Maria Ana Consuelo Abad Santos Madrigal-Valade, better known as Jamby Madrigal was born on April 26, 1958 in Manila to Antonio Madrigal and Amanda Abad Santos-Madrigal.

She is the grand daughter of the former Supreme Court Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Her grand uncle – pre-Commonwealth Assemblyman Pedro Abad Santos – founded the Socialist Party of the Philippines.

Her paternal grandfather was Senator Vicente Madrigal of Ligao, Albay, one of the Philippine Republic's elected senators in 1949.

She, her father, and grandfather are members of the rich Spanish-Visayan Madrigal family.

Her aunt, Senator Pacita Madrigal-Gonzalez was a senator during the Quezon and Magsaysay administrations and was the first administrator of the Social Welfare Administration, the predecessor of today's Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Her late married uncle and aunt were former Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuel Collantes and heiress Consuelo "Chito" Madrigal.

Madrigal is the head of several foundations that aim to heighten awareness of the plight of street children, and to raise funds for various centers that award school scholarships to the children of the poor.

The Abad Santos Madrigal Foundation (ASMF) Inc. works to empower women and children through relevant and accessible livelihood programs. Its flagship project, the Basic Reflexology Training Program (BRTP) has trained more than 10,000 reflexology therapists nationwide[citation needed. Program graduates are accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

She married Frenchman Eric Jean Claude Dudoignon Valade on December 7, 2002 at the Calatagan, Batangas farm estate of her aunt, the late Doña Consuelo "Chito" Madrigal-Collantes.

In October 1999, President Estrada created the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Children's Affairs.

He appointed her to head this office, which gives the children of the poor access to the President's highest councils.

She organized the First National Summit for Children in Malacañang Palace on October 26, 2000 where government agencies, local government units, industry leaders and non-government organizations signed a declaration of commitment upholding Child 21 – a framework on which to anchor all action plans and strategies relating to children.

This declaration was a first in Southeast Asia – a fitting prelude to the United Nations' World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children, which was adopted during the World Summit for Children on September 30, 1990.

She was elected during the 2004 general elections and is currently the Chairperson of four Senate Committees: Committee on Environment, Committee on Youth, Women and Family Relations, Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, and the Committee on Cultural Communities.

She likewise sponsored bills advancing national economic interests, such as the repeal of the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998, as well as measures seeking to place LPG under price control and for the recovery of PETRON and Malampaya.

She recently filed a bill repealing RA 7942, the "Mining Act of 1995" and a bill for the imposition of a total log ban. Both bills aim to protect the last remaining natural resources from wholesale plunder.