Legarda: Senate Takeover Unconstitutional

Senate President Pro Tempore and four-term Senator Loren Legarda raised serious constitutional concerns pointing out that no senator can validly act as Senate President on the strength of only twelve votes. Under Article VI, Section 16(1) of the 1987 Constitution, “The Senate shall elect its President by a majority vote of all its respective Members.” Since the Senate is composed of twenty-four Senators, that majority is thirteen. By the fact that the Senators present did not have thirteen votes, they […]

Legarda drives urgent education reforms to empower DepEd, modernize Adopt-a-School, and confront the literacy crisis at its roots

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, led the push for reforms that will finally allow the optimization and rationalization of Schools Division Offices, modernization of the Adopt‑a‑School program to draw stronger private sector and community support, establishment of a national K to 3 framework to directly confront the country’s literacy crisis, and creation of a National Coordinating Council for Education to ensure alignment of policies and budgets across the education sector.

The Committee’s […]

Legarda hails enactment of law declaring April as Philippine Veterans’ Month

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, principal author and principal sponsor of Republic Act No. 12320 or the Philippine Veterans’ Month Act, hailed its enactment, which officially declares April of every year as Philippine Veterans’ Month.

Signed into law by the President on 26 May 2026, the measure institutionalizes a month-long national observance dedicated to honoring the heroism, sacrifices, and enduring contributions of Filipino veterans in safeguarding the nation’s freedom, sovereignty, and democratic ideals.

“Ang batas na ito ay alay ng bayan […]

Legarda secures bicameral approval of measure strengthening free college law

The bicameral conference committee, composed of conferees from the Senate and the House of Representatives, has adopted and signed today the reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 1894, principally sponsored and authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, and House Bill No. 8476 of the House of Representatives, enhancing the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (RA 10931) to ensure that the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) reaches the poorest and most vulnerable Filipino learners.

Legarda steered the deliberations and […]

Legarda leads diagnosis of Antique-Aklan power and connectivity gaps; secures commitments for coordinated public-private solutions

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda led a substantive diagnosis of the power and connectivity challenges affecting Antique and Aklan and secured commitments for coordinated public-private solutions, emphasizing that reliable electricity and accessible internet are essential to inclusive local development, tourism, education, livelihood, public services, and investment.

During a multi-sector briefing at the Senate on May 28, 2026, Legarda carefully led national agencies, power stakeholders, electric cooperatives, telecommunications providers, and local governments in identifying the root causes of recurring service issues […]