Assumption strips alum Legarda’s portrait from view in ‘empowered women’ wall

Just as four-term Senator Loren Legarda backed a leadership shift in the Senate, students from her alma mater, Assumption College San Lorenzo in Makati City, pushed to remove her portrait from the school’s Wall of Empowered Women on Friday, May 15.

In a Facebook post, the Assumption Student Council (ASC) maintained its position to take down Legarda’s portrait, stressing that a place on the honor wall is reserved for women who “embody the Assumption’s ideals in action and character.”

Along with the statement, a photo of the gallery walk of notable Assumption alumnae showed the space previously occupied by Legarda’s portrait, now with no image in its place.

Legarda was among the 13 senators who voted on May 11 in favor of a leadership turnaround in the upper chamber, supporting Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as the new Senate President.

“While her past contributions are acknowledged, her recent political actions no longer reflect the values that Assumption upholds,” the statement, supported by Classes 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 of the ASC, said.

The ASC described the developments as abrupt, coming just days before the Senate is set to convene as an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces charges of alleged misuse of public funds and betrayal of public trust.

“The takeover occurred as the chamber prepared to receive the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. Its timing raised serious concerns that the move was politically engineered to delay or influence the proceedings,” the ASC underscored.

Amid the changes, Legarda was also elected Senate President pro tempore, making her the second-highest-ranking official in the chamber, despite earlier being part of the majority bloc that helped install then-Senate President Vicente Sotto III last September.

“Senator Legarda voted for Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President, following Senator Vicente Sotto III’s public statement that the impeachment trial would convene forthwith upon receipt of the Articles and be decided strictly on the merits of the case,” the ASC added.

As the school “forms leaders who are expected to act with integrity, social responsibility, and courage of conviction,” the ASC called on the Assumption community to support its petition.

The council also issued a call for Legarda to uphold accountability consistent with the school’s ideals and her role in public service.

“It is in this spirit that the Council calls upon Senator Legarda to reflect on the principles she once upheld as a student and as a public figure. She is encouraged to clarify her actions, correct her course, and demonstrate renewed commitment to accountability and justice,” it maintained.

“It remains within her capacity to rebuild the trust of a community that once regarded her as an alumna of distinction. Now is the time to prove that such trust was not misplaced,” the ASC added.

Legarda attended the all-girls Assumption College from primary to secondary school in the 1970s, and even graduated as grade school valedictorian.

Other notable alumnae of the school include former presidents Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and former senators Tessie Aquino-Oreta and Grace Poe-Llamanzares.

Assumption College is not new to calling out accountability issues involving former alumnae, including when the school and the Religious of the Assumption called on former President Arroyo to take responsibility for the “Hello Garci” election scandal.

In a similar statement, the University of the Philippines Broadcasting Association also criticized Legarda in another Facebook post on May 12 following the Senate leadership change.

The group, which noted her background as a former UP student leader and Broadcast Communication graduate in 1981, said her recent political actions conflict with principles of accountability and democratic responsibility.

“Her political choices now stand in contradiction with the principles of accountability, public service, and democratic responsibility that UP students are taught to uphold … At a time when institutions are being reorganized to shield the powerful from scrutiny and consequence, neutrality disguised as pragmatism only deepens public distrust,” the group emphasized

As of press time, Legarda has not issued any public response to the statements or the removal of her portrait from Assumption’s honor wall.