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 […]

Senator Loren Legarda’s Privilege Speech | Rethinking Flood Control: Building a Nature-Based Future After Typhoons Tino and Uwan

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues,

Typhoon Tino claimed 232 lives and affected over 4 million Filipinos, while Typhoon Uwan, still unfolding, has already left six dead and displaced 2.4 million. Cebu bore the worst with 150 fatalities,  followed by Negros Occidental with 42, and Negros Oriental with 21. These tragedies hit close to home—barely two months after a 6.9-magnitude quake in the same region claimed 79 lives.

This is nature speaking to us clearly: our growth has outpaced our safeguards. Beyond the natural […]