Legarda seeks Senate probe on ‘Epstein Files’ to safeguard Filipino children from exploitation

Senator Loren Legarda has filed Senate Resolution No. 300 urging the Senate to launch a full investigation into the “Epstein files.” The resolution warns that the Philippines may have been exploited as a base for digital cover-up operations aimed at manipulating public perception, and calls for decisive action to protect Filipino children and reinforce the country’s compliance with international human rights obligations.

“Our children must never be exposed to exploitation networks, whether here or abroad. The Epstein files reveal disturbing global […]

Legarda remembers Jose de Venecia Jr. as mentor and friend

Senator Loren Legarda paid tribute to former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., describing him as “a statesman of rare vision” during her co-sponsorship speech of Senate Resolution No. 297 on February 11.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to Manay Gina and the entire de Venecia family, who shared him with the nation for so many decades,” Legarda said, recalling his decades of service as a journalist, diplomat, legislator, and global advocate for peace.

Legarda emphasized his leadership as the longest-serving Speaker […]

Legarda affirms backing of stronger law against online child exploitation

Senator Loren Legarda affirmed her support for the Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act of 2025, a measure amending Republic Act No. 11930 to strengthen safeguards against evolving forms of child exploitation in digital spaces, as she delivered her co-sponsorship speech in plenary on February 10.

She recalled that even before she entered public service in 1998, she was already documenting the horrors of human trafficking through her investigative […]

Legarda moves to secure earliest BARMM Polls after several postponements

Senator Loren Legarda, Co-Chair of the Philippine Congress–Bangsamoro Parliament Forum, co-sponsored Senate Bill No. 1587, which sets the date for the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following several postponements.

“This is not an ordinary measure, and it does not concern an ordinary election. It sits at the center of our nation’s pursuit of peace, justice, and self-determination for the Bangsamoro people,” Legarda said.

She emphasized the deep historical roots of the Bangsamoro struggle. “Hindi ganap […]

Legarda calls for return of PDIC funds, warns against weakening depositor protection

Senator Loren Legarda raised serious concerns over the remittance of ₱107.23 billion in funds of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) to the National Treasury, cautioning that funds held in trust to protect depositors must not be treated as ordinary government revenues.

Legarda pointed out that the remittance was made under a special provision in the 2024 General Appropriations Act that has since been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, making clear that the transfer of deposit insurance reserves was fundamentally […]