Senate positions


Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
In office May 18, 2017 – June 30, 2019
Preceded by	Alan Peter Cayetano
Succeeded by	Koko Pimentel
In office July 26, 2010 – July 22, 2013
Preceded by	Miriam Defensor Santiago
Succeeded by	Miriam Defensor Santiago
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office July 25, 2016 – June 30, 2019
Preceded by	Francis Escudero
Succeeded by	Sonny Angara
Chair of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee
In office July 22, 2013 – July 25, 2016
Preceded by	Migz Zubiri
Succeeded by	Cynthia Villar
Chair of the Senate Climate Change Committee
In office December 9, 2009 – June 30, 2019
Preceded by	new office
Succeeded by	Nancy Binay
Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee
In office February 2, 2009 – July 22, 2013
Preceded by	Edgardo Angara
Succeeded by	Francis Pangilinan

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

In office
July 22, 2019 – June 30, 2022

Serving with several others

Speaker

Alan Peter Cayetano
Lord Allan Velasco

Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Antique

In office
June 30, 2019 – June 30, 2022

Preceded by

Paolo Everardo Javier

Succeeded by

Antonio Legarda Jr.

Personal details

Born

Lorna Regina Bautista Legarda

January 28, 1960 (age 65)
Malabon, Rizal, Philippines

Political party

NPC (2005–present)

Other political
affiliations

KNP (2004)
Independent (2003–2005)
Lakas–NUCD (1998–2003)

Spouse

Antonio Leviste

(m. 1989; annulled 2008)

Children

Residences

Malabon, Metro Manila
Pandan, Antique

Alma mater

University of the Philippines Diliman (BA)
National Defense College of the Philippines (MNSA)

Occupation

Politician

Profession

Journalist

Website

Loren Legarda
Luntiang Pilipinas

Nicknames

Bai A Labi (Honorary Muslim Princess) of the Marawi Sultanate League;

Tukwifi (Bright Star) of the Mountain Province Indigenous Peoples; Bai Matumpis (The One Who Takes Care) of the unified congregation of 10 Davao indigenous people groups;

Cuyong Adlaw Dulpa-an Labaw sa Kadunggan (Shining Sun Rising in Power) of the Suludnon Indigenous Peoples of Panay

Military service

Allegiance

Philippines

Branch/service

Philippine Army

Rank

Colonel

Lorna Regina "Loren" Bautista Legarda (born January 28, 1960) is a well-known Filipina politician, environmentalist, and former journalist. She is currently serving as a Senator and was the President pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines from 2022 to 2024. This made her the first woman to hold this important position in the Senate. Before becoming a politician, she was a popular news reporter and anchor. She has served three terms as a Senator, from 1998 to 2004 and from 2007 to 2019. She is the longest-serving female Senator in the Philippines and the only woman to have won the top spot in two Philippine senatorial elections: in 1998 and 2007. She also served as House Deputy Speaker while representing Antique from 2019 to 2022.

Loren Legarda has run for vice president twice, in 2004 and 2010, but did not win. She is a strong supporter of climate change awareness and has done a lot of work in social development and human rights. Her work as a lawmaker focuses on education, indigenous people's rights, culture, women's rights, children's rights, and the environment. Some important laws she helped create include the Climate Change Act, Clean Water Act, Renewable Energy Act, and the National Cultural Heritage Act. She has also represented the Philippines at UNESCO many times.

Early Life and Education
Career in Journalism
Political Journey
Groups and Organizations
Awards and Recognitions
Personal Life
Images for kids

Early Life and Education

Loren Legarda was born on January 28, 1960, in Malabon, which was then part of Rizal. Her full name is Lorna Regina Bautista Legarda. Her parents are Antonio Cabrera Legarda and Maria Salome Basilia "Bessie" Gella Bautista. Her grandfather, Jose P. Bautista, was a famous editor. Her family has a history of public service in Antique.

As a teenager, Loren was a model for print and television. She went to Assumption College for primary and high school, where she was the top student in grade school. She graduated with honors from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1981, earning a degree in broadcast communications. She also studied journalism at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Career in Journalism

Loren Legarda started her career as a journalist at RPN. She covered important events like the People Power Revolution. She also earned a master's degree in National Security Administration, graduating at the top of her class. Later, she moved to ABS-CBN and became a co-anchor for The World Tonight and hosted the show The Inside Story.

As a journalist, Loren received over 30 awards. These include the Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines, Catholic Mass Media Hall of Fame, and the Benigno Aquino Award for Journalism.

Political Journey

First Term as Senator (1998-2004)

In 1998, Loren Legarda ran for the Senate and won with over 15 million votes. This was the highest number of votes in that election, making her the second woman to top a senatorial election in the Philippines. During this term, she helped create laws like the Eid'ul Fitr Holiday Law and the Overseas Absentee Voting Act.

In 2000, she was recognized as one of the "Global Leaders for Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum. She also received an award from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) for her environmental work in 2001. From 2001 to 2004, she served as the Senate's Majority Floor Leader, becoming the first woman to hold this position.

