List of female senators of the Philippines
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This is a list of women senators of the Philippines. This was created as a guide to identify the women in the Philippines who has served as senators in the Senate of the Philippines, as distinct from the existing whole list of Philippine senators.
Since 1947, there have been 22 Filipino women senators in Philippine history. In the current 17th Congress, there are 6 incumbent female senators.
History
The first female senator elected in the Philippines was Geronima Pecson, who reaped the third largest number of votes during the Philippine senatorial elections of 1947. During her senatorial term, Pecson headed the Senate Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Public Welfare, and the Joint Congressional Committee on Education.[1]
Eva Estrada-Kalaw was the first woman to be re-elected as senator.
Pia Cayetano was the youngest woman elected senator in the history of the Philippines at the age of 40. She was elected 2004 and then re-elected in 2010.[2]
Loi Ejercito Estrada is the first First Spouse (to Joseph Ejercito Estrada) to be elected in the Senate. She served from 2001 to 2007 after her husband's removal from the presidency in 2001.
Loren Legarda is the first Filipino woman senator to top the Senate race twice in 1998 and 2007. She is also the first Filipino woman to become Majority Floor Leader of the Senate.
In 1993, Leticia Ramos-Shahani became the first Filipino woman to become President pro tempore of the Senate.
Santanina Rasul is the first Filipina Muslim senator.
Tecla San Andres Ziga was the first woman in the Philippines to top the bar examinations for law degree graduates. She was elected as a senator in 1963.[3]
Miriam Defensor Santiago was the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to be elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on December 12, 2011.[4][5] She later resigned the post due to chronic fatigue syndrome, which turned out to be lung cancer.[6][7]
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the first female senator who was elected as vice-president (1998-2001) and later installed to the presidency (2001-2010).
Female senators
- * denotes incumbent senator
| # | Senator | Full name | Election | Years in service | Congress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnolia Antonino | Magnolia Rodriguez Welborn-Antonino | 1967 | 1967-1972 | 6th, 7th |
| 2 | Tessie Aquino-Oreta | Maria Teresa Aquino Aquino-Oreta | 1998 | 1998-2004 | 11th, 12th |
| 3 | Helena Z. Benitez | Helena Zoila Tirona Benitez | 1967 | 1967-1972 | 6th, 7th |
| 4 | Nancy Binay | Maria Lourdes Nancy Sombillo Binay Angeles | 2013 | 2013-present | 16th, 17th |
| 5 | Pia Cayetano | Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano | 2004, 2010 | 2004-2016 | 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th |
| 6 | Nikki Coseteng | Anna Dominique Marquez-Lim Coseteng | 1992, 1995 | 1992-2001 | 9th, 10th, 11th |
| 7 | Leila de Lima | Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima | 2016 | 2016-present | 17th |
| 8 | Miriam Defensor-Santiago | Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago | 1995, 2004, 2010 | 1995-2001 2004-2016 |
10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th |
| 9 | Loi Ejercito | Luisa Fernandez Pimentel-Ejercito | 2001 | 2001-2007 | 12th, 13th |
| 10 | Eva Estrada-Kalaw | Eva Reynada Estrada-Kalaw | 1965, 1971 | 1965-1972 | 6th, 7th |
| 11 | Risa Hontiveros | Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel | 2016 | 2016-present | 17th |
| 12 | Maria Kalaw-Katigbak | Maria Villanueva Kalaw-Katigbak | 1961 | 1961-1967 | 5th, 6th |
| 13 | Loren Legarda | Loren Regina Bautista Legarda | 1998, 2007, 2013 | 1998-2004, 2007-present |
11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th |
| 14 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | 1992, 1995 | 1992-1998 | 9th, 10th |
| 15 | Jamby Madrigal | Maria Ana Consuelo Abad Santos Madrigal Valade | 2004 | 2004-2010 | 13th, 14th |
| 16 | Pacita Madrigal-Warns | Maria Paz Paterno Madrigal-Warns | 1955 | 1955-1961 | 3rd, 4th |
| 17 | Geronima Pecson | Geronima Palisoc Tomelden Pecson | 1947 | 1947-1951 | 1st, 2nd |
| 18 | Grace Poe | Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe Llamanzares | 2013 | 2013-present | 16th, 17th |
| 19 | Leticia Ramos-Shahani | Leticia Valdez Ramos-Shahani | 1987, 1992 | 1987-1998 | 8th, 9th, 10th |
| 20 | Nina Rasul | Santanina Centi Tillah Rasul | 1987, 1992 | 1987-1995 | 8th, 9th |
| 21 | Tecla Ziga | Tecla San Andres-Ziga | 1963 | 1963-1969 | 5th, 6th |
| 22 | Cynthia Villar | Cynthia Ampaya Aguilar Villar | 2013 | 2013-present | 16th, 17th |
Living former female senators
List of living former female senators:
- Eva Estrada-Kalaw (born June 16, 1920) — 103 years, 344 days
- Nina Rasul (born September 14, 1930) — 93 years, 254 days
- Leticia Ramos-Shahani (born September 30, 1930) — 93 years, 238 days
- Loi Estrada (born June 3, 1931) — 92 years, 357 days
- Tessie Aquino-Oreta (born June 28, 1944) — 79 years, 332 days
- Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (born April 5, 1947) — 77 years, 50 days
- Nikki Coseteng (born December 18, 1952) — 71 years, 159 days
- Jamby Madrigal (born April 26, 1958) — 66 years, 29 days
- Pia Cayetano (born March 22, 1966) — 58 years, 64 days
References
- ^ "Senators Profile - Geronima T. Pecson". www.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Senator Pia S. Cayetano - Senate of the Philippines". www.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Senators Profile - Tecla San Andres Ziga". www.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Press Release - Revilla: Press statement on Senator Santiago's election as ICC judge". www.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
- ^ "Press Release - Revilla: Press statement on Senator Santiago's election as ICC judge". www.senate.gov.ph. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "It's final: Miriam steps down as ICC judge". Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- ^ "Miriam Santiago: I have lung cancer". Retrieved 2016-10-02.
External links
Media related to Women of the Philippines at Wikimedia Commons
