Fact check: Viral claims about Risa Hontiveros' 2025 GAA insertions are misleading
MANILA, Philippines — A viral post claiming that Sen. Risa Hontiveros had insertions for the 2025 General Appropriations Act is misleading.
In an August 10 Facebook post, page "Dare To Ask" alleged that Hontiveros had insertions that went to flood control projects, multi-purpose buildings, and construction of roads in places like Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar.
The post sourced its photos from "Anthony Taverna," which actually refers to radio host Anthony Taberna, who claimed it came from Senate records.
The page further insisted that a complete list of insertions be released, and said "not all insertions are bad."
The post's caption said, in part:
Mga alleged INSERTIONs ni Senator Risa Hontiveros for 2025 GAA? BAKIT Ping Lacson sa mga Cayetanos ka lang nakafocus? Kasi MINORITY, kasi SELECTIVE ka?
Rating: This is misleading.
Facts
While the post claimed the documents came from Senate records, the screenshots shown do not identify the document title, source, page number, or issuing office, making it impossible to independently verify what the entries represent.
In a social media post on Oct. 3, 2025, Hontiveros denied having "bicam insertions," and emphasized she did not sign the bicameral version of the "controversial" 2025 budget and voted no.
"Lahat ng iminungkahi kong amyenda sa budget ay dumaan sa tamang proseso at inaprubahan ng Senado," she added, after claims circulated that she had insertions.
Based on the Senate Journal for Nov. 26, 2024, Hontiveros explained her affirmative vote on House Bill 10800, or the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.
The senator thanked then-chairperson Sen. Grace Poe of the Senate Committee on Finance for accepting her amendments aimed at strengthening and expanding important social protection programs across different government agencies.
However, Hontiveros, along with Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel, later voted against the bicameral conference committee report on House Bill 10800, based on the Dec. 11, 2024 Senate Journal.
Hontiveros went to social media on Dec. 17, 2024 to explain her "no" vote, saying initially she voted "yes" to the Senate version of the bill believing it would provide sufficient funding for "critical and life-saving programs."
She then voted against the bicam version of the 2025 national budget, calling it "deeply concerning" as it drastically reduced funding for essential sectors such as public health and education.
The senator also observed how the bicam version expanded unprogrammed funds to P531.6 billion, higher by P373 billion compared to the National Expenditure Program.
"This raises serious questions about the purpose of these unprogrammed funds and their potential for misuse. The bicam version of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill is crippled by misplaced priorities at the expense of our people’s health and our children’s education," Hontiveros added.
Why we fact-checked this
Sen. Ping Lacson recently called for accountability against Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano over dozens of allegedly illegal reclamation projects in the Taguig portion of Laguna de Bay.
“The Cayetanos have disguised these unabated and illegal reclamation operations in the Taguig side of Laguna Lake as flood control and mitigation projects for several years now," Lacson said in an Aug. 7, 2026 social media post.
In response, Facebook page "Dare To Ask" questioned Lacson's focus on the Cayetanos instead of Hontiveros, accusing him of being "selective."
Since publishing, the post has garnered over 1,200 reactions and 400 shares.
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