Senate honors Ex-Sen. Shahani
LINGAYEN—Another outstanding Pangasinense received national recognition, this time from the Sixteenth Congress of the Philippine Senate.
Last June 10, the Senate, during their plenary session presided by Sen. Franklin Drilon, former Senate President pro-tempore, Leticia Ramos-Shahani was hailed “for her dedication and excellence in service as legislator, diplomat, educator, women’s rights advocate, and civil society leader.”
Authored by Sen. Loren Legarda, the resolution cited some of the achievements of Shahani particularly in women’s rights issues.
During his term as senator from 1987 to 1998, Dr. Shahani authored key legislation on culture and education, foreign service, and women’s rights, among others.
SHAHANI
As a foremost women’s rights advocate, she pushed for the institutional empowerment of women in the international arena, namely the United Nations wherein she served as Secretary-General of the UN Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985 and as head of the Philippine delegation to the UN Fourth World Conference in Women in Beijing, People’s Republic of China in 1995.
She also authored laws on women’s rights such as the R.A. No. 6725 or “Strengthening the Prohibition on Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace, Amending the Labor Code of the Philippines;” R.A. No. 8353 or the “Anti-Rape Law of 1997,” and R.A. No. 8505 or the “Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998.”
Ms. Shahani introduced the inclusion of the mandatory five percent (5%) allocation in the budget of every government department and agency for gender and development.
Prior to her being a senator, she served as chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women in 1987 and Career Ambassador to the Commonwealth of Australia (1978-1980) and Socialist Republic of Romania (1975-1980).
On July 28, 2014, the House of Representatives commended Dr. Leticia Ramos-Shahani for shaping the women’s global agenda, and pioneering its initiatives for the empowerment of women.
She was an ASNA (outstanding Pangasinan) awardee and a recipient of the French Legion of Honor.
Shahani, a native of Lingayen, was born to a family of public servants. Her father is Narciso Ramos who served as Foreign Affairs Secretary, her mother Angela Marcos Valdez was a public teacher, and her brother Fidel served as the twelfth president of the Philippines. (Johanne Macob)
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