Hontiveros for RH bill, courts Cebu vote

Former Akbayan party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros said she is counting on Cebu voters to help  carry her to victory in next year’s Senate race.

“I was number eight in Cebu and number 12 in the province in the 2010 elections. In the latest survey, I was 15 but that’s in a cluster of several names so I can say that I’m within striking distance,” she told  a news conference yesterday.

In 2010, she placed 13th nationwide in a race among 61 aspirant.

The chairperson of Akbayan,  said   several urban poor, labor, business and women’s groups in Cebu have signified their support for her second bid.

She said former Cebu City north district congressman Raul del Mar was also a supporter despite their opposing views on the RH Bill, which she strongly endorses while del Mar sides with the Catholic Church in rejecting it.

“Congressman Del Mar made a commitment to make me number 1 in Cebu. I’m  very happy with that,” she said.

During her  term in Congress, she pushed for the passage of two bills she championed in the House – the Cheaper Medicines law and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law.

Hontiveros said she was also happy  with the  appointment of Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, former Cebu City administration as undersecretary of the Dept. of Interior and Local Government.

She cited his track record as a an urban poor  organizer and champion of the rights of informal settlers.

“We know that Secretary Jesse Robredo was a strong ally of the urban poor in the national government, somebody whom the urban poor can call in times of urgent need, like demolitions. Usec. Fernandez, makes up for that loss,” Hontiveros said.

“Having worked in Pagtambayayong (Fernandez’s NGO), I can say that Fernandez can help the government realize its programs in helping the urban poor especially those displaced settlers like those in the Mahiga Creek,” she said. Stephen Capillas and Ares Gutierrez