Speech of Senator Loren Legarda | 7th International Forum on Law and Religion in the Philippines: Charting the Future of Women, Peace and Security Agenda | 21 November 2025

Twenty-five years after the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, nations must decide what it truly means to advance the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. Today, conflicts have become more protracted, humanitarian needs continue to rise, and the climate crisis pushes families into displacement while straining essential resources. Digital systems widen access to information and economic activity, yet these same innovations expose women and girls to new vulnerabilities, from online exploitation to disinformation that fuels division. These realities […]

Keynote Speech of Senator Loren Legarda | Beyond Concrete: Institutionalizing Nature-Based Solutions for Resilience and Sustainability | 5th International Conference on INREM | 18 November 2025

Distinguished guests, policymakers, scientists, and partners in resilience—good morning.

Let me begin with the global context—familiar to us, but impossible to ignore. Global temperatures have already risen by about 1.412°C above the pre-industrial baseline, and the long-term global average is projected to exceed 1.5°C in the early 2030s unless emissions fall rapidly. What happens globally is felt here with even greater force. The Philippines faces about 20 cyclones each year, with 8 to 9 making landfall, and as the world’s most […]

Sponsorship Speech of Senator Legarda | Concurrent Resolution No. 3: Reconstituting the Philippine Congress–Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF) | 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 […]

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

 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 […]

Sponsorship Speech of Senator Legarda | SBN-1483: Extending the Duration of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II)

Mr. President, esteemed colleagues,

I rise to sponsor Senate Bill No. 1483, under Committee Report No. 7, which seeks to extend the duration of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, or EDCOM II, thereby amending Republic Act No. 11899. 

EDCOM II was established in 2022 to undertake a comprehensive national assessment of our education system and to recommend structural reforms that would strengthen its quality, equity, and responsiveness to national needs. There is no doubt that the Commission has carried out this […]