Miriam: It’s ‘wha’ – as in ‘what?’

It’s spelled “wha” – as in “what?”

“Wha,” which has become Sen. Miriam Defensor-santiago’s new expression of exasperation, is now a buzzword in social networking sites, radio and television shows and even among her colleagues in the Senate.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile adopted the expression yesterday while he was being interviewed by the media on his views on the use of vulgar words such as “g-a-g-o” during Day 26 of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“Wha! There’s a part 1 and part 2,” Enrile said, to the amusement of the Senate media.

In a later interview, Santiago said the correct spelling is “wha,” a slang for “what.”

Sen. Miriam DefensorSantiago has deferred her oath-taking as a judge in the International Criminal Court (ICC) scheduled at The Hague in the Netherlands on March 9.

Her ailments require her to stay in the country a little longer.

In a statement, Santiago said she would most probably be around when the senators cast their votes as judges in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“In all probability, I shall be able to vote at the impeachment trial by about May,” she said.

The ICC has granted Santiago permission to defer her oath-taking.

In a telephone interview with reporters at the Senate yesterday, Santiago said that she would most likely report to the ICC next year.

Santiago gave two medical grounds for asking the ICC to defer her oath-taking: her hypertension and “lazy bone marrow.”

She has been suffering from hypertension for some time already, a condition which has forced her to go on leave on several occasions.

Her office reported that her blood pressure shot up to 190/90 the other day after her latest episode at the impeachment court with private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre, who was eventually cited for contempt.

Santiago also cited her chronic condition, known as “lazy bone marrow,” which lowers her blood count and requires, at least during the impeachment trial, a weekly injection.

“Just to make sure that I shall be physically fit when I transfer residence and office to The Hague, I have already made known to the ICC president my request that of the six new judges, if possible I should be the last one to be called for duty,” she said.

Santiago was elected as one of six new judges in the ICC last December, making her the first Filipino and Asian from a developing nation to serve as ICC judge.

She ended up getting the most votes during the election among the six winning judges.

All six newly elected ICC judges are supposed to take their oath after undergoing a three-day seminar on the work of the ICC, Santiago said.

After the seminar, the judges are scheduled to return to their countries and wait for the ICC to call them to duty.

The ICC also advised the new judges not to resign from their present positions because the ICC does not yet know when each one will be called to report to The Hague.

Under ICC rules, an outgoing judge is required to continue working even past retirement age, until all pending cases where the judge has participated have been finished.

Santiago told: Set

good example

Santiago must set a good example for the youth and avoid scathing remarks, a Catholic priest said yesterday.

Speaking over Catholic Church-run Fr. Conegondo Garganta said young people were watching Santiago at the impeachment trial.

“Our only reminder is that they should still maintain good manners, especially in the use of language because as high- ranking officials in the country, they should serve as good models to the youth,” he said.

Garganta, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Youth executive secretary, said government officials shouting and hurling hurtful words against other people does not set a good example to the youth.

“The youth might think that what their idols are doing is okay, and there is a big possibility that they would follow their example,” he said.

Santiago should heed the reminder, along with the other senators, the prosecutors and the defense counsels, Garganta said.

Last Wednesday, Santiago berated the prosecutors and called them “gago” or stupid.

During Santiago’s tirade, private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre was seen covering his ears with his hands, his head bowed slightly.

For disrespecting a senatorjudge, he was cited in contempt.