Official Website of Philippine Senator Pia Cayetano

Category: Governance

  • Pia leads breastfeeding room launch in Congress

    ‘Perfect gift for HREP women employees on Women’s Month’

    House Deputy Speaker and Taguig City representative Pia S. Cayetano on Monday led the inauguration of the first breastfeeding room for nursing female employees of the House of Representatives (HREP) in Quezon City.


    The breastfeeding room resulted from the initiative of Cayetano, who had written the House leadership requesting the establishment of the facility as mandated by law. A similar request was also made to the House leaders in a separate letter sent by a group of breastfeeding mothers employed at the House.


    It was Cayetano, then a senator, who pushed for the passage of Republic Act 10028, or the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act, which mandated paid lactation breaks for nursing mothers during work hours, and the establishment of lactation rooms in public places and facilities, as well as government and private offices.


    The landmark law was signed in 2009 by then President and current House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

    “Thank you to everyone who made this happen. To [Committee on Women and Gender Equality chair, Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy], to the Speaker and Secretary General… I hope we can continue working together to support women in the workforce,” Cayetano said.

    “If there are three mothers this month that will have the pleasure of using this lactation room, that would translate to three babies being breastfed longer and protected better,” she added.

    “What could be a better gift for nursing employees of the House of Representatives on Women’s Month than a breastfeeding room they could access in their own workplace? This facility is also open to non-employees, or breastfeeding mothers who happen to be visiting Congress,” she continued.

    “I hope we can see the establishment of more lactation rooms in the next months to come. The objective is to make it convenient for a mother to breastfeed. We want breastfeeding to be thefirst choice and, if possible, the only choice for mothers to ensure the health of our children,” Cayetano said.

    The former senator was joined at the inauguration by Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, House Acting Secretary General Dante Roberto Maling, HREP officials and pregnant and nursing employees of the House.

    This was not the first time the Taguig representative personally worked for the proper implementation of RA 10028 in an institution tasked to craft and pass laws. During her term as Senator, Cayetano also pushed for the opening of a breastfeeding room at the Philippine  Senate headquarters in Pasay City. #

    House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano is joined by Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy (BH Party-List), House officials led by OIC Secretary General Roberto Maling and nursing and pregnant women employees at the launch of the first breastfeeding room at the House of Representatives.
    The breastfeeding room was initiated by House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano, who delivered a privilege speech and wrote a letter to the House leadership, and a group of nursing moms employed at the House of Representatives who made a separate request to Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

  • Pia leads 3rd annual sports clinic for Taguig PWDs

    Senatorial candidate and House Deputy Speaker Pia S. Cayetano, in partnership with the city government of Taguig, led the third Disability Sports Clinic and Competition, an annual sportsdevelopment program for the city’s differently-abled community.

    The participants – including children and youth with hearing, speech, orthopedic, and learning disabilities – were given the opportunity to learn different sports, such as table tennis, futsal,basketball, volleyball, chess, and darts.

    “Ang paniniwala ko talaga is that sports enables people, especially children. It embeds in their minds the idea that, ‘I can do more, I can do better,’ and so I always want to ensure that even those with disabilities would have that opportunity,” the congresswoman and known sports advocate explained.

    She added that the annual sports project opens doors for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to learn new skills and discover their athletic and physical talents.
    “I hope and pray that this activity will embolden them to try to achieve more, and not to be scared of any limitations,” said Cayetano, author of Republic Act 10070, which mandates the establishment of a Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) in all local government units.
    Cayetano is also the founder of Gabriel’s Symphony Foundation, which provides medical and financial assistance for sick and differently-abled children. The foundation was established inmemory of her own son, Gabriel Rene Cayetano Sebastian, who passed away in 2001 due to complications from a rare disease called Trisomy 13.

    “It is the third year that we are doing this sports activity here in Taguig. But I’ve actually been doing this for around 17 to 18 years. Ang anak kong si Gabriel was born with multiple disabilities. In his memory, ‘yung foundation kong Gabriel’s Symphony has been doing [similar] activities all over the country,” Cayetano noted.

    The congresswoman, who is now running for senator under the Nacionalista Party in the upcoming midterm polls, expressed her commitment to continue promoting the rights of PWDs and ensuring the enactment of inclusive programs to give them livelihood and job opportunities and better access to government services. #

    Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano greets a participant at Taguig’s annual sports clinic for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

  • Pia urges better awareness on vaccination program

    Deputy Speaker Pia S. Cayetano is pushing for ‘more intelligent discussions’ on the importance of government’s immunization program, which aims to protect Filipino children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

    Cayetano made the call during her speech at the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) Academy of Presiding Officers Graduation Ceremony at the Century Park Hotel on Tuesday, December 4.

    Addressing over a thousand vice mayors from across the country, the Taguig representative said there is a need for politicians to make tougher decisions in addressing difficult social issues that affect the lives of Filipinos.

    “One of my challenges is to make young people know that the decisions we (public officials) make are not always easy. It’s not true that things are always in black and white. But you look at the greater good,” Cayetano said.

