Photo credit: Senate PH

Senator Risa Hontiveros has welcomed the Supreme Court’s affirmation of the Senate’s constitutional authority to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation, compel testimony, and, when necessary, cite in contempt individuals who refuse to appear before it.

Hontiveros said the ruling is a significant boost to the Senate’s capacity to uncover the truth on issues of urgent public concern, particularly the infiltration of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) and the troubling allegations involving former Bamban Mayor Guo Hua Ping, also known as “Alice Guo.”

“In the hearings of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, we exposed the grave abuses, crimes, and corruption brought by POGO operations in the country,” she noted. “These revelations paved the way for the push toward a total ban and the crafting of the Anti-POGO Law.”

The senator emphasized that the decision reinforces what the Constitution has long made clear: legislative inquiries conducted under established Senate rules are essential tools for ensuring accountability, protecting public interest, and safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty.

Once finalized, the decision will stand as a recognition of the balance of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches — a principle, Hontiveros stressed, that must remain firm even in challenging times.

She expressed her gratitude to her legal team — former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Atty. John Molo, MOSVELDTT Law, and the Senate Legal Counsel — for what she described as a hard-earned legal victory.