Miriam remembered
The late Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago’s brilliance, moral courage, signature wit, and fiery stance against corruption, and bureaucratic inefficiency and incompetence are sorely missed by her supporters in this time of many challenges besetting the country.
Santiago, who had served all three branches of government with a sterling record of public service for nearly 30 years, passed on Sept. 29, 2016 after a short battle with lung cancer.
Throughout her remarkable career as a public servant, Santiago was known as a firebrand who championed the rule of law and waged war on corruption.
On her second death anniversary today, Sept. 29, Santiago’s family and supporters continue to mourn her passing and her absence from the national political scene.
Former Health secretary Esperanza Cabral, a close friend of the late senator, said: “I miss her as a friend and I miss her for what she could be doing for our country these challenging times.”
“I am not the only one who misses her in the latter way. I
hear it from others and read it from social media. Many of us think she could be playing a vital role in reminding Filipinos of our shared destiny. In heeding out nobles angels and steering the nation toward a better future,” Cabral said.
Tom Tolibas, Santiago’s former media relations officer in the Senate, said: “There is no doubt I miss her. People sometimes approach me to tell me that they miss Miriam. Even the Internet misses her: Almost every time I browse Facebook there’s somebody posting a relevant quote from her, or using her image to personify the mix of wit, wisdom, and righteous indignation Filipinos have been missing in their political life since September 2016.”
The Senate misses her. People tell me they miss Miriam most when news from the Senate is one of the day’s top headlines. Nowadays, there is an eerie silence in every media coverage of committee hearings or plenary debates, as if a choir lost a soprano – one that is outspoken, lyrically highfalutin, and essential. For every controversy in the past 12 months and thereafter, there is a nagging whisper at the back of people’s heads saying, “What would Miriam say? We miss the times that there is an answer to that question,” Tollibas said.
Public service Santiago’s long record of public service includes positions in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government.
Santiago served as senator from 1995 to 2001, and then from 2004 to 2016, where she was remembered for her no-hold barred privilege speeches, exposes against the pork barrel, investigations and various government anomalies and her quick fiery rebukes of anyone displaying incompetence, corruption and wanton disregard of public good.
An expert on constitutional and international law, Santiago chaired the senate committee on constitutional amendments.
She made history by being the first Filipino and first Asian from a developing country to be elected judge of the International Criminal Court in 2011. But due to her illness, she decided to step down from the post that she was then unable to assume.
Santiago ran for President in 1992 as a widely popular independent candidate but lost the race. She said then that she “won in the voting but lost in the counting.” She ran again in the 1998 and 2016 presidential elections, riding on her popularity with the youth.
Santiago rose to prominence first as a Quezon City regional trial court judge, and later as immigration commissioner and secretary of agrarian reform.
Magsaysay award It was for her fight against corruption at the immigration bureau that earned her the Magsaysay Award for Government Service, The Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
In this award given in 1998, she was cited, “For bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency.”
Known as the “Iron Lady of Asia” for her unflinching moral courage and intellectual brilliance, Santiago was a recipient of countless awards.
She was also awarded the TOYM (The Outstanding Young Men) of the Jaycees;
TOWNS (The Outstanding Woman in the Nation’s Service) of the Lions; Gold Vision Triangle Award of the YMCA; Golden Jubilee Achievement Award of the Girl Scout; and Republic Anniversary Award of the Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines; the Outstanding Law Alumna Award of the University of the Philippines, the Public Service Award from the Metro Manila bishops, as well as the Woman of the Year Award from the Catholic Education Association of the Philippines.
She was also given the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Council of Evangelical Churches of the Philippines and the named one of “The Most Powerful Women in the World” in 1996, by The Australian magazine on its website.
Youth leaders
Up to now, Santiago’s youth supporters are keeping her flame burning.
These are some of her youth leaders and their sentiment:
“What I miss was the senator’s courage and brilliance. Also missed was her presence in Senate in which she never bowed to the whims and wrongdoings of anyone,” said Vincent Jerome Agustin, youth volunteer during the 2016 elections.
“Her unbiased opinion in issues that hound the country was what I missed. You know that she only works for the interest of the Constitution and the country. Philippines politics is undoubtedly not the same without Miriam,” said EJ Clamor, youth volunteer during the 2016 presidential elections
“The Late Senator Defensor Santiago was known for her feisty but sweet personality.
“Her adherence to the rule of law is a quality that cannot be taken away from her. With all the unfortunate things happening to our country, specifically how some of government officials circumvent the law just for their own benefit, Miriam Defensor Santiago is terribly missed not only by her supporters, but also the people who cared about the law,” said Raymond Fernandez, another youth volunteer during the 2016 presidential elections.
Quezon Service Cross
Meanwhile, in December, 2017, President Duterte nominated Santiago to posthumously receive the Quezon Service Cross, the Philippines’ highest civilian award, for her distinguished life of service to her country.
The Senate and the House of Representatives both approved the nomination through a concurrent resolution.
However, the award is still pending in Malacañang.
The Youth Reform Movement, Santiago’s youth volunteers, this week urged President Duterte to finally confer the award.