. What matters is that all lawmakers know that the Makabayan Bloc could do what needs to be done quickly, powerfully and effectively. And given how the vice president reacted, the activist lawmakers surely did the job.
Whether it is about the ₱125-million confidential funds quickly spent in 11 days or about the book purportedly discussing friendship, Makabayan lawmakers undeniably brought to the vice president what needed to be brought up.
Hontiveros has also done a wonderful job in the Senate, whether in the budget deliberations or the investigations into POGOs, the religious leader from Davao, or the incursions into the West Philippine Sea.
Although she is with the minority, she also chairs committees and subcommittees, thanks perhaps to some negotiation or agreement with the majority. In whatever space that’s available, like Makabayan in the House, Hontiveros holds the line in the Senate.
The only thing left for these two forces is to sit down and talk to formalize the informal cooperation that’s already happening. Given everything in their histories and their political inclinations, it surely won’t be easy or instant.
Neither is it required at the moment. What’s important is that they do what they do, and take steps to provide what they think is necessary in politics.
Hontiveros has made it known that she is with Chel Diokno, Kiko Pangilinan, and Bam Aquino as the nation braces to elect 12 senators in 2025.
Makabayan meanwhile has surprisingly offered an initial slate of senatorial contenders consisting of outgoing lawmakers Castro and Brosas, former National Anti-Poverty Commission convenor Liza Maza, former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino, labor leader Jerome Adonis, fisherfolk leader Ronnel Arambulo, peasant leader Danilo Ramos, Jocelyn Andamo of Filipino Nurses United, urban poor leader Mimi Doringo, and Mody Floranda of jeepney drivers’ federation PISTON.
Between now and the filing of candidacies represent an eternity of time when political forces could attempt to talk or to actually talk. The president’s pro-administration coalition is doing it, one political ally at a time. There’s no one stopping Castro or Hontiveros to do the same.
This is not to say that talks have not happened. We could be certain that given all the political developments and all the perceived political necessity of forging coalitions or alliances, there have been talks and cooperation at certain levels.
Organized labor has been doing it. They have been coming together, these labor centers from conservative, liberal, national democratic and socialist traditions are finding common cause on the most important labor issues. We see labor leaders linking arms, coordinating mass actions, taking turns in leading and speaking. They should inspire parliamentary and national political leaders to do the same.
While we cannot force friendships or relationships, we could at least try to provide the proverbial push or shove in a manner of speaking. There are other possibilities beyond what Hontiveros and Castro might be ready to try right now, given that they are already busy with the business of Congress.
Among the possibilities is the formation of a citizen-led electoral movement, with a progressive platform, seeking to attract the best candidates, and with members and leaders from the grassroots and from various fields, classes, sectors, regions and SOGIE. Given their track record in cooperation, organized labor should be there. The oppositionist leaders of Congress could all be invited to speak and talk there. They could all be invited to cooperate there. Nothing is impossible.