FEBRUARY 3, 2026 — Senator Risa Hontiveros has just thrown a curveball into the 2028 political game: she’s willing to run for president, but only if the opposition bloc crowns her as their standard bearer. At the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines forum, she made it clear — this isn’t about personal ambition, it’s about unity. 

“The opposition is working hard on uniting because it is only if we unite that we will have a fighting chance,” she said.

But who exactly makes up this “united opposition”? Hontiveros admitted talks are ongoing with different groups, but she stressed that alliances can’t just be stitched together for convenience. 

“Enough shared values. We have to be at the heart of that. There can’t be nothing there. Enough shared values and there will possibly be a measure of pragmatism too. And that’s what’s also under discussion,” she explained.

Now, imagine the scenario — could the camp of President Marcos even be part of this so-called opposition, especially with Vice President Sara Duterte widely expected to run? 

Hontiveros didn’t shut the door completely, but her answer was cautious: “If that possibility arose and approached us, it will require a lot of thinking and talking among us first because of the different beliefs. For example ... Are there common values, what’s the degree of pragmatism here, and is there a balance here that we can both live with? I don’t know as of now.”

Will unity among opposition groups actually translate to a credible alternative in 2028, or will it just be another political experiment that fizzles out? For the masses, the stakes are high — prices, jobs, healthcare, education. The question is whether a “united opposition” can truly deliver on these bread-and-butter concerns, or if it’s just another slogan waiting to collapse under the weight of political egos.

Unity without substance is just noise, and the people are tired of noise. We deserve more than promises; we deserve a fight worth believing in. Could 2028 be the year the opposition proves unity can mean real change — and not just another slogan?

(Image: Senator Risa Hontiveros | Facebook)