    “The desire to look for a road that has no obstacles is human nature. But we were not put in public service para umiwas (to avoid controversial issues). We were put here to go through that difficult road,” she added.

    The congresswoman particularly cited the government’s vaccination program, which she said has lost much public support since the failed immunization program involving the anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

    A known advocate of women’s and children’s health and welfare, Cayetano was the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 10152, also known as the Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act.

    “Kahit po unpopular topic ‘yun (even if it’s an unpopular issue), I’ll talk about it. Because the danger of mothers fearing vaccination cannot be greater than their children actually having polio, smallpox, chicken pox, measles. Lahat ‘yun, kung hindi man nakakamatay (these diseases may not necessarily lead to death), but are very debilitating,” Cayetano stressed in her speech.

    She also urged fellow public officials to help raise better awareness on the importance of vaccination in protecting the health of children and youth, as well as allaying the public’s fear over the negative effects of vaccines.

    “Sa takot ng mga tao dahil sa nangyari sa Dengvaxia, marami ngayon ang ayaw nang magpabakuna. (Because of the scare caused by Dengvaxia, parents have refused to have their children vaccinated). So it requires na i-educate ang mga nanay na, ‘Pasensya na, huwag po kayong matakot sa vaccination, kailangan ‘yan ng mga anak ninyo,” Cayetano asserted. (The situation requires that we educate mothers not to fear vaccination, because their children need it.) #

  • Pia: World sees Metro Manila as ‘face’ of PH

    House Deputy Speaker Pia S. Cayetano on Friday urged her fellow public servants in Metro Manila to set the bar for good leadership, while noting that other countries primarily look to the National Capital Region (NCR) as the ‘face’ of the nation.

    Speaking before the second general assembly of the Metro Manila Councilors League held in Pasay City, the Taguig City representative said that NCR councilors play an important role in building the image of what the rest of the world sees about the Philippines.

    “Everybody looks at us in Metro Manila, what we do here,” Cayetano told the assembly. ‘The country is watching us, the world is watching us, and they look to Metro Manila. Tayo po ang nasa frontline in creating our image (before the world).”

    Cayetano likewise emphasized the importance of accountability and transparency for government leaders, especially in the era of social media.

    “In this age of social media, the demands are very high. You, me, all of us can easily be questioned. Our decisions can be easily attacked, and so the least we can do is to be transparent,” she explained.

    “If we follow fair play, then to a certain extent, they (critics) would have no reason to question our decisions. If we follow the procedures that we ourselves helped legislate, clean na tayo doon. And beyond that, the most we can do is to how to make ourselves better. This makes it easier (to do our jobs) because we become accountable to every single person.”

    In ending her speech, Cayetano urged her fellow public servants, especially young and first-time elected leaders, to reflect on their purpose for joining public service, and what can they do to make a difference in the lives of their respective constituents in Metro Manila. #

  • Pia meets with Occidental Mindoro leaders

    House Deputy Speaker Pia S. Cayetano on Thursday (September 6) addressed the assembly of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) in the province of Occidental Mindoro, where she emphasized the importance of effective leadership.

    Cayetano, who also represents the second district of Taguig City, told the assembly composed of provincial board members, vice mayors, councilors, barangay chairpersons and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) youth leaders how it is important for public servants not to be just leaders of people, but leaders who can inspire change.

    “There is good leadership and there is bad leadership. Someone may be considered a good leader simply because he or she has followers, or can speak well, but it does not mean that you are doing good service. You may be able to command an audience, but are you the kind of leader who can inspire people? That is the challenge,” she said.

    Cayetano added that change need not come on a grand scale to be relevant. Rather, making a difference in people’s lives can be achieved in small pockets of opportunities.

    PCL President and Board Member Mark Ramirez and Board Member AJ Rebong led the assembly, which gathered 100 leaders from the 11 municipalities of Occidental Mindoro province. #

     

  • Hugpong ng Pagbabago endorses Pia Cayetano

    The regional political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) has endorsed House Deputy Speaker Pia S. Cayetano as one of its prospective ‘senatoriables’ for the national and local elections in 2019.

    A former two-term senator and the current second district representative of Taguig City, Cayetano has consistently placed among the top preferences for senator in nationwide pre-election surveys conducted by polling firms in recent months.

    At the party’s convention and mass oath-taking held in SM Lanang, Davao City last Friday, August 17, Cayetano thanked the HNP leadership for choosing to endorse her, and for firmly believing in her capabilities as a public servant.

    The Taguig City lawmaker personally thanked Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte of the HNP whom she had worked with in programs for women and health when Cayetano was still a senator.

    Cayetano also thanked the Davao City mayor’s father, President Rodrigo Duterte, who had been one of her mentors since she started out in politics in 2004. The President was the main guest speaker at the HNP assembly, which was attended by more than 6,000 leaders and supporters.

    She said national and local officials should take inspiration from the President and the Davao City Mayor, whose vision and political will have made them into effective leaders who are respected and trusted by the people. “I am so proud to stand by our President and Mayor Sara Duterte,” Cayetano said. #