The Honorable Miriam Defensor Santiago |
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Senator of the Philippines | |
In office 30 June 2004 – 30 June 2016 |
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In office 30 June 1995 – 30 June 2001 |
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Judge of the International Criminal Court | |
In office December 2012 – 3 June 2014 |
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Nominated by | Philippines |
Chair of the Philippine Senate Foreign Relations Committee |
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In office July 22, 2013 – June 30, 2016 |
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Preceded by | Loren Legarda |
Succeeded by | Alan Peter Cayetano |
Secretary of Agrarian Reform | |
In office 20 July 1989 – 4 January 1990 |
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President | Corazon Aquino |
Preceded by | Philip Juico |
Succeeded by | Florencio Abad |
Personal details | |
Born |
Miriam Palma Defensor 15 June 1945 Iloilo City, Philippine Commonwealth |
Died | 29 September 2016 Quezon City, Philippines |
(aged 71)
Cause of death | Lung cancer |
Resting place | Loyola Memorial Park, Marikina, Philippines |
Political party | People's Reform Party |
Spouse(s) | Narciso Santiago (m. 1970) |
Children | 6 |
Alma mater |
University of the Philippines, Visayas University of the Philippines, Diliman University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Maryhill School of Theology |
Website | Official website |
Miriam Palma Defensor Santiago (15 June 1945 – 29 September 2016) was a Filipino politician and judge, who served in all three branches of the Philippine government – judicial, executive, and legislative. Some of her alma maters include University of the Philippines, University of Michigan, Oxford University, Maryhill School of Theology, University of California, Harvard University, and Cambridge University. Santiago was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian magazine.
In 1988, Santiago was named laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service, with a citation "for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency." She ran in the 1992 presidential elections but was defeated in an election marred by allegations of impropriety by the victor. The quote, 'Miriam won in the elections, but lost in the counting.' became popular nationwide.
Santiago became senator of the republic in 1995 and authored the most number of laws and bills in the entire history of the Philippines. She ran again for president in the 1998 presidential elections but lost after heavy black propaganda against her which were eventually proven false. She continued her work as senator - exposed and lambasted numerous government scandals, such as the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, which led to massive outrage and triggered major reforms throughout the country. She became an icon of incorruptibility, honest government service, and constitutional law. She was given numerous awards and recognition for her fight against corruption in the country.
In 2012, Santiago became the first Filipina and the first Asian from a developing country to be elected a judge of the International Criminal Court. She later resigned the post, citing chronic fatigue syndrome, which turned out to be lung cancer. In 2016, she became part of the International Advisory Council of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), an intergovernmental body that promotes the rule of law.