“Don’t tread that path, Gadon.”

This was the statement of Atty. Luke Espiritu in a tweet on Wednesday, June 28 after Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon challenged Senator Risa Hontiveros to a “friendly debate”.

“We all know what happened the last time you tried your hand at debate,” said Espiritu.

Espiritu is a lawyer, labor organizer, and activist for human rights, climate justice, and gender equality. He also ran as a senator during the 2022 election together with Gadon.

The newly-appointed Anti-Poverty czar was under Uniteam senatorial slate while Espiritu was with Former Vice President Leni Robredo’s independent team.