Senator Loren Legarda’s portrait has reportedly been stripped from the Wall of Empowered Women at Assumption College following a scathing statement by the Assumption Student Council (ASC) condemning her involvement in the recent Senate leadership shakeup.
The student body declared that Legarda’s actions during the sudden reorganization directly contradict the core values of the institution, despite her history as a prominent alumna and public servant.
The backlash stems from Monday’s swift Senate reshuffle, which ousted Vicente “Tito” Sotto III as Senate President—relegating him to Minority Leader—and installed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano in the chamber’s top post.
Characterizing the transition as a “Senate coup,” the ASC echoed warnings from journalists and political analysts who questioned the suspicious timing of the move. The overhaul took place just as the Senate was preparing to receive the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, who is accused of grave misuse of public funds and betrayal of public trust.
According to the council, the abrupt change in leadership fuels severe anxieties that the impending impeachment proceedings against Duterte could be politically manipulated or derailed. The ASC highlighted that Legarda cast her vote for Cayetano shortly after Sotto publicly vowed that the impeachment trial would commence immediately and be decided “strictly on the merits of the case.”
“No public office grants immunity from the standards of ethical conduct. Any act that enables impunity and obstruction of justice, however subtle or procedural, diminishes public trust, and compromises the dignity of institutions that serve the Filipino people,” the ASC statement read.
Reiterating that Assumption College San Lorenzo champions integrity, social responsibility, and the courage of conviction, the council asserted that these foundational pillars must guide all alumnae in public service.
“In view of this, the Council encourages the entire Assumption College community to support this petition,” the statement continued, urging Legarda to “reflect on the principles she once upheld as a student and as a public figure.”
The student council concluded with a firm reminder that positions of honor within the campus are privileges that must be continuously earned through ethical leadership.
“The Council maintains that a place on this wall is an honor reserved for women who continuously embody Assumption’s ideals in action and character, and only those who do so will ever belong there.”