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
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
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
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
January 27, 2026
Mr. President, I rise to manifest my strong support for the privilege speech of Senator Raffy Tulfo on the continuing problem of illegal black sand mining. The issue raised involves serious environmental damage, the erosion of coastal protection, and the steady destruction of the livelihoods of small fisherfolk who depend on healthy nearshore ecosystems.
The removal of black sand from coastal and seabed areas destabilizes shorelines, accelerates erosion, and degrades fishing grounds that sustain coastal communities. Fishermen experience declining catches and […]
Read More
