Loren Legarda has had a long career as a politician, journalist, and environmental advocate in the Philippines. She has served four terms as a Senator since 1998, making her the longest-serving female Senator in Philippine history. As a Senator, she has authored many laws focusing on education, indigenous people's rights, women's rights, children's rights, and the environment. Prior to entering politics, Legarda worked as a journalist and news anchor. She is an advocate for climate change awareness and has received several international awards for her environmental work.

1. SENATOR OF THE
PHILIPPINES
LOREN LEGARDA

2. LOREN LEGARDA
• Lorna Regina "Loren" Bautista Legarda (born January 28, 1960) is a Filipina
politician, environmentalist, cultural worker, and former journalist who is currently serving as
a Senator and the president pro tempore of the Senate of the Philippines since 2022. She
previously served three terms in the Senate from 1998 to 2004 and from 2007 to 2019. Legarda
also held the post of the House Deputy Speaker during her three-year stint as
the representative of Antique. She is the longest-serving female Senator in the history of the
Senate, and the only female in the Philippines to top two senatorial elections: 1998 and 2007.
Currently on her fourth term (tied with the longest-serving ever alongside Tito Sotto, Lorenzo
Tanada, Franklin Drilon), Legarda also notably has unsuccessfully sought the position of
the vice president twice: In 2004 as the running mate of Fernando Poe Jr., and again
in 2010 as the running mate of Manny Villar.

3. • Legarda is an advocate of climate change awareness and has numerous
achievements in the fields of social development and human rights advocacy
along with her work in journalism. [1] Her legislative work is focused
on education, indigenous people rights, culture, women's rights, children's
rights, and the environment. Some the notable laws she authored and co-
authored include the Climate Change Act, Clean Water Act, Renewable
Energy Act, Magna Carta of Women, Anti-Domestic Violence Act, National
Cultural Heritage Act, Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act
of 2012, the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, and the
Universal Healthcare Law. Alongside her legislative work, she has also
represented the Philippines to UNESCO multiple times. In 2018, Legarda
became a Commissioner of the newly formed international organization,
Global Commission on Adaptation (GCA).[2] She also chaired the Climate
Vulnerable Forum, which encompasses 20 climate vulnerable countries.

4. • For her environmental work, Legarda has received numerous
accolades; she was awarded 2001 UNEP Laureate as declared by
the United Nations Environment Programme,[1] a 2008 Regional
Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change
Adaptation for Asia and the Pacific as declared by the United
Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction,[1] a National
Adaptation Plan (NAP) Champion by the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2017.[3] She was
declared by the United Nations as a UN Global Champion for
Resilience in 2015. She was the 2016 recipient of the
prestigious Dangal ng Haraya Patron of Arts and Culture.[4] She
has been named as honorary princess and member by
numerous indigenous people communities in the Philippines due
to her support for indigenous people's rights since the 1970s. She
was honored as a Chevalier in France[5][6] and Cavaliere in Italy.[7]

5. EARLY LIFE
• Loren Legarda was born on January 28, 1960, in Malabon (then a
municipality in Rizal) as Lorna Regina Bautista Legarda, the only
daughter of Antonio Cabrera Legarda and Maria Salome Basilia
"Bessie" Gella Bautista. Her maternal grandfather was Jose P.
Bautista, editor-in-chief of the pre-Martial Law newspaper, The
Manila Times,[8] while her maternal grandmother was Carmen
Gella Bautista of Pandan, Antique.[9] Legarda's maternal great-
grandfather, Ariston Rendon Gella, was a member of the Malolos
Congress that crafted the Philippine Constitution of the First
Philippine Republic.[9] Her great-granduncle Vicente Gella was
governor of the province while her great-granduncle was mayor
of Sibalom.[9] A brother of her grandfather, Bartolome Gella, also
served as governor of Antique.[9]

6. • Loren Legarda was born on January 28, 1960,
in Malabon (then a municipality in Rizal) as Lorna Regina
Bautista Legarda, the only daughter of Antonio Cabrera
Legarda and Maria Salome Basilia "Bessie" Gella Bautista.
Her maternal grandfather was Jose P. Bautista, editor-in-
chief of the pre-Martial Law newspaper, The Manila
Times,[8] while her maternal grandmother was Carmen Gella
Bautista of Pandan, Antique.[9] Legarda's maternal great-
grandfather, Ariston Rendon Gella, was a member of
the Malolos Congress that crafted the Philippine Constitution
of the First Philippine Republic.[9] Her great-granduncle
Vicente Gella was governor of the province while her great-
granduncle was mayor of Sibalom.[9] A brother of her
grandfather, Bartolome Gella, also served as governor of
Antique.[9]

7. CAREER IN JOURNALISM
• Legarda began a career in journalism as a reporter for RPN, during which
she covered topics including Imelda Marcos' trip to Kenya and the People
Power Revolution. During this period, she obtained a master's degree in
National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the
Philippines, graduating at the top of the class with gold medals for Academic
Excellence and Best Thesis.[13] Later, she would move to the reopened ABS-
CBN. She became the co-anchor of the television newscast, The World
Tonight with Angelo Castro, Jr., and became the host of the current
affairs series, The Inside Story.[10]

8. • As a journalist, Loren earned the Gawad Cultural
Center of the Philippines, Catholic Mass Media Hall
of Fame, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng
Pilipinas Golden Dove Award, Ten Outstanding Young
Men (TOYM) from the Philippine Jaycees (1992), The
Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service
(TOWNS) Award (1995), and the Benigno Aquino
Award for Journalism (1995), among more than 30
awards.[11]

9. POLITICAL CAREER
• 1998 Senate bid, first term[edit]
• Legarda ran for the Senate in 1998 under the Lakas-NUCD-
UMDP Party.[10] She was elected with more than 15 million votes,
rendering her the highest number of votes in that year's election and
becoming the second woman to top a Philippine senatorial election.
Upon Legarda filing her candidacy as senator in late 1997, Tina
Monzon-Palma who came from rival ABC (now TV5) and was the
anchor of The Big News, transferred to ABS-CBN in order to replace
her on The World Tonight at the same time and joining Angelo Castro,
Jr. in order to run the latter for this election. In 1999, the newscast was
replaced by Pulso: Aksyon Balita on ABS-CBN and was moved to
the ABS-CBN News Channel, where it has aired since.

10. • During her first six years in the Senate, Legarda authored
legislation benefiting women's and children's rights, such as the
Anti-Domestic Violence Act which seeks to uphold and protect the
basic human rights of women and their children, the Anti-Child
Labor law which limits the employment of children below 15 years
old, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act which aims to protect
victims of human trafficking, the Ecological Solid Waste
Management Law which created the National Solid Waste
Management Commission, and the Tropical Fabric Law. She also
authored the Eid'ul Fitr Holiday Law, Overseas Absentee Voting
Act of 2003, and the Philippine Ear Research Institute Act.