Senator Loren Legarda will remain away from the Senate through October 9 after filing another extension of her medical leave, Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. confirmed on September 21.
The latest leave covers three separate periods: September 21 to 23, September 28 to October 2, and October 5 to 9. This marks the sixth time Legarda has extended her medical leave since she began her absence from the chamber in August.
Legarda was last seen attending a Senate plenary session on July 29. If her latest leave runs through October 9, her absence from the chamber will total 72 days. She has also missed Senate budget proceedings and portions of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, where she serves as a senator-judge.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian previously disclosed that Legarda was dealing with a serious illness and was not receiving her Senate salary while on leave. Other senators have also said that she was undergoing treatment for a lung-related condition.
Legarda left the Philippines on August 2, with France reported as her final destination. The National Bureau of Investigation earlier said she traveled through Hong Kong before proceeding to France.
Her prolonged absence has also occurred while she and her son, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, face an Ombudsman investigation involving allegations of plunder and graft connected to solar energy projects. The two have denied wrongdoing, and Legarda has described the allegations as “utterly false and baseless.”
The Ombudsman said in September that Legarda and Leviste had submitted their counter-affidavit in the case, which investigators are reviewing as part of the preliminary investigation.
