Legarda files bill to address aging agri-workforce through youth-led reform

As the Philippine agricultural sector faces a looming labor crisis, Senator Loren Legarda filed Senate Bill No. 518, seeking to establish the Young Farmers and Fisherfolk Challenge Council to revitalize the industry with a new generation of agri-entrepreneurs.

“The average age of our farmers is now 53 years old. If this trend continues, we could face a critical shortage of food producers within the next decade, which will threaten our food security,” Legarda said.

The four-term Senator highlighted that nearly three out […]

Legarda files “corrective” bill to reclaim municipal waters for small fishers

Reaffirms Preferential Rights of Municipal Fisherfolk Amid Threats of Commercial Encroachment

Senator Loren Legarda has filed the Municipal Fisherfolk Protection Act, a bill that seeks to declare the 15-kilometer municipal waters as exclusively reserved for municipal fisherfolk, in order to safeguard their constitutional preferential rights and ensure the sustainability of coastal resources.

The bill is filed in the wake of the Mercidar ruling rendered by RTC Malabon Branch 170, which effectively allowed licensed commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters seven […]

Legarda seeks to ban online gambling

Senator Loren Legarda filed a bill seeking to comprehensively ban all forms of online gambling and their promotion in the Philippines.

Legarda explained that the unprecedented move from licensed casinos to smartphones has exposed the most vulnerable sectors of society to addiction, exploitation, and financial harm.

“Anybody with access to the internet could easily log on to online betting platforms, and has blurred the lines between regulation and unregulated gaming,” said Legarda.

“It has exposed the most vulnerable, such as minors, students, and […]

Preserving the past, Legarda leads heritage restoration

Senator Loren Legarda emphasized the importance of preserving pieces of Filipino heritage, such as historical sites, as a way to help build a resilient and self-aware nation.

Legarda led the turnover of two restored structures in Antique—the Casa Tribunal de Patnongon in Patnongon, and the San Juan de Nepomuceno Parish Church (Anini-y Church) in Anini-y on Thursday, July 17.

“Heritage is about clarity. When we understand where we came from—what we built, what we lost, what we survived—we begin to understand who […]

Weaving Words and Fabrics: Legarda leads launch of Cultural Milestones in Antique

Senator Loren Legarda emphasized the importance of culture in shaping national identity during the back-to-back launching of two significant cultural initiatives at the Old Capitol Building in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique on July 16, 2025.

The events marked the launch of Lemlunay: Pagunita sa Gunita, a collection of poems by National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, with English translations by poet Marne Kilates, and the opening of the Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Gallery: Paghabül sa Antique. Both projects were […]