Merriam defensor santiago biography

When I assumed my position as commissioner in January the office did not enjoy an unsullied reputation. In fact, it was regarded as one of the most notoriously corrupt agencies in the Philippine government. For a former judge and law professor like myself to accept the post was tantamount to a death wish. But I decided that it was my moral duty to brave the perils of bureaucratic darkness.

It was a way of paying my dues to society — for it has been kind to those who, like me, rose from the ranks of genteel poverty. The twin dragons that guarded the door to bureaucratic integrity were corruption and criminality. These two cultures interfaced with and supported each other. Corrupt employees protected alien criminals, who in turn cultivated in the employees a fatal attraction to illicit incomes and flamboyant lifestyles.

We set out to slay the double-headed monster. We arrested and deported members of alien criminal syndicates, with particular attention to those who were busy earning for Manila the reputation of the fake passport capital of Asia. Also high in the order of battle were syndicates specializing in moral damage to Philippine culture, i.

We did not win the friendship of our enemies, but, I hope, we earned their fear and respect. He can be either a government employee or a private person who operates as the adjunct of a corrupt employee. The fixer, like a poisonous mushroom, proliferates in an environment of neglect; therefore, we designed an environment to make the fixer obsolete.

To eliminate the role of the fixer as a bureaucratic panacea, we are making basic information available to our constituents through published booklets of instruction, which now include the Immigration Manual, Legalization Rules and Regulations, Deportation Rules of Procedure, and, before the end of this year, Immigration Law. To eliminate the fixer?

The overtime fees are accumulated in a trust fund and distributed monthly to employees on top of their salaries. By such means we may not have converted immigration employees to virtue overnight, but I hope we have helped them to see the merriam defensor santiago biography. Have we slain the twin monsters of corruption and criminality? Not yet.

Then what have we achieved? Three things:. First, we have sent a signal to the alien criminal community that the Philippine government means to operate under an impersonal system of laws, not a personalistic system of bribery and unethical influence. The Philippines is a developing state struggling with the problem of poverty, but the necessity for?

But eventually, her votes were whittled down, and it appeared that she was again cheated in the elections. By this time, Estrada was already in detention as the accused in a plunder case. In the next elections, Estrada handpicked another movie actor to run for president. InMiriam won her second term as senator. She chairs two powerful committees: the energy committee, and the foreign relations committee.

In latea group of young lawyers nominated her for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Merriam defensor santiago biography: Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago GCS

But she reportedly gave way to the senior associate justice, saying that she was too young for the post. WCAG 2. This certifies it as a stable and referenceable technical standard. There are testable success criteria for each guideline. Defensor Santiago's candidacy for President of the Philippines was confirmed on February 19, Ramon Magsaysay Jr.

While campaigning on April 28,she was severely injured in car crash, [ 6 ] which she claimed was an assassination attempt. On orders of President Aquino, she was airlifted from Tarlac to a Manila hospital. She underwent surgery on the jaw, and at one point a Catholic priest administered the last rites of the dying. Two months later, she was back on the campaign trail.

She cites physicist Marie Curie and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as her major influences throughout her political career, with Thatcher praising her for her book Cutting Edge during their meeting while the Prime Minister visited the Philippines. Defensor Santiago was leading the canvassing of votes for the first five days.

Merriam defensor santiago biography: Dr. Miriam Defensor Santiago

Defensor Santiago filed a protest before the Supreme Court as electoral tribunal, citing the power outages during the counting of votes as evidence of massive fraud. Her election protest was eventually dismissed on a technicality. The public outrage over the presidential results prompted Newsweek to feature her and her rival on the merriam defensor santiago biography with the question: "Was the Election Fair?

The quote, 'Miriam won in the elections but lost in the counting' was popularized by the masses. Defensor Santiago was first elected senator in Inher presidential rival Fidel Ramos initiated a "people's campaign" for an infinite presidential term. Defensor Santiago harshly criticized Ramos' campaign and went to court. She again ran for president in the presidential electionswith running-mate Francisco Tatadbut lost amidst heavy propaganda concerning her mental health, which was later proven false.

She was one of the few senators who were against the opening of the brown envelope during the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estradawho was her foe in the presidential elections. She said afterwards:. At that time, I wanted to apply the rules of court technically. Since there is no allegation of wrongdoing in connection with the notorious second envelope, I voted that we should not open the second envelope until and after the complaint had already been amended [ Let's not wait for the military and police.

Let's do it, just us. Defensor Santiago lost re-election to the Senate in Defensor Santiago ran for senator in and was elected. She ran again for senator in and won. During her three terms, she served as chair mostly of the foreign relations committee and the constitutional amendments committee. She exposed and named numerous jueteng illegal gambling lords and illegal-logging lords throughout her terms.

