Legarda on Shahani: One of the Finest Senators We Ever Had

Senator Loren Legarda expressed her condolences to the family of former Senate President Pro-Tempore Leticia Ramos-Shahani and said that she was “one of the finest and most distinguished legislators we ever had.”

“I mourn the passing of former Senate President Pro-Tempore Leticia Ramos-Shahani, who was also an advocate of cultural preservation, environmental protection and women’s rights,” Legarda said.

“As a legislator, diplomat, environmentalist, educator, culture and women’s rights advocate, she fervently pushed for women empowerment both here and in the international arena. Her dedication is unmatched, passionately advocating and campaigning for the advancement of her advocacies even after retiring from government service,” she said.

Legarda added, “Manang Letty, thank you for your untiring service to the Filipino nation. You will be missed greatly.”

In 2015, the Senate adopted the resolution Legarda authored to honor Senator Shahani’s dedication as a public servant and contribution to the nation.

Shahani pushed for the institutional empowerment of women in the international arena, namely the United Nations wherein she served as Secretary-General of the UN Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985 and as Head of the Philippine Delegation to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995.

In the Senate, she authored landmark laws such as Republic Act 6725, Strengthening the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace; RA 8353, Anti-Rape Law of 1997; and RA 8505, Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998, among others. She also introduced the inclusion of the mandatory five percent allocation in the budget of every government department and agency for gender and development.

Prior to being a legislator, Shahani already had a wide and notable record of government service which included her being Chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of the Filipino Women in 1987 and Career Ambassador to the Commonwealth of Australia (1978 to 1980) and Socialist Republic of Romania (1975 to 1980).

Among the recognitions conferred on Senator Shahani were the French Legion of Honor, Order of Commander, conferred by President Jacques Chirac in 1996; United Nations Population Award in 1996; Rafael Salas Population and Development Award in 1996; Lazo de Dama de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica, conferred by King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 1996; Gintong Ina Award for Public Service in 1990; and The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) in 1974, among many others.