By Liza Soriano
MANILA — The Senate has passed a resolution expressing profound sympathy and sincere condolences to the family of former Senator Santanina Tillah Rasul.
“Senator Rasul’s story — enduring through conflict while fighting for peace, rising to power while remaining deeply grounded, and serving the people both within and outside government — is truly worth remembering and emulating,” said Senator Francis Escudero in his sponsorship speech of Senate Resolution No. 1244.
Rasul passed away on November 28, 2024, at the age of 94.
A former public school teacher, Rasul first served as a barrio councilor before becoming a provincial board member of Sulu. In 1987, she made history as the first and only Muslim woman to be elected and re-elected to the Senate under the senatorial slate of then-President Corazon Aquino.
Escudero recalled how Rasul championed women’s rights long before the #MeToo movement brought widespread attention to women’s issues.
“And if hashtags had existed then, she would have made ‘#BLM’ — #BangsamoroLivesMatter — her rallying cry as she worked to change the views of those who saw Mindanao as a distant curiosity and wrongly pigeonholed Muslims with unfair stereotypes,” the Senate President added.
The late senator also authored significant laws aimed at empowering women.
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