ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Risa na?': Supporters rally support for Hontiveros' possible presidential bid

'Risa na?': Supporters rally support for Hontiveros' possible presidential bid

Published Jun 5, 2026 02:48 pm
Supporters of Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday, May 5, gathered in Quezon City to rally support for the possible presidential bid of the three-term senator in the upcoming 2028 national elections.
Akbayan Party-list and the Magdalo group publicized the Risa Na! Movement, where they aim to unite Filipinos around a platform of honest governance, social justice, democratic reforms and compassionate leadership.
The UP Bahay ng Alumni was packed with a crowd shouting "Risa Na!"--a campaign chant for Hontiveros--as supporters, many wearing white, showed up.
Rafaela David, Akbayan president, told reporters they launched the movement two years ahead of the campaign period. "We need to prepare, especially for people who want an alternative," she said.
"Klaro na gusto ng mamamayan ng alternatibo (It's clear that people want an alternative) and we're hopeful that with Risa as one of the leading names ng alternatibo (who is an alternative), ay handa tayo (we're ready)," she added.
Hontiveros had in the past expressed her openness to run for the presidency, but she said it would depend on the decision of her party and her coalition. Until now, she has not made a decision.
"Sa gitna ng krisis sa pamamahala at pagwawatak-watak, kailangan natin ng lider na may integridad, kakayahan, at malinaw na bisyon para sa bansa (Amid crisis in the government and deep fragmentation, we need a leader of integrity, competence, and a clear vision for the nation)," Akbayan said in a statement.
“Isang lider na hindi umaatras sa harap ng mga hamon, patuloy na pinoprotektahan ang karapatan ng mamamayan, at inuuna ang kapakanan ng bayan (A leader who does not retreat from challenges, consistently protects citizens' rights, and prioritizes the welfare of the country),” it added.
Meanwhile, in a sit down interview with Manila Bulletin, Hontiveros admitted she never dreamed of becoming a president or a politician, and added all that transpired in her political career were "happy accidents".
"I never ever dreamed of becoming a politician. Ang dami lang happy accidents na nangyari kaya mula sa pagiging aktibista (A series of happy accidents occurred that led me from being an activitist), peace movement worker...ay naging politiko ako. Series of happy accidents," she said.
"So malay natin. Kung mangyari yung ganyang pangarap, looking back, it will have been also a series of maybe happy accidents (So, who knows? If that dream does happen, looking back, it will have also been a series of, perhaps, happy accidents)," she added.

Related Tags

Risa Hontiveros presidential elections
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.