Privilege Speech of Senator Loren Legarda on the health fund gap, urging the passage of the PhilHealth Automatic Funding Act| Senate of the Philippines | February 3, 2026

February 3, 2026

Mr. President,

Sa ating bansa, isang karaniwang kuwento na kapag may nagkakasakit sa pamilya, apektado ang takbo ng buhay ng bawat miyembro, may kailangang mag‑overtime sa trabaho, may humihinto muna sa pag‑aaral, may nagtitipid sa pagkain para lang may maipambili ng gamot at pamasahe papunta sa ospital.

The fight for a just and equitable health system in the Philippines has never been easy. Today, it is a race against time, a test of whether this government still has the moral courage to […]

Read More

Sponsorship Speech of Sen. Legarda | Senate Concurrent Resolution Adopting the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (2026–2035) and Recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, as the Ten-Year Policy Framework of the National Government | February 2, 2026 | Senate of the Philippines

February 2, 2026

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues,

I rise today to sponsor Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 09, co-signed by Sen. Joel Villanueva, which seeks to adopt the National Education and Workforce Development Plan for 2026 to 2035, together with the recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, or EDCOM II, as the ten-year policy framework of the National Government.

This resolution is born out of a simple but difficult truth: the challenges facing Philippine education are systemic, longstanding, and deeply intertwined with our workforce […]

Read More

Legarda Backs DILG’s Anti‑Epal Policy, Calls for Enabling Law to End Political Credit-Grabbing

February 2, 2026

Senator Loren Legarda lauded the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for enforcing the nationwide removal of names, images, and likenesses of public officials from government‑funded projects, programs, and properties. She hailed the directive as a decisive step toward restoring integrity in governance and a reminder to public servants that public office is a trust, not a platform for self‑promotion.

“Public office is a public trust. Public funds are for public service, not for personal publicity,” Legarda declared as […]

Read More

Recalibrating growth: Legarda advocates for green, inclusive and value-driven development

January 30, 2026

Following the latest adjustments to the country’s economic outlook, Senator Loren Legarda urged a renewed examination of how the Philippines pursues growth and prepares for future challenges.

Recent data revealed that fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew by only 3 percent. This was the slowest quarterly expansion in nearly 15 years, excluding the pandemic. This brought the full-year expansion for 2025 to 4.4 percent, significantly missing the government’s target and marking the lowest annual growth rate since 2011.

In response, the Development […]

Read More

Message of Senator Legarda | Launching of EDCOM II Final Report | January 27, 2026 | Senate of the Philippines

January 27, 2026

To my co-chairpersons, Commissioners, our Technical Secretariat headed by Executive Director Karol Mark Yee, and our valued partners and advisers in EDCOM II, our partners in development, magandang hapon po sa ating lahat.

I have said this before, and I will say it again: kapag edukasyon ang inuuna natin, ang buong bansa ang itinataas natin.

We all know that our education sector continues to face serious challenges, from learning poverty and classroom backlogs to teacher shortages and weak links to the labor […]

Read More