From heritage to policy: Legarda moves to institutionalize Schools of Living Traditions

November 17, 2025

Senator Loren Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, formally sponsored on November 12 a landmark measure institutionalizing the Schools of Living Traditions (SLT), a decisive step toward safeguarding Indigenous knowledge systems and community-based cultural practices.

The bill seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10066, or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, by establishing the Schools of Living Traditions as a national program] under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to preserve and […]

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Legarda sponsors measure to extend EDCOM II to December 2027

November 17, 2025

Senator Loren Legarda has sponsored Senate Bill No. 1483, seeking to extend the mandate of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) until December 2027, underscoring the Commission’s sustained momentum and its role in driving evidence-based reforms in the education sector.

Legarda, who serves as Co-Chair of EDCOM II, cited the Commission’s landmark reports ‘Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education’ and ‘Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival’ as “the most rigorous, data-informed diagnosis of our education system […]

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Legarda urges climate-resilient urban transformation

November 17, 2025

Senator Loren Legarda, a leading voice for climate action and sustainable development, hosted a luncheon for former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and delegates of the Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue (TPSD) 2025: Sustainable Cities and Communities on November 10 in Manila.

In her keynote message, Legarda called for urgent, climate-resilient urban transformation, grounded in recent climate disasters that have exposed the vulnerabilities of Philippine cities and the widening divide between growth and livability.

“It is my honor to host this luncheon and to […]

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Sponsorship Speech of Senator Legarda | Concurrent Resolution No. 3: Reconstituting the Philippine Congress–Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF) | November 13, 2025

November 13, 2025

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues:

I rise to sponsor Concurrent Resolution No. 3 reconstituting the Philippine Congress – Bangsamoro Parliament Forum or PCBPF. Created under Republic Act No. 11054, otherwise known as the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the PCBPF serves as a permanent platform for cooperation between the National Government and the Bangsamoro Parliament in the exercise of their respective legislative mandates.

The establishment of BARMM stands on the foundation of many years of negotiation, institution-building, and […]

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Sponsorship Speech of Senator Loren Legarda | Institutionalizing the Schools of Living Traditions (SLT)(An Act Institutionalizing the Schools Of Living Traditions (SLT), Amending Republic Act No. 10066, or the “National Cultural Heritage Act Of 2009,” As Amended and Appropriating Funds Therefor) | November 12, 2025

November 12, 2025

 Mr. President, distinguished colleagues,
 
Our nation’s soul is intricately woven through songs, stories, designs and crafts. Across our archipelago, you can hear the rhythmic melodies of the Hudhud chants of the Ifugao, the enchanting kulintang of the Maguindanao, and witness the delicate craftsmanship of piña weaving in Aklan. Each rhythm, each pattern, carries the living memory of our ancestors—an enduring expression of our identity, our resilience, and our collective spirit.
 
Today, I have the honor of sponsoring a measure that seeks to […]

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