VZCZCXRO7610
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #2435/01 3030700
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 290700Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2197
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002435 
 
FOR G/IWI (ANDREA BOTTNER) 
FOR EAP/MTS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM RP
SUBJECT:  NOMINATION FOR 2009 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE: 
KATRINA LEGARDA 
 
REF:  SECSTATE 99729 
 
¶1. (SBU) This cable responds to the action request of reftel, 
paragraph 11.  Post is pleased to nominate lawyer, author, 
journalist, and activist Ms. Katrina Legarda for the Secretary's 
2009 Award for International Women of Courage (IWOC). 
 
FULL NAME OF NOMINEE: Attorney Katrina Legarda, a.k.a. Maria 
Carolina Legarda 
 
JOB TITLE/ASSOCIATION: Founding Chairman, Child Justice League 
 
DATE OF BIRTH: September 10, 1954 
 
COUNTRY OF BIRTH: Philippines 
 
CITIZENSHIP: Philippines 
 
ADDRESS: Legarda Compound, Sobriedad corner Ventura Streets, 
Balic-balic, Sampaloc, Manila 
 
TELEPHONE: Mobile phone number +63-929-962-5564 
 
EMAIL: legarda910@gmail.com 
 
PASSPORT NUMBER:  XX1228137, issued in Manila on May 22, 2008. (The 
letter 'x' in passport number is intentional.) 
 
DETAILED JUSTIFICATION FOR THE AWARD: 
 
Attorney Katrina Legarda has played a vital role for over a decade 
in the Philippines' campaign for the protection and advocacy of the 
rights of women and children, making her today one of the most 
visible equality activists in the country.  Among her most 
significant accomplishments is the 1999 founding of the Child 
Justice League, a foundation that provides free legal assistance to 
abused children and children in conflict with the law, educates 
others on legal remedies for such children, and advocates for policy 
reform on their behalf.  While maintaining involvement in the Child 
Justice League, she also serves as legal consultant to the Child 
Protection Unit Network, which works with the Department of Health 
and other agencies to improve the quality of care services for 
abused children.  She ably chaired the 7th Asian Regional Conference 
of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and 
Neglect (ISPCAN) in Manila in September 2007.  She is currently 
ISPCAN Asian regional coordinator.  She is also the president of the 
Women's Legal Circle, an organization that provides free legal 
assistance to women and children and funds a jail decongestion 
program for minors. 
 
A talented and widely respected lawyer, author, journalist, and 
activist, Legarda was lead counsel in the famous 1997 statutory rape 
case against a member of Congress, who was ultimately convicted and 
continues serving his sentence.  In the year 2000, as counsel to a 
woman on death row convicted of parricide, she persuaded the Supreme 
Court to recognize the "Battered Wife Syndrome" as a legitimate 
defense, leading to a reduced sentence.  She became a tireless 
supporter of the Philippines Anti-Violence Against Women and 
Children Act of 2004, providing legal recourse to victims of 
domestic violence.  She continues to be an outspoken advocate for 
the enactment and implementation of laws that can further protect 
the rights of women, children, and other social groups in the 
Philippines.  She is also a member of the recently formed Bantay 
Korte Suprema (Supreme Court Watch) which is working to ensure that 
only individuals of strong integrity are appointed to the high 
court. 
 
In the 1990s, she founded the political party "Abanse! Pinay" (Move 
Forward! Filipina) to push for women's rights legislation in 
Congress.  The party won its first seat in the House of 
Representatives in the 1998 national elections, and was reelected in 
¶2001.  Moving away from direct political involvement, Legarda has 
since focused on educating Filipinos to secure and enforce their 
rights under the law. 
 
In addition to teaching students at several universities on 
jurisprudence and judicial ethics, among other subjects, Legarda 
trains judges, prosecutors, social workers, and police personnel in 
the Philippines on the investigation of crimes involving women and 
children.  She continues to educate the public on women's and 
children's rights through print, radio, and television.  Her regular 
appearances on the ABS-CBN news network's morning program and a 
related internet column provide a national outlet for her trusted 
legal advice to women who are struggling with spousal abuse, child 
support, child custody, divorce and annulment, and even economic and 
livelihood issues. 
 
 
MANILA 00002435  002 OF 002 
 
 
Assessing her activism from a broader perspective, Legarda 
demonstrates the spirit enshrined in the President's Freedom Agenda 
through her support for democracy, good governance, and human 
rights.  She has been a critic of corruption in the Philippines, a 
key target area for U.S. development assistance, and a vocal 
supporter of consumer rights.  On human rights, she has been an 
outspoken critic of laws in the Philippines that punish adultery but 
do not provide for legal divorce, limiting the ability of women to 
remove themselves from abusive relationships.  She has spoken and 
written about the legal rights of the underprivileged, including the 
homeless, with a focus on land rights, another target area for U.S. 
development assistance. 
 
For her contributions, she received the "Women Helping Women" and 
"Women Advancing the Status of Women" Awards from the International 
Soroptimist Club, as well as the prestigious Young Professional 
Award given by Parangal ng Bayan Foundation, which recognizes the 
national contribution of outstanding Filipino achievers.  Legarda 
participated in a 1992 IVP multi-regional program to the United 
States on "The Independent Judiciary." 
 
For her role in improving the ability of Filipinos to protect their 
rights and inform themselves about their rights under the law, 
particularly women and children, Post encourages the Department to 
select Attorney Katrina Legarda as the EAP recipient for the 
Secretary's 2009 International Women of Courage Award. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Post has informed Legarda of the nomination and, should she 
be selected, she is willing to accept the award. 
 
KENNEY