Pia Cayetano

Infobox Officeholder


imagesize = 150px
name = Pia S. Cayetano
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order =
office = Senator of the Philippines
term_start = June 30, 2004
term_end =
birth_date = birth date and age|1966|03|22
birth_place = Michigan, United States
death_date =
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nationality =
party =
*"Independent" (2004-2008)
spouse = Ariben Sebastian
relations =
children =
residence = Taguig City
alma_mater = University of the Philippines
occupation = Lawyer
profession = Law
religion = Evangelical Christian


website =
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Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano-Sebastian, popularly known as "Compañera Pia" or "Pia" (born Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano on March 22, 1966), is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and incumbent Senator of the Republic of the Philippines.

Family

She is the only daughter of the late Senator Renato "Compañero" Cayetano 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 while Lino Edgardo is a popular television and movie director.

Education

At age 17, she was the youngest member of the Philippine national volleyball team. At age 18, she was the youngest member and captain of the U.P. varsity volleyball team. In 1985, she completed her studies at the University of the Philippines graduating cum laude for the collegiate degree of Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Upon graduation, she was elected to the prestigious Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies. In 1991, as the seventh highest in her class, she graduated with academic distinction with a degree of Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines. She was a member of the Honor Society, Order of the Purple Feather at the University of the Philippines College of Law. She was grand archon of the U.P. Delta Lambda Sigma Sorority.

As a lawyer

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 cancer on June 24, 2003, several legislators including the senators encouraged Cayetano to continue her father's unfinished work and advocacies.

Political life

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 takes over from Uruguay's Monica Xavier. [ [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=115400 Abs-Cbn Interactive, Pia Cayetano named IPU Committee president] ]

Apart from being a senator, Cayetano is a mother of two. 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.

ports enthusiast

A sports enthusiast, Cayetano has participated in the following international events: 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.

External links

* [http://www.senatorpiacayetano.com www.senatorpiacayetano.com]
* [http://www.senate.gov.ph/senators/sen_bio/pcayetano_bio.htm Senate of the Philippines - Pia Cayetano]
* [http://www.cayetanofoundation.com www.cayetanofoundation.com]
* [http://www.gabrielsymphony.com www.gabrielsymphony.com]
* [http://www.i-site.ph/Databases/Congress/13thSenate/personal/cayetano-sebastian-personal.html I-Site.ph Pia Cayetano]

References