MANILA, Philippines – Sinabi ni Senador Risa Hontiveros na nasa kamay na ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang kapalaran ng Maharlika Investment Fund matapos aprubahan ng Kongreso ang panukala noong nakaraang linggo.
Si Hontiveros lamang ang kaisa-isang bumoto ng “no” sa mga senador sa pagdedesisyon kung ipapasa ba ang panukala.
Sa kabila nito, sinabi ng senador na maaari pa ring umaksyon ang mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng judiciary, depende na rin sa magiging desisyon ni Marcos sa Maharlika.
“In the House, there’s Rep. Edcel Lagman. But now, the ball is in the court of the president. And depending on his action, the judiciary may be called upon by our citizens to take action,” pahayag ni Hontiveros.
“So it’s never too late to either fight a current battle or to keep on fighting longer-term ones,” dagdag pa niya.
“Despite being just two voices in the minority, there’s also a genuine minority in the House [of Representatives]. At higit sa aming mga mambabatas, there’s our people, organized in different sectors, in different regions who just won’t give up. That’s why we celebrate Philippine Independence,” pagpapatuloy nito.
Nagpaalala rin si Hontiveros sa publiko na walang lugar ang “red tagging and vilification” sa lipunan, lalo pa sa mga nagpoprotesta laban sa panukala at sa administrasyon na iniuugnay bilang komunista.
“Alalahanin po natin na all our heroes, from the time of Rizal and Bonifacio, the whole Katipunan, down through the decades, all the movements for change, have proclaimed the human rights, the freedoms, the liberties that finally were enshrined in our constitution, and that are the substance of all the international conventions that our country is party to,” ayon pa sa senador.
“In that context, red-tagging and vilification and such have no place,” dagdag pa niya.
“Hindi dapat nating gawin sa isa’t isa bilang mga kababayan, not even through fake news and disinformation, all the more the State should never be guilty of such crimes.”
Kasalukuyang nasa New York si Hontiveros para sa 2023 Philippine Independence Day parade sa Madison Avenue.
Nilahukan siya ni Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez. RNT/JGC
