NOMINATION SPEECH
Senator Loren Legarda as Senate President Pro-tempore

Mr. President, it is with a profound sense of honor that I stand to make this nomination. Senator Loren Legarda is known to be "The Lady Who Leads." And I, for obvious reasons, cannot help but agree. Since it is not everyday that I get to speak about inspiring figures who need no introduction, I will gladly tell this august body and the rest of the world about Senator Loren Legarda.

Because she hails from a family of public servants, it should come as no surprise that Senator Loren decided to take the same path for herself. She is a four-term Senator, which means that among all of us in this chamber, she is certainly the most senior. Most senior, at hindi lang dahil sa tagal niya sa Senado, Mr. President, kundi dahil sa dami at kalidad ng mga batas na kanyang naipasa.

She has been consistent in promoting livelihood, advocating for the development of cultural villages, and pushing for the protection of Indigenous People's rights. The cultural communities in Mindanao have adopted her as 'Bae Matumpis,' which translates to 'the one who takes care.'

There are countless other things and qualities that one can say about Senator Loren, but I would like to stop there, Mr. President - with the fact that she has also earned the title of being the one who cares. Pairing that up with 'The Lady Who Leads,' we get the picture of the kind of leadership we can look forward to, with Senator Loren Legarda as our Senate President Pro-tempore. She is the lady who leads, not just with vision or with determination, but more importantly, with care.

As early as this first day of the First Regular Session of the 19th Congress, I can already say that it is and will always be an honor to submit to the leadership of this lady. Mr. President, I respectfully nominate Senator Loren Legarda for the position of Senate President Pro-tempore.