Pia Cayetano
Encyclopedia
Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano (born Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano on March 22, 1966), popularly known as Compañera Pia or Pia, is a Filipino
lawyer
, politician
, and was the youngest woman elected Senator
in the history of the Republic
of the Philippines
. She was first elected as senator in 2004 and reelected to a second term in 2010.
and German-American former school teacher Sandra Schramm. She has three brothers. Alan Peter
is a current senator (until 2013) and a popular critic of President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
. Rene Carl is an ex-councilor of Muntinlupa City
and the owner of the collectible figurine store "Maxicollector", while Lino Edgardo is a popular television and movie director.
on June 24, 2003, several legislators including the senators encouraged Cayetano to continue her father's unfinished work and advocacies with the help of her education as a lawyer and economist.
. Initially she was a virtual unknown to the electorate but with the liberalization of political advertisements, she gained popularity with her TV advertisement as a runner, cyclist, and as a tri-athlete, and as a new host of her father's TV program Compañero y Compañera for a short stint. She won the election landing in the sixth position.
During 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Manila
, Cayetano was elected President of the 10th Meeting of Women Parliamentarians during the sidelines of the annual meeting. On April 17, 2008, Pia was elected for a 2-year term, president of the Committee of Women Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) during its 118th General Assembly in Cape Town
, South Africa
. As the first Filipino and Asian to head it, she ran unopposed and took over from Uruguay
's Monica Xavier.
An advocate of women’s rights and welfare, she pushed for the enactment of the ‘Magna Carta of Women’ which seeks to end all forms of gender discrimination, and the ‘Expanded Breastfeeding Act,’ which establishes lactation stations in the workplace to encourage nursing mothers to continue breastfeeding even at work.
Cayetano is likewise credited for the passage of the ‘Expanded Senior Citizens Act,’ which allowed the elderly to fully enjoy the 20-percent senior citizens discount by exempting their purchases of medicines and other vital services from the 12-percent Value Added Tax.
Consistent with her call to improve public health services, she was responsible for passing the ‘Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Law’ and the ‘Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law,’ both of which seek to strengthen State mechanisms to ensure safe and affordable quality drugs for all.
Apart from being a senator, Cayetano is a mother of two (Maxine and Nadine). She is an advocate of sports as part of a holistic youth development program, the prevention of diseases and the need of a healthy and fit lifestyle. She is the founder of Gabriel Symphony Foundation which she established after the death of her son Gabriel who was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies. The foundation helps children with disabilities and life threatening ailments. She is also the founder of the Compañero Rene Cayetano Foundation in memory of her father, which helps the underprivileged in the areas of health, education, and environment. She is a member of Young Entrepreneurs' Organization and a spokesperson of the Philippine Cancer Society and the Universal Birth Registration Project.
, 2005 World Duathlon Championship Newcastle, Australia, 2004 Clark Air Base Duathlon and 2002 Chronicle Marathon San Francisco, California.
On July 31, 2008, Cayetano together with Rina Go and Paolo Abrera at the Inquirer Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung fashion show at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila in Makati City.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and was the youngest woman elected Senator
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
in the history of the Republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She was first elected as senator in 2004 and reelected to a second term in 2010.
Family
She is the only daughter of the late Senator Renato "Compañero" CayetanoRene Cayetano
Rene "Compañero" Cayetano was a Filipino lawyer, television presenter, journalist, politician, and former Senator.-Early life:Cayetano was born Renato Luna Cayetano on December 12, 1934 in Pangasinan, Philippines...
and German-American former school teacher Sandra Schramm. She has three brothers. Alan Peter
Alan Peter Cayetano
Alan Peter Schramm Cayetano is a senator from the Philippines.He was the congressional representative from the district of Taguig-Pateros for 9 years. He had a seven-point program for his Taguig-Pateros constituency in Metro Manila. He ran for senator on the May 14, 2007 Philippine elections under...
is a current senator (until 2013) and a popular critic of President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
. Rene Carl is an ex-councilor of Muntinlupa City
Muntinlupa City
The City of Muntinlupa is the southernmost city in Philippine National Capital Region. It is bordered on the north by Taguig City; to the northwest by Parañaque City; by Las Piñas City to the west; to the southwest by the city of Bacoor, Cavite; by the city of San Pedro, Laguna; and by Laguna de...
and the owner of the collectible figurine store "Maxicollector", while Lino Edgardo is a popular television and movie director.