Running for Vice President (2004)

In 2004, Loren Legarda ran for vice president. She lost the election by a small difference.

Second Term as Senator (2007-2019)

In 2007, Loren Legarda ran for Senate again and won, receiving over 18 million votes, making her the top vote-getter. In this term, she wrote important laws such as the Expanded Senior Citizens Law, the Climate Change Act, Clean Air Act, Renewable Energy Act, and the Magna Carta on Women. The Climate Change Act was praised by the United Nations as one of the best in the world. She also helped establish the Luntiang Pilipinas (Green Philippines) foundation, which works on reforestation.

In 2008, she was named "United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Asia Pacific Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation." She also attended important global meetings on climate change.

Running for Vice President (2010)

In 2010, Loren Legarda ran for vice president again, focusing on environmentalism. She did not win this election but continued her term in the Senate.

Third Term as Senator (2013-2019)

Loren Legarda was reelected in 2013, getting the second-highest number of votes. During this term, she focused on laws related to culture and the environment. She chaired the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Finance.

She continued her environmental work, proposing bills like the Total Logging Ban bill and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation bill. She was recognized as a United Nations Global Champion for Resilience in 2015 for her work on climate change. In 2017, she was named the first National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Champion by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She also received an award from the government of France.

She also worked to improve Philippine culture and arts. She pushed for laws like the National Writing Systems Bill, which aims to protect baybayin and other indigenous writing systems. She also helped the Philippines return to the Venice Biennale, a famous art exhibition, after 50 years. She supported the restoration of old churches damaged by the 2013 Bohol earthquake.

Loren Legarda also filed bills to protect the rights of indigenous people, women, and children. She supported the SOGIE Equality Bill in the Senate. Other bills she worked on included the Philippine Mental Health Law and the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. She also supported the National Museum of the Philippines and other cultural institutions. She helped her home province of Antique host the 2017 Palarong Pambansa, a national sports event.

Serving in the House of Representatives (2019-2022)

In 2019, Loren Legarda decided to run as a congresswoman for the province of Antique. She won by a large margin and became the representative for Antique from July 2019 to June 2022.

Fourth Term as Senator (2022-Present)

On October 1, 2021, she ran for senator again. She won a seat in the 2022 Philippine Senate elections, ranking second with 24 million votes. She started her term on June 30, 2022. On July 25, 2022, she was named Senate President pro tempore. She is also the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts.

Groups and Organizations

Loren Legarda is part of several important groups:

Commissioner, Global Commission on Adaptation (2018)
Member, Women in Parliaments (WIP) Global Forum Executive Board (2016)
Co-Chair, Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) Philippines
Founder, Luntiang Pilipinas (1998)
Founder, Libro ni Loren Foundation (1999)

Awards and Recognitions

Legarda after being awarded by the University of the Philippines, a top educational institution.

Loren Legarda has received many awards for her work:

1992 Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM)
1995 The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service (TOWNS) Award
1995 Benigno Aquino Award for Journalism
2000 Global Leaders for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum
2001 UNEP Laureate by the United Nations Environment Programme
2008 Regional Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
"Bai a labi" (Honorary Muslim Princess) by the Marawi Sultanate League
"Tukwifi" (Bright Star) by the Mountain Province Indigenous Peoples
"Bai Matumpis" (The One Who Takes Care) by indigenous groups in Davao
"Cuyong Adlaw Dulpa-an Labaw sa Kadunggan" (Shining Sun Rising in Power) by the Suludnon Indigenous Peoples of Panay
2015 Global Champion for Resilience by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
Chevalier (Knight) in the National Order of the French Legion of Honor
Cavaliere (Knight) of the Italian Order of Merit
2016 Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts and Culture by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
2017 National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Champion by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
2018 Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines
2019 Award of Distinction by the European Union
2023 “Commendatore” to the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

She has also won over 30 awards for her work in journalism since the 1980s.

Personal Life

Loren Legarda has homes in Malabon, Metro Manila, and Pandan, Antique. She was married to former Batangas Governor Antonio Leviste, and they have two sons, Lorenzo and Leandro. Their marriage was annulled in 2008.

She holds the rank of Colonel in the Philippine Air Force Reserve Corps. She has been given honorary titles by various indigenous communities, such as "Bai Alabi" (Princess) by the Marawi Sultanate League and "Tukwifi" (Bright Star) by the people of Mountain Province. She is known for her love of traditional Philippine textiles and for promoting them. She also enjoys growing her own organic food.

Loren Legarda is a dedicated environmentalist. She founded the Luntiang Pilipinas (Green Philippines) foundation. In 2017, she worked on a documentary series called "Our Fragile Earth: Protected Areas of the Philippines," which showed the beautiful protected areas of the country. She is also the presenter of Dayaw, a TV series about Philippine heritage and culture.

Images for kids

Legarda during a 2007 Philippine Military Academy ceremony
Legarda and her son, Leandro, during the 2010 election campaign period.

Error: no page names specified (help). In Spanish: Loren Legarda para niños

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