Risa Hontiveros. Noy Morcoso lll/șÚÁÏÉç
MANILA, PhilippinesâFormer Akbayan  Representative Risa Hontiverosâ senatorial bid  got a boost Friday from two known feisty senators, who like her, have strongly  fought for the passage of the  Reproductive Health bill.
With Hontiveros in the Senate, Senator Pia Cayetano said the fight for the rights of women would become easier.
âKailangan ko si Risaâ dadali ang buhay, bibilis ang pagpasa ng mga batas, hindi na ako magkakamot ng ulo, hindi na hahaba ang buhok ko, may panahon akong mag exercise ng konti, maghanap ng boyfriend (I need Risaâlife will be easier, the passage of laws will be faster, I wonât be scratching my head, my hair wonât grow long, I have time to exercise a bit, and find a boyfriend),â Cayetano said in jest at a joint press conference in Quezon City.
âOn that basis alone isnât it Risa Hontiveros should be in the Senate,â she said.
Turning serious, Cayetano said the Senate needs   a âfighterâ like Hontiveros to promote everybodyâs  rights on issues not only concerning women.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago also threw her support behind Hontiveros and defended  her from what she described as âpolitics of hatredâ being waged by anti-RH groups.
But first, Santiago explained  why she came late in the press conference: âKaya ako na-late papunta dito dahil galing sa bahay ko, may nakita akong mama sa harap ng Ateneo, sabi ko sa driver ko, stop at bumaba ako. Sabi ko sa kanya iboboto mo ba si Risa Hontiveros? Sabi nya pag iisipan ko. E gago ka pala e (I was late because  on my way here from our house, I saw a man in front of Ateneo and I told my driver to stop. I asked the man, will you vote for Risa Hontiveros?  He said he will think about it. Youâre crazy).â
Santiago lambasted Hontiveroâs critics for allegedly engaging in a âpolitics of hatred.â
âOur highest spiritual authority says when he was asked: What is love? Or what is the highest commandment . First of all, Jesus said: God is love. If God is love, then why are we engaging in a politics of hatred?â Santiago asked.
Santiago clarified that the passage of the RH bill did  not mean that sex will no longer be allowed.
âThose saying that are priests who never had sex thatâs why theyâre talking out of infinite ignorance,â she said.