WHO IS MIRIAM SANTIAGO?

Global Fame

She earned the degree, Doctor of Juridical Science, in the United States. Dr. Miriam Defensor Santiago is a globally famous personality, because of her legal brilliance and courageous example in fighting corruption. In a nation where many public officials are charged with, or suspected, of plunder, her honesty shines like a light in the darkness.

She has brought honor to the Philippines in several ways. She is the first Filipino and the first Asian from a developing country, to be elected in the United Nations as judge of the International Criminal Court. The ICC hears cases against heads of state. Thus, she put the Philippines on the global map in the 21st century. Unfortunately, grave illness forced her to waive the privilege of being an ICC judge.

For two years, she suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. In June 2014 she was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage 4 (the last stage). But with her signature humor and bravery, she fought back, and her cancer has regressed. Even cancer cells are afraid of her!

She was chosen as laureate of the Magsaysay Award for Government Service, known as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. She was cited “for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency.” She was named one of “The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World” by The Australian magazine.

Academic Excellence

Dr. Santiago is one of the most intellectually brilliant leaders that our country has ever seen. She earned the degrees Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude; and Bachelor of Laws, cum laude, from the University of the Philippines. She went abroad and earned the graduate degrees of Master of Laws, and Doctor of Juridical Science, from the University of Michigan, one of the top three law schools in the United States. She finished the academic requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Religious Studies, at the Maryhill School of Theology.

In U.P., the perfect grade is 1.0. In her last undergraduate semester, Dr. Santiago earned the near-perfect average grade of 1.1. And she finished her 4-year course in only 3-1/2 years. At the University of Michigan, she was a Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow. She finished her master’s degree in only one year, and her doctorate in only six months.

Our guest speaker loves learning. She has done postdoctoral studies all over the world, including Oxford University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and Academy of Public International Law at the Peace Palace (the seat of the International Court of Justice), at The Hague, Netherlands.

Dr. Santiago was class valedictorian at all levels – elementary, high school, and college. She made history in U.P. when she became the first female editor-in-chief of the famous student newspaper, Philippine Collegian, thus shattering a 50-year old record of male dominance. She won as Best Debater in the annual U.P. law debate, where she was captain of the winning team. It is interesting that at the same time she held a campus beauty title, not once but twice – as ROTC corps sponsor.

 Professional Excellence

Dr. Santiago holds an amazing record of excellence in all three branches of government – judicial, executive, and legislative. In the judicial branch, she has been presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court at Quezon City. In the executive branch, she has been immigration commissioner; and a cabinet member, as agrarian reform secretary. In the legislative branch, she has now been a senator for three terms.

Dr. Santiago worked abroad. She served as legal officer of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. She also served as a consultant of the Philippine embassy in Washington, D.C.

In all three branches of government, she has been showered with awards for being outstanding, making her the most awarded public official in our country today. For example, she has received awards such as The Outstanding Young Men, or TOYM; The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service, or TOWNS; and Most Outstanding Alumna in Law from U.P.

Dr. Santiago was a U.P. law professor for some 10 years, teaching evening class after office hours. She has written some 30 books, many of which are very scholarly textbooks in law and the social sciences, well advanced of our time. During her initial battle with cancer, she continued to work on the 2014 edition of all her law books. She is considered the leading expert of her generation in constitutional law and in international law.

In the Philippine Senate where Dr. Santiago is on her third term, she has filed the highest number of bills, and authored some of the most important laws. Some of her most important pending bills are: anti-dynasty bill; an act institutionalizing an age-appropriate curriculum to prevent the abduction, exploitation, and sexual abuse of children; anti-epal bill; freedom of information bill; and magna carta for Philippine internet freedom. She has been fearless in exposing and naming notorious criminal suspects in legislative investigations, particularly in naming jueteng lords and illegal logging lords.

Unquestioned Honesty

It was Senator Santiago who in effect started the national plunder investigation (which is now a historic scandal). In December 2012 she revealed that the senate president had used Senate funds to give away cash gifts. Every senator received P2 million as a Christmas gift, taken from public funds, except Senator Santiago and two others. That scandal led to the notorious pork barrel scandal, for which the senate president is now suspended and in jail, having been charged with plunder by the Ombudsman.

COA records show that her “pork barrel,” also known as PDAF, was never marred by any kickback, unlike those of her colleagues in Congress. In three separate cases, the Supreme Court had upheld the pork barrel system as constitutional. Sen. Santiago gave her PDAF to: the University of the Philippines system; Philippine General Hospital; and local government units. She never released her pork barrel to any NGO, particularly those headed by those guilty of plunder, which means wholesale stealing of public money by accepting kickbacks, or simply pocketing the entire money.