As a lawyer and economist
From 1992 until 1995, she was an associate lawyer of the Castillo, Laman Tan, and Pantaleon Law Offices who specializes in corporate law and intellectual property laws. From 1996 to 1999 she was an officer for the legal and corporate affairs of the Belle Corporation and its affiliates including the gaming conglomerate BW Resources. In 2000, she was a general counsel of the Philweb Corporation. In 2001 she was appointed as chairman of the Maxi Group of Companies, a retailer and distributor of educational toys, infant apparel and accessories.Father's death
When her father died of stomach cancerStomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
on June 24, 2003, several legislators including the senators encouraged Cayetano to continue her father's unfinished work and advocacies with the help of her education as a lawyer and economist.
Senator of the Philippines
She ran for a Senate seat in the 2004 electionsPhilippine general election, 2004
The senatorial election was held in the Philippines on May 10, 2004. The major coalitions that participated are the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan composed of parties that support the candidacy of president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino ,...
. Initially she was a virtual unknown to the electorate but with the liberalization of political advertisements, she gained popularity with her TV advertisement as a runner, cyclist, and as a tri-athlete, and as a new host of her father's TV program Compañero y Compañera for a short stint. She won the election landing in the sixth position.
During 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Cayetano was elected President of the 10th Meeting of Women Parliamentarians during the sidelines of the annual meeting. On April 17, 2008, Pia was elected for a 2-year term, president of the Committee of Women Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) during its 118th General Assembly in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. As the first Filipino and Asian to head it, she ran unopposed and took over from Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
's Monica Xavier.
An advocate of women’s rights and welfare, she pushed for the enactment of the ‘Magna Carta of Women’ which seeks to end all forms of gender discrimination, and the ‘Expanded Breastfeeding Act,’ which establishes lactation stations in the workplace to encourage nursing mothers to continue breastfeeding even at work.
Cayetano is likewise credited for the passage of the ‘Expanded Senior Citizens Act,’ which allowed the elderly to fully enjoy the 20-percent senior citizens discount by exempting their purchases of medicines and other vital services from the 12-percent Value Added Tax.
Consistent with her call to improve public health services, she was responsible for passing the ‘Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Law’ and the ‘Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law,’ both of which seek to strengthen State mechanisms to ensure safe and affordable quality drugs for all.
Apart from being a senator, Cayetano is a mother of two (Maxine and Nadine). She is an advocate of sports as part of a holistic youth development program, the prevention of diseases and the need of a healthy and fit lifestyle. She is the founder of Gabriel Symphony Foundation which she established after the death of her son Gabriel who was diagnosed with multiple congenital anomalies. The foundation helps children with disabilities and life threatening ailments. She is also the founder of the Compañero Rene Cayetano Foundation in memory of her father, which helps the underprivileged in the areas of health, education, and environment. She is a member of Young Entrepreneurs' Organization and a spokesperson of the Philippine Cancer Society and the Universal Birth Registration Project.
Sports enthusiast
A sports enthusiast, Cayetano has participated in the following international events: 2011 XTerra Off-road Triathlon in Cebu; the 1st and 2nd staging of the Cobra Ironman 70.3 in CamSur; 2009 Tokyo Marathon, 2007 4th Ironman Western Australia and Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore, 2006 New York Marathon and Venice MarathonVenice Marathon
The Venice Marathon is a marathon road race that has been held each year in Venice since 1986, usually in October. The race is currently sponsored by Casino di Venezia , and thus it is known as the Casino di Venezia Venice Marathon. Ponte della Libertà and Parco San Giuliano are among the landmarks...
, 2005 World Duathlon Championship Newcastle, Australia, 2004 Clark Air Base Duathlon and 2002 Chronicle Marathon San Francisco, California.
On July 31, 2008, Cayetano together with Rina Go and Paolo Abrera at the Inquirer Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung fashion show at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila in Makati City.