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Loren Bautista Legarda


PERSONAL INFORMATION
  • Full Name: Lorna Regina Bautista Legarda
  • Nickname: Loren
  • Birthdate: January 28, 1960
  • Birthplace: Manila
  • Father: Cabrera Legarda of San Pablo, Laguna and Manila
  • Mother: Bessie Gella Bautista of Antique and Malabon
  • Children: Lorenzo Antonio, Leandro Antonio
ISSUES
  • 'Winnability' in the Senate. Legarda, who filed her candidacy for senator on February 8, 2007, continues to lead all contenders for the upcoming Senate race, according to Pulse Asia's January 2006 nationwide survey on Filipinos' senatorial preferences. She gained 46.6% of the nods from the 1,200 survey respondents around the country.
  • Electoral protest. Legarda ran under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino as Fernando Poe Jr.'s running mate in the 2004 elections. She placed second to Noli de Castro in the vice-presidential race. Claiming that there was massive cheating in the elections, Poe and Legarda filed a protest before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.
  • Noli vs. Loren in the Arlyn De la Cruz kidnapping. In 2002, De Castro, who was then a senator, reportedly accused Legarda of credit-grabbing in the kidnapping and eventual release of broadcast journalist Arlyn de la Cruz. On 8 April 2002, De Castro gave reporters an update on the kidnapping and said he had been trying to get De la Cruz released through the help of Prof. Mashur Bin Ghalib Jundam. When Dela Cruz was released on April 27, however, it was Legarda who accompanied the kidnapped reporter. De Castro said Legarda did not tell him she had finally been able to negotiate de la Cruz's release. Legarda was also reported to have facilitated the paying of ransom for Dela Cruz.
  • Media straddler. The Center for Media Freedom on Responsibility has criticized and Legarda and De Castro for crossing the line between media and politics. The media NGO said it is unethical for politicians to continue being broadcast journalists because of conflict of interest. Social Justice Society, a registered political party of lawyers and law professors, aslo raised the same issue and even went to court, citing the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
  • Nokia 3210. In August 2001, Ador Mawanay, a witness in the Senate hearing on Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s alleged involvement in narco-politics, alleged that Loren bought P9.9 million worth of smuggled Nokia 3210 cellphones from him. The Senate Seargeant-at-Arms detained Mawanay to make sure that he can prove all his allegations against Legarda.
  • Estrada Impeachment. Legarda was an admired senator-judge during the impeachment trial of Joseph Estrada. Now-defunct Pinoy Times, a political tabloid, reported that some justices of the Supreme Court thought that Legarda was a lawyer because of the questions she asked during the trial. It also reported Loren topped a survey conducted by the New York-based Audits and Surveys Worldwide with approval ratings of 80%. For her performance, she also received several awards from civil society organizations. Legarda said she studied the documents every night before the trial.
  • "Crying Lady" of EDSA. In January 2001, Legarda was shown on television crying while Tessie Aquino Oreta was dancing after the Estrada-allied senator-judges in his impeachment trial refused to open the so-called second envelope believed to be containing explosive evidence against Estrada. The senators' refusal to open the second envelope sparked the second EDSA revolt that led to Estrada's ouster.
  • Political patrons. When she resigned from Lakas in 2003, Legarda thanked former President Fidel Ramos, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, House Speaker Jose De Venecia, and Senator Juan Flavier: “I thank them for taking me under their wings—and showing me that side of politics that is beyond infighting and intrigue," she said. In an interview with Newsbreak Legarda and Leviste revealed that it was actually her former husband that convinced her to run. Now-defunct CyberDyaryo, an online news magazine, also reported that her 1998 senatorial campaign was helped by the network of a Susing Pineda, a person identified with Danding Cojuangco.
EDUCATION
  • Masters in National Security Administration, National Defense College
    • Gold Medalist for Academic Excellence
    • Best Thesis
  • BA Communication, University of the Philippines (1981)
    • Cum Laude
  • High School, Assumption Convent, Makati
  • Elementary, Assumption, Herran
    • Valedictorian
CAREER
  • Senator, 1998-2004
    • Topped the 1998 senatorial race with 14,996,764 votes
    • Became the youngest woman elected to the Senate
    • First woman ever elected as Senate Majority leader
  • Televison host
    • PEP Talk (1986)
    • The Inside Story (1992)
    • The World Tonight
    • Earthlink
    • Kabalikat
    • Manila Envelope, a weekly magazine program she produced and hosted while in Los Angeles
    • Who Knows What (1979), day noon-time cultural show in Channel 7
    • What’s Up (1981), an early evening news program
    • Discorama
    • Newswatch Final Edition (1981), Channel 9
    • Progress 82, BIR’s yearly information campaign show
  • Radio host, ABS-CBN DZMM
  • Columnist, Manila Bulletin
  • Commercial model
    • Appeared in various TV commercials and print ads, one of which even appeared in Newsweek and the Readers’ Digest. Was in Grade 5 when she modeled for Air France.
AWARDS
  • Freedom and Peace Award (by the People Power Coalition 2)
  • Distinguished Legislator for the People Award (by the UP College of Mass Communication)
  • Veritas et Fortitudo (by the Lyceum of the Philippines)
  • People’s Heroes Awards (by the Council on Philippine Affairs or COPA).
Sources: GMA-7's Bio-data Research, GMANews.tv, Inquirer, Philippine Journalism Review, Pinoy Times, Newsbreak, CyberDyaryo
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