“The Catholic vote is just a myth” former Akbayan representative Risa Hontiveros, who is running for senator next year, said Saturday.

She was referring to the threats of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to campaign against politicians who are in favor for the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill.

Msgr. Joselito Asis, CBCP's secretary general, said last month that the Bishops can separately issue pastoral letters, reiterating the Church's call not to vote supporters of RH bill, especially in Congress and that CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life can issue guidelines on who to support in the elections without identifying politicians.

Hontiveros, who was interviewed in Bacolod, said,“From my experience, Akbayan survived two elections despite the negative campaign of the CBCP against us because we allegedly support an anti-life bill.”

She said there were also other pro-RH bill politicians and partylist groups who also made it into the elections despite the Church campaigning against them.

Hontiveros also said she is not worried even if she only ranked 17th among the Senatorial bets for 2013 based on the latest Pulse Asia Survey.

While she said that surveys are important for a candidate to know where he or she stands, Hontiveros said, it is the power of the people that will prevail in the end.

Hontiveros was in Bacolod to visit the multi-purpose building constructed in Brgy Villamonte in cooperation with Akbayan and for series of talks.*APN

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