Privilege Speech of Senator Loren Legarda on the health fund gap, urging the passage of the PhilHealth Automatic Funding Act| Senate of the Philippines | February 3, 2026

Mr. President,

Sa ating bansa, isang karaniwang kuwento na kapag may nagkakasakit sa pamilya, apektado ang takbo ng buhay ng bawat miyembro, may kailangang mag‑overtime sa trabaho, may humihinto muna sa pag‑aaral, may nagtitipid sa pagkain para lang may maipambili ng gamot at pamasahe papunta sa ospital.

The fight for a just and equitable health system in the Philippines has never been easy. Today, it is a race against time, a test of whether this government still has the moral courage to […]

Sponsorship Speech of Sen. Legarda | Senate Concurrent Resolution Adopting the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (2026–2035) and Recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, as the Ten-Year Policy Framework of the National Government | February 2, 2026 | Senate of the Philippines

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 […]

Message of Senator Legarda | Launching of EDCOM II Final Report | January 27, 2026 | Senate of the Philippines

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 […]

Manifestation of Sen. Loren Legarda on the Privilege Speech of Sen. Raffy Tulfo regarding Illegal Dredging | Senate of the Philippines | 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 […]

Privilege Speech of Senator Loren Legarda | Submission of EDCOM II Final Report and the National Education Plan | Senate of the Philippines | January 27, 2026

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, partners in development, my fellow Filipinos:
Three years ago, we embarked on a journey to confront a crisis. Today, I stand before you to declare that we have reached a turning point.

I rise, alongside our colleagues Sen. Bam Aquino, Sen. Win Gatchalian, Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, to formally submit to the Senate the Commission’s Final Report, “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reform,” and the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035.

While […]