After the impeachment of the Chief Justice in 2012, it was later revealed that Miriam was one of only three senators who refused to receive the DAP, amounting to ₱50 million for every senator and ₱10 million for every congressman. It was also later revealed that three senators even received ₱100 million each, after the impeachment.

When she was a student in U.P. law school, one magazine dubbed her “Supergirl at the State University.” She is probably the public official whose face has graced the highest number of magazine covers. She has been featured by famous international publications, including Time, the New York Times, and the Herald-Tribune.

In 1992, the foreign press reported that she had been elected as President of the Philippines after a nationwide election. However, she was cheated. As the Filipinos say: “Miriam won in the voting, but lost in the counting.”

She is a renowned celebrity. Like a rock star, she attracts crowds everywhere. She is the most sought-after guest speaker of university students. Sen. Santiago is a woman of destiny. She will be remembered in Philippine history as a genuine hero of her people.

She has been called the incorruptible lady, the platinum lady, the tiger lady, the dragon lady, the iron lady of Asia, the queen of popularity polls, and the undisputed campus hero. But to her millions of fans, she is best known for the unique brand of charismatic leadership that media likes to call “Miriam Magic.”

 Curriculum Vitae

MIRIAM DEFENSOR SANTIAGO
Curriculum Vitae
August 2014

PERSONAL DATA

Born 1945 in the Philippines
Father was presiding judge (RTC) and mother was college dean
Married to Narciso Y. Santiago, Jr., Filipino
Two adult sons, one dead
Office: Defensor Santiago Law Firm
          4/F Narsan Blg. 3 West Fourth St.,
          West Triangle Quezon City, Philippines
Office email: miriam@miriam.com.ph
Website: www.miriam.com.ph
Phone: (632) 371-9156
           (632) 372-4573
           (632) 411-4380
Fax:     (632) 376-5936

WORK EXPERIENCE

In December 2011, she was elected by States Parties to Rome Statute as judge of the International Criminal Court for nine-year term. First Filipino and first Southeast Asian from a developing state to be thus elected.

But she waived the ICC privilege, after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage 4 (last stage). After six weeks on new medication, doctors found her cancer has regressed. She returned to work in the Philippine Senate.

Senator, Republic of the Philippines	1995 - 2016
• Chair, Committee on Foreign Relations • Chair, Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes • Chair, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee    on Automated Election System • Chair, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the    Overseas Absentee Voting Act • Chair, Commission on Appointments, Committee on Foreign Affairs • Chair, Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement • Chair, Committee on Economic Affairs • Chair, Special Oversight Committee on Economic Affairs
Senior Partner, Defensor Santiago Law Firm	1992 – Present
Opinion Columnist, “Gadfly,” Today newspaper	1994
Presidential runner-up (Ranked close No. 2 in scandalous        canvassing), 1992 Philippine presidential elections	1992
President and founder, People’s Reform Party	1991 – Present
Chair and founder, Movement for Responsible Public Service	1990 – Present
Secretary of Agrarian Reform        • Chair, Presidential Agrarian Reform Council Executive Committee	1989
Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation   Member, Board of Directors:	1988 – 1989
• Public Estates Authority • Philippine Retirement Authority • Ninoy Aquino International Airport Authority • Land Bank of the Philippines	1988 – 1989 1988 – 1989 1988 – 1989 1989
Opinion Columnist, “Overview,” Philippine Panorama Sunday magazine	1985 – 1988
Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, University of       the Philippines (evening class)	1976 – 1988
Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court, Branch 106, Quezon City	1983 – 1987
Legal Consultant, University of the Philippines Law Center	1981 – 1983
Legal Consultant, Philippine Embassy, Washington, D.C.	1982
Legal Officer, United Nations High Commissioner for       Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland	1979 – 1980
Special Assistant to the Secretary of Justice	1970 – 1980
Member, Board of Censors for Motion Pictures	1977 – 1979
Opinion Columnist, Philippines Daily Express newspaper	1972 – 1975
Professor of Political Science, Trinity University of Asia	1971 – 1974

EDUCATION:

Doctor of Juridical Science (Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow),       University of Michigan. Requirements (except publication),       fulfilled in six months, with “A” average.	1976
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Centro Escolar University	1989
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro	1989
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, University of San Agustin	1989
Master of Laws (DeWitt Fellow), University of Michigan, with “A” average	1975
Master of Arts in Religious Studies (without thesis),        Maryhill School of Theology, Quezon City	1996
Bachelor of Laws, cum laude, University of the Philippines	1969
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude,        University of the Philippines.  Finished in 3-1/2 instead of 4 years,        with an average grade in the last semester of 1.1.	1965
Member, Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies	1969
Valedictorian, Iloilo Provