Senator Risa Hontiveros has described 2022 as a year with major victories in the Senate for champions of good governance, citing key legislations that help women and children, and advance the welfare of workers.
Hontiveros said the country experienced high prices of basic commodities, unemployment and economic crisis this year brought by the pandemic, but this did not hamper her desire to ensure that the workers, women and children will be taken care of.
Records show that Hontiveros has made a number of remarkable interventions in Senate committee hearings during the 19th Congress, including demanding accountability from government personnel implicated in the sugar importation fiasco.
“If we did not focus on this issue, this will be repeated. It also allowed us to see whether or not those in power are indeed qualified for their positions,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
In a Senate hearing, the lady senator disclosed a new modus for facilitating outbound trafficking of Filipinos to Myanmar, which is carried out by individuals with alleged ties to airport terminal officials.
The revelation facilitated the repatriation of 12 overseas Filipino workers who have been deceived into accepting legitimate jobs, but were instead forced to become “cryptocurrency scammers” and were exposed to abuses from their handlers.
Hontiveros has expressed her joy and satisfaction over the Senate decision to give top priority to proposed legislations that would significantly improve the lives of women and children, including the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 11862) that was used in the incidents of illegal trafficking of Filipinos in Myanmar.
She has also introduced priority legislation to provide additional protection to workers who are frequently sidelined, including the Protektadong Online Workers, Entrepreneurs, Riders At Raketera (POWERR) Bill (SB 1373), the Anti-Endo and Contracting Bill (SB 145), the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers (SB 586), the Public Sector Labor Relations Bill (SB 587), the Bibong BHW Bill (SB 580) and the Maternity Benefit for Women in the Informal Economy Bill (SB 148).