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.[1]
Four years into her term, Pia has been responsible for crafting and co-authoring a number of landmark laws as chairperson of the Senate committees on health and demography and on environment and natural resources.
These include the "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Law of 2008" (Republic Act 9502), "Oil Spill Liability Law" (RA 9483), "Biofuels Law" (RA 9367), "Hospital Detention Law" (RA 9349), "National Anti-Rabies Law" (RA 9482), and the “Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008” (RA 9512).
Pia recently relinquished her committees following the Senate leadership change late last year, but his has not stopped her from pursuing the passage of other measures to improve public health and promote the welfare of women and children.
These measures include: (1) The "Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act" (Senate Bill No.1698) which seeks to promote breastfeeding among working mothers by mandating lactation stations in public places and the workplace; (2) The bill strengthening the regulatory capacity of the Bureau of Food and Drugs (SBN 2645); and (3) The "Picture-Based Health Warning Law" (SBN 2377), which will require all cigarette and tobacco product packages to bear highly visible picture warnings showing the health hazards of smoking
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.
Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pia_Cayetano