Manifestation of Senator Pia S. Cayetano on the death of Queen Elizabeth II

Thank you, Madame President. Just a few words as the co-sponsor of the measure. I join the nation of the United Kingdom and the whole world in mourning the passing of an icon.

Madame President, I would just like to share a few thoughts. I am a fan of history, including British history. I've read a lot about Queen Elizabeth I. I don't know if it's proper to say the namesake of Queen Elizabeth II, but she is Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1558 to 1603, during the time where women and men actually were burned on the stakes for their beliefs. Fast-forward to 400 years more or less, Queen Elizabeth II started her reign. I never considered it history; it was more of current events because she was still alive since I was a young girl. I already knew her as queen and I followed quite a bit of what was going on in their country and in the world.

I must say, Netflix, through 'The Crown,' I am a lover of historical novels, so whether these historical novels are later on converted into movies, they really make the study of history more interesting. And obviously, there is a difference between history that is based on records, and movies and series that we watch. But somehow they make it come alive for a lot of people, including myself.

I also am a big fan of documentaries. And what I'd like to share is that I may not know enough about Queen Elizabeth, but I don't really recall that she was specifically an advocate for women's issues per se. Because she was an advocate for so many issues for the welfare of her whole country, and to a large extent, for the survival of the world, because she was instrumental [and] played a big role, through many turning points in the history of the world, because the UK, England played a big role. And therefore, as monarch of the UK, she had a role there as well.

So, if somebody like me who believes that I've had role models in my lifetime, can be inspired by the life of a woman I never met, of a person who I just know from the news, and as I said later on, through movies and documentaries. If somebody like that can inspire me in my lifetime, then I am certain she has inspired millions of young girls, of young people all over the world. And for that, I join my colleagues, the nation, and the world in mourning her passage.

Thank you, Madame President.