Trillanes: Risa best bet vs Sara in 2028
If it were up to a former senator, the 2028 presidential election will be a showdown between two of the country’s top ranking female politicians: Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
In a recent podcast interview, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said he would pick Hontiveros over Sen. Bam Aquino and Naga City Mayor and former Vice President Leni Robredo as the most viable candidate against Duterte, should the Vice President enter the presidential arena.
He cited Hontiveros’ record of standing up to the Dutertes and her courage to hold the Vice President accountable for her actions.
“The person I see right now as the best choice is Sen. Risa Hontiveros. Why am I ruling out Sen. Bam Aquino and Mayor Leni? Don’t get me wrong, they are good people, and under peaceful conditions, they can probably rule the country well,” Trillanes said in news podcast “Facts First” streamed on July 29.
“But that’s not the world we live in. There are evil forces at play here. So you need to stand up. And Senator Risa has demonstrated that time and again,” he added.
Trillanes also said it is crucial that a candidate “with balls” should win the 2028 polls, to hold the Dutertes and all those who violated the law accountable.
Hosted in Naga
Trillanes expressed reservations about Robredo’s purported “friendship” with Duterte as shown when the latter visited the Naga City mayor’s home in September last year. “You won’t allow an enemy into your house. Even your acquaintance, mostly likely not. You only allow your friends. This optics, it’s very clear,” he said.
Trillanes also claimed that Aquino and Robredo told him they were not in favor of turning over Duterte’s father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges of crimes against humanity related to his drug war.
“Both Bam and Leni told me they were not in favor of the ICC [move]. That time, if Leni [won] the 2022 presidential elections, she [wouldn’t] hand over Digong to the ICC,” he said.
‘Fiscalizer’
He also pointed out that Robredo had not issued any statement about the Vice President’s impeachment case.
On the hand, he said, Hontiveros has shown her independence, leading Senate probes into corruption and human trafficking issues.
“She’s independent, …she has embraced her role as fiscalizer not only of the Dutertes but of the Marcos administration,” Trillanes said.
Hontiveros is part of the Senate minority, while Aquino and Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan—her allies in the opposition—are considered part of the majority bloc. She had said that she still considers the two as her allies.
Their decision, however, did not sit well with Trillanes. He said that if he were in Aquino’s position, he could not stomach joining the Senate majority, which includes members of the “Duterte bloc.”
“So that means if that’s okay with [Aquino], if he wins, he will be okay with [Duterte],” Trillanes said. “Because of that, we have to rule him out.”
“That’s why I can’t support them in 2028. In fact, I’ll oppose it because I know our agenda isn’t aligned,” he said.
Inquirer sought Aquino and Robredo for comment, but they had yet to respond as of press time.
