Akbayan gearing up for Risa Hontiveros’ potential 2028 presidential bid

MANILA, Philippines – Akbayan Party said on Monday it will throw its full support behind Senator Risa Hontiveros’ presidential bid in 2028 should she decide to run, kickstarting efforts to mobilize the party’s political machinery to mount a possible campaign.

Hontiveros could be the leader “who can help lift and fix our nation,” Akbayan said, amid what it described as deep-seated issues confronting the Philippines, ranging from a faltering economy and growing public skepticism of the government.

“Amid a deep governance crisis, and the fatigue, hardship and frustration of millions of Filipinos, we continue to seek a leader with integrity, competence, and a clear stand,” the party said in a Facebook post in Filipino.

“Because of this, Akbayan Party recognizes the growing call for Senator Risa Hontiveros as a presidential candidate in 2028, and her readiness to stand as the standard-bearer of the democratic opposition,” it added.

READ: Risa Hontiveros wants single opposition bet in 2028

Hontiveros, a multi-term lawmaker who has built a national following since entering the Senate in 2016, has expressed willingness to run for president if the “opposition bloc” picks her as the standard-bearer in the upcoming elections.

Her potential candidacy could pit her against Vice President Sara Duterte, widely seen as a frontrunner in 2028 whose popularity stems from her family’s political prominence and strong support base in the country’s southern regions.

Akbayan pitched Hontiveros’ strength as a presidential candidate, saying “she does not back down” and is prepared to stand for ordinary Filipinos. 

“Risa has always been with us,” it said. “From extending maternity leave for working mothers, protecting patients against abusive hospitals, to pushing for affordable medicine and genuine universal health care, she brings care, action, and solutions to improve our lives.”

“She does not back down for the weak, she does not waver in the face of the powerful, and she does not stop as long as there is someone who needs defending,” it added.

Political analyst Ederson Tapia, a political science professor at the University of Makati, said Hontiveros has morphed into a “credible national figure” whose legislative track record and “reform-oriented image” could help attract voters across the political spectrum.

“Her strength lies in coherence, policy depth, and institutional credibility, qualities many voters increasingly look for amid political fatigue and polarization,” he said.

“But the challenge is whether she can expand beyond her traditional urban and reform-oriented base,” he added, noting that “presidential elections are won not only through competence, but through broad emotional connection and political machinery.” /gsg