InDefensor Santiago was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court ICC which hears cases against humanity for former heads of state. She was the first Asian from a third-world country to be elected to such a post. She resigned in after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was one of the three senators who voted against the conviction of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona during his impeachment trial ; Corona was ultimately found guilty for his failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

In Decembershe exposed that the Senate president, Juan Ponce Enrileused Senate funds to give away as cash gifts. Defensor Santiago's live Senate hearings in the case led to public outrage and support for Defensor Santiago's call to abolish the pork barrel system. Her role in the organization was advisory to the international law community. In OctoberDefensor Santiago announced her intention to run in the Philippine presidential election after her cancer was deemed 'stable' and 'receded' by doctors from the United States.

Her campaign focused on the youth sector for which she heavily advocated, merriam defensor santiago biography use of social media. She was a landslide winner in numerous polls conducted in various public and private universities and colleges in the country. Despite this, she lost in the elections. Before her death, various groups in the country have been lauding her to join the candidacy for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary-General post where the elected Secretary-General will be positioned for Among other candidates for the position are AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes of Malaysia and an unstated representative from Brunei, which is the lead country for — according to tradition.

At the age of 71, Defensor Santiago died in her sleep at exactly a. I do not want to do anything heroic. Following a Catholic funeral Massshe was interred at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina on October 2, beside the tomb of her son, Alexander, who died in The local government said in an official statement that Defensor Santiago 'brought pride and honor to all Ilonggos'.

In SeptemberSenator Grace Poeher freedom of information FOI ally and presidential rival, nominated Defensor Santiago to be awarded the Quezon Service Cross, the highest honor in the entire Republic, subject for approval of both houses of Congress and by President Rodrigo Dutertewho was another presidential rival. On the same month, Senator Sonny Angarawho considers Defensor Santiago as his mentor, followed suit by filing another resolution nominating Defensor Santiago to become a laureate of the prestigious Quezon Service Cross, just days before Defensor Santiago's first death anniversary on September The Senate expressed its full intent to confer Defensor Santiago the award.

Most members of the House are against Defensor Santiago's anti-political dynasty bill which she introduced in Congress. Santiago's bill is backed by the Constitution itself, where it mandates both chambers of Congress to enact such a law. On December 5,the president officially nominated Defensor Santiago for the award, awaiting concurrence of both chambers of Congress to officially bestow the award.

Defensor Santiago is the sixth person and the first and only woman to be nominated for the award. She is the sixth person to be immortalized in the year old national roster. On October 12,Republic Act No. Defensor Santiago Avenue in her honor. Defensor Santiago is not in favor of federalismstating in one interview that if the country would turn Federalist, "[That] the masses and the entire electorate will not [be able to] choose who the president will be.

We leave that choice to a group of politicians, and we know how those politicians act. Mostly, their actions are always attended by corruption.

Merriam defensor santiago biography: First Filipino and first Southeast

Defensor Santiago was in favor of amending the Constitution of the Philippines to enhance foreign investments in the country and to mandate that all high posts in government senator, representative, president, vice president, governor, mayor, vice mayor, secretaries, undersecretaries, etc. Numerous politicians in the country are only high school or elementary graduates, and most college graduate officials have never passed the Civil Service Examination for Professionals CSE-P.

She argues that positions in government like administrative assistant must pass the CSE-P as a qualification, 'why not higher posts too? Santiago, the then chairwoman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, said she was in favor of shifting to a parliamentary form of government in Defensor Santiago was the principal author of the Anti-Dynasty Bill in the Senate and had been pushing for its immediate passage in Congress for more than a decade.

She stressed during a live debate that the South China Sea is a sovereign territory of the Philippines and that the country should have a better military and police force and assets and should prioritize enhancing ties with allied nations, especially in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN. The case was won by the Philippines in Despite this, China still does not recognize the ruling.

Defensor Santiago was against the Bangsamoro Basic Lawsaying it is unconstitutional because it specifies that Bangsamoro will become a 'sub-state' of the republic which is illegal under the law. She prefers a more constitutional form of the Bangsamoro Basic Law which does not create a 'sub-state' government. Defensor Santiago was in merriam defensor santiago biography of appointing a third-party to conduct under international law "inquiry and fact-finding" to resolve the North Borneo disputewhere the third-party is approved by both the national governments of Malaysia and the Philippines.

She cited the Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of Disputes as motivator of her legal position. She said that this can end the dispute as it did in the involvement of mercenaries in an invasion of the Seychellesthe use of chemical weapons in the Gulf War between Iran and Iraqand the destruction of Korean Air Lines Boeing She said that since no transfer of sovereignty was involved in the Deed, no transfer of sovereignty has ever passed to Malaysia.

She added that the Philippines has never abandoned its claim over eastern Sabah. Defensor Santiago publicly advocated for the passage of a divorce law in the Philippines, saying, "Why would you force [couples] to be together if they want to kill each other by mere sight? Defensor-Santiago took a critical perspective of abortion and supports maintaining laws against it: "No to abortion, never.

