Ana Theresia "Risa" Navarro Hontiveros–Baraquel (Tagalog: [ˈɾisa ɔntɪˈverɔs]; born February 24, 1966) is a Filipino politician, community leader, and journalist serving as a Senator since 2016.

[13][14] During International Women's Day in 2006, she was arrested and brought to Camp Caringal in Quezon City without a warrant[15] by civilian-clothed government agents of President Gloria Arroyo.

Hontiveros also criticized President Arroyo's Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) agreement, wherein 148,886 square kilometers of Philippine maritime territory would be interfered and exploited by China.

[21] Due to the revelations, the Chinese "agribusiness" deals were later cancelled while the JMSU was not renewed by the government,[22] and later declared as void and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

[54] A vocal critic of authoritarianism, Hontiveros opposed the burial of Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, describing it as a failure to uphold historical justice.

[56][57] Following the murders of Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo de Guzman, Hontiveros vocally opposed President Duterte's deadly drug war.

[59] These investigations exposed widespread extrajudicial killings that targeted civilians, including children, with some victims allegedly tortured and intentionally displayed to instill fear in communities.

Media captured Aguirre texting instructions to 'expedite' cases through former representative Jacinto Paras, a tactic previously used to arrest Senator Leila de Lima.

[64] In December 2017, Hontiveros was among the inaugural recipients of the Ripple Awards by LoveYourself, a non-governmental organization recognizing individuals for their significant contributions to raising HIV/AIDS awareness, combating its spread, and reducing stigma in communities.

[68][69] In April 2018, she filed a Senate resolution calling for a ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) due to their alleged tax evasion and other illegal activities.

[77] She criticized Duterte as the "real destabilizer" after he accused progressive groups and opposition figures of plotting to oust him, claims that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and police later dismissed.

[78][79] That same month, Hontiveros exposed a ₱2-billion "tara" (grease payment) system within the National Food Authority under its head, military general Jason Aquino.

[93][94] In July 2019, charges including sedition and obstruction of justice were filed against Hontiveros and other opposition members by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

[98][99] In February 2020, Hontiveros initiated a Senate investigation that exposed the "pastillas scam", a scheme within the Bureau of Immigration allowing Chinese nationals to enter the Philippines illegally in exchange for bribes.

Hontiveros pushed for investigations into illegal activities in Pampanga's Clark Freeport Zone, including Chinese-linked prostitution, and called for a probe into the murder of Anakpawis chairman Randall Echanis.

[103][104] She urged the Department of Health to reinstate the suspended special risk allowance for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for legislation such as the "Magna Carta for Seafarers" and the establishment of medical schools in state universities.

She also criticized President Duterte's absolute pardon of U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, convicted of killing trans Filipina Jennifer Laude, calling it an insult to the Filipino people and the LGBTQ+ community.

[107][108] In 2021, Hontiveros sought a Senate investigation onto the trafficking of Filipino women in the Middle East and launched the Healthy Pinas Mobile Clinic network, which brought free medical services to underserved communities nationwide.

The inquiry exposed anomalies in multi-billion peso contracts awarded to Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation for pandemic supplies, allegedly backed by President Rodrigo Duterte and his Chinese adviser Michael Yang.

[118] On June 27, she became the official leader of the opposition after she took her oath of office before outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo at the Quezon City Reception House.

[123] In January 2023, Hontiveros revealed that Filipinos were being trafficked to Cambodia for crypto scams by a Chinese mafia group aided by corrupt officials from the immigration bureau.

[124][125] In May 2023, Hontiveros visited Taipei, Taiwan, to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu amid China's perceived aggression in the region.

Hontiveros also visited Overseas Filipinos in Taiwan whom she stated were potentially affected by Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian's anti-Taiwan independence statements in the Philippines.

[133][134] In September 2023, during a budget hearing, Hontiveros grilled the ₱500 million confidential fund sought by Vice President Sara Duterte for her office operations.

[140] In March 2024, Hontiveros led a Senate investigation on Apollo Quiboloy, leader of religious cult Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and a close ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

[167][168] Many of the victims were just children, majority were girls while some were boys,[169] when they were sexually enslaved and gang-raped on a daily basis by the Japanese Imperial Army, composed of male adults.

Additionally, it was impossible for the 1952 treaty to include "comfort women" and human experimentation victims as the treaty was signed 5 decades before the first Filipino "comfort woman" victim, Lola Rosa Henson, came out to the public due to rampant victim-blaming in 1992,[170][176][177] and more than 6 decades before Japan's human experimentation on Filipinos was confirmed by a Japanese veteran involved in the crimes who finally made an overdue confession in 2006.

[185][186] As the hearing progressed, Duterte, on record, accidentally admitted the existence of his death squad and revealed that all his previous police chiefs, including Senator Bato dela Rosa, were heads of his murderous group.

They became pen pals while Hontiveros was a working student at the Ateneo de Manila University and an activist, and Baraquel was a cadet at the Philippine Military Academy.

She has adopted multiple stray dogs and cats, including an aspin from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, the organization founded by her aunt, Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco.