It has been a few days since netizens started shipping the two.
On Saturday, June 6, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian reacted to netizens shipping him with fellow Senator Risa Hontiveros.
This, as numerous users online have edited and compiled clip of the two from all the way back to their first term in 2016, with some even looking for old posts such as instances when Gatchalian either defended Hontiveros against malicious comments or even simple birthday greetings.
Adding to that is the fact that both of them are also known to be single.
Gatchalian was most recently known to have dated beauty queen and actress Bianca Manalo, whom he broke up with on an undisclosed date — with people only knowing about it when he revealed that he is already “single” last January.
As for, Hontiveros, she is a widow after her husband, Francisco Baraquel, Jr., passed away in 2005 after suffering a heart attack caused by severe asthma.
“Well, nakakakilig,” Gatchalian laughingly said. “Si Senator Risa [ay{ isa sa mga hardworking, napakasipag, matapang, magaling na senador natin. Very serious sa trabaho,” he stated.
On X, formerly Twitter, he also took time to comment on some of the circulating posts, further fueling the netizens’ “delulu-ness.”
The said shipping between the two lawmakers is also regarded as an offshoot of the Senateflix series, which was in turn was a cheeky tag by netizens on the dramatic happenings at the Senate in the past few weeks.
One of the episodes, of course, was the events of June 3, when the former minority bloc became the new majority when it declared a quorum based on the 22 senators within the Senate’s coercive powers and elected Gatchalian as the Senate President Pro Tempore and acting Senate President.
