FORMER SENATOR SANTANINA RASUL DIES AT 94

THE country’s first Muslim female senator Santanina Rasul passed away on Thursday night, November 28, 2024, at the age of 94.

Rasul’s daughter, Amina, announced the passing of her beloved mother on a social media post.

“Mama left us peacefully last night and has returned to Allah,” Amina, said in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon.

“We will bring her to the Blue Mosque in Taguig tomorrow noon, awaiting my brothers coming home from the US. We will fly her to Jolo where she will lie beside Papa,”Amina added.

Senate President Chiz Escudero joined the nation in mourning the passing of the former senator.

“It is with deep sadness that I join the nation in mourning the passing of former Senator Santanina Tillah Rasul, a trailblazer and the first Muslim woman to serve in the Philippine Senate. She was a leader who broke the glass ceiling; more importantly, she shattered the glass ceiling for others, ensuring that the paths she tread would remain open for future generations of Filipino women,” said Escudero. 

The Senate leader said Rasul’s legacy as a champion of women empowerment, literacy and peace remains strong to this day.

As a senator, Rasul was author of several laws including of R.A. 6949, which declares March 8 of every year as National Women’s Day in the Philippines, and R.A. 7192 or the Women in Development and Nation Building Act that sought to break all barriers for women and paved the way for the entry of women into the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

“Tunay na binigyan ni Senator Nina Rasul ng puso ang Senado sa loob ng dalawang termino o walong taon na paninilbihan bilang nag-iisang babeng Muslim sa kasaysaysan ng Senado,” Escudero said.

“Her service to the nation did not end after her stint  in the Senate. She was part of the historic peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as a member of the government peace panel during the administration of the late former President Fidel V. Ramos. She continued to push for her advocacies with the establishment of the Magbassa Kita Foundation Inc., whose work in promoting literacy for peace and development continues to this day,” Escudero further said.

Senator Rasul was also a key member of the first post-EDSA Senate, which played a critical role in restoring democratic institutions and laying the foundations of modern Philippine democracy.

“On behalf of the Senate of the Philippines, I extend our deepest condolences to the family of Senator Rasul, her loved ones, and the communities she served with dedication and compassion. May she rest in peace,” Escudero added.   

Rasul served as senator from 1987 to 1992 and from 1992 to 1995 and authored eight laws as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Recognition and the Committee on Women and Family Relations.

Rasul first served in government as a public school teacher in Siasi and Jolo in the 1950s, as a village councilor in Jolo in the early 1960s, and as a Sulu Provincial Board member from 1971 to 1976.

She was a member of the government peace panel that successfully negotiated peace talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under the administration of the late president Fidel V. Ramos.

Rasul also served as commissioner representing Muslim and other ethnic minorities from 1978 to 1987.

Rasul was born in Siasi, Sulu and earned her political science degree from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1952.

She earned her master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines in 1976, and her doctorate in public administration from the UP College of Public Administration and Governance in 1978.

After her term as senator, Rasul continued her advocacy to combat illiteracy and founded the Magbasa Kita Foundation, Inc., which advocates for the promotion of literacy, peace, and development and women empowerment.

She was married to the late ambassador Abraham Rasul Sr. with whom she had six children.