I am a very avid supporter of RH [Reproductive Health] Law, but I will definitely fight to the death against abortion as a lawyer, not necessarily as a religious person. I equate it properly with the crime of murder. She said if she will be elected, she will work for a full and conscientious implementation of the law. In the wake of the Orlando nightclub shootingshe said in a Twitter post, "The mass shooting at a club in Orlando is appalling and heartbreaking" and "I long for the day when the LGBT community no longer has to live in fear of discrimination and hate crimes".

She also supported the passage of the anti-discrimination bill SOGIE Equality Bill which protects the rights of people of different sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. She was the first senator in Philippine history to push for the bill's legislation, filing it repeatedly since Defensor Santiago favored the death penalty but limited it to heinous crimes, while maintaining that the justice system should be improved.

Defensor Santiago vehemently opposed mining. She believes mining is one of the greatest reasons why local communities are impoverished as most of the profit coming from mining are siphoned by mining companies away from the local economy. In addition, mining has made numerous destructive advances in Philippine society and ecosystems, destroying watersheds and agricultural lands, as well as rivers and seas.

According to an interview conducted by Haribon Foundation during the Presidential Campaign, the organization voted her as the "greenest" in all of the candidates. Defensor Santiago advocated the establishment of the Department of Information which is mandated to speed-up internet connectivity in the Philippines which she described "the worst internet speed in Asia".

She also advocated for the passage of the Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom which protects the rights and freedoms of Filipinos in cyberspace, while defining and penalizing cybercrimes. Defensor Santiago advocated the establishment of a completely new railway system from Manila to Sorsogon and a new high-speed merriam defensor santiago biography system connecting Metro Manila to Pampanga, Bulacan.

Rizal, Batangas, Laguna, and Cavite. She also advocated the establishment of a new modernized airport and the establishment of new projects in every province in the entire country. Defensor Santiago wrote at least 30 books, many of which are about law and social sciences. The doctoral dissertation she wrote for the University of Michigan was published as a book, Political Offences in International Law.

She published a joke book inStupid is Forevera collection of jokes, comebacks, one-liners, and pick-up lines she used in speeches. Defensor Santiago grew up in a middle-class erudite household with both parents having higher educational attainments. She was married to Narciso "Jun" Santiago Jr. In general, Defensor Santiago had a complex relationship with religion, at times affirming her membership in the Catholic Church [ ] while at other times heavily criticizing and even entertaining the nonexistence of the Christian god.

The only thing I know about God is that God is inscrutable. In other words, I don't know a single thing about God. I'm clueless about what God is. Maybe Jesus, or the other historical figures around which religions had been built, would be more approachable. But God itself, being on a divine level, I think it's just impermeable to human intelligence.

And there is a very famous classical book called The Cloud of Unknowing. There's always a cloud of unknowing over God. I think that, since God is inaccessible to people, we tend to portray Him in anthropomorphic terms. We think of the best qualities in every person and you try and project it on a giant scale on God. So in effect, God is a man-made concept.

We have no clue what God is. She stated in a separate interview in I do not understand why God can be all love and still inflict this kind of pain on people. This God is an underachiever. He does not do whatever he is supposed to be doing, whatever his sex is. Whether he's an it or a she or a he or whatever. But I'm sure that if you were a god or if I were the God, I would be doing a better job.

Therefore, the only conclusion can be that possibly, God does not exist. The Catholic Church is not the official state religion The views she shared in seem to conflict with both her views in her book Stupid is Forever published just a year prior to the interview where she mentions her defense of the Reproductive Health Law in spite of her asserting her Catholicism[ ] and an interview in where when asked what she does as both the last thing she does before going to sleep and first thing she does when waking up is "pray".

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Filipina politician, former Senator, lawyer, and author — In this Philippine name for married womenthe birth middle name or maternal family name is Palmathe birth surname or paternal family name is Defensorand the marital name is Santiago.

Defensor Santiago in Narciso Y. Santiago Jr. Early life and education [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Department of Justice [ edit ]. United Nations [ edit ]. Judge during martial law [ edit ]. Immigration Commissioner [ edit ]. Agrarian Reform Secretary [ edit ]. Main article: Philippine presidential election. Senator [ edit ]. Second and third term, — [ edit ].

Select laws authored [ edit ]. Further information: Philippine presidential election. Main article: Miriam Defensor Santiago presidential campaign. Retirement [ edit ]. Death [ edit ]. Political positions [ edit ]. Domestic policy [ edit ]. Federalism [ edit ]. See also: Federalism in the Philippines. Charter Change [ edit ]. See also: Constitutional reform in the Philippines.

Anti-political dynasty [ edit ]. See also: Political dynasties in the Philippines. South China Sea dispute [ edit ]. See also: Territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Mindanao [ edit ]. See also: Moro conflict.