Notwithstanding a super typhoon, Senator Pilar Juliana “Pia” Cayetano shared her cause for children with birth defects and disabilities to Filipinos and foreign delegates at the recently held International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities (ICBD) last November 11, 2013 at Mactan, Cebu.

Sen. Pia’s own experience as a mother led her to advocate the rights of children with rare diseases. She gave birth to a child with trisomy-13, a type of chromosomal disorder. He had a cleft lip, tumors in his liver, and enlarged kidneys, causing him to live for nine months only. Though it was heartbreaking, Sen. Pia became emotionally prepared after undergoing genetic counselling before giving birth.

“How many women are unable to have emotional preparedness because we deprived them of this preparedness?“ She emphasized.

Motivated by her own experience, Sen. Pia currently works on passing a law concerning birth defects and disabilities, together with health professionals, particularly Dr. Carmencita Padilla, the Director of Newborn Screening Reference Center – National Institutes of Health. She also encouraged Filipinos and even foreigners to share their cause with lawmakers for better progress in this important health issue.

Sen. Pia has a foundation named “Gabriel Symphony” that supports children with manifestations of Trisomy-13. The foundation conducts cleft operations and projects for visually impaired children and those with hearing loss.

As a senator, she served as Chairperson of the Committee on Health and Demography and Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations in 2010. She also worked for the passage of landmark laws: Reproductive Health Act (RA 10354), to provide women and families with access to information and services on reproductive health, and the National Health Insurance Act of 2013 (RA 10606), inclusion of the lowest income segments of the population in the PhilHealth system.  Her other legislative accomplishments included Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act (RA 10152), Establishment of Persons with Disability Affairs Office Act (RA 10070), and Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act (RA 9502).