| Pia S. Cayetano | |
|---|---|
| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office June 30, 2004 (1st term), June 30, 2010 (2nd term) – June 30, 2016 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | March 22, 1966 Michigan, United States |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Political party | Nacionalista |
| Residence | Taguig City, Metro Manila |
| Alma mater | University of the Philippines |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Economist, Politician |
| Religion | Evangelical Christian |
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.
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She is the only daughter of the late Senator Renato "Compañero" Cayetano and German-American former school teacher Sandra Schramm.[1] 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, movie director and currently Barangay Chairman of Barangay Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
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.
When her father died of stomach cancer 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.
She ran for a Senate seat in the 2004 elections. 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.[2]
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.
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 Marathon, 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[3] and Paolo Abrera[3] at the Inquirer Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung fashion show at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila in Makati City.[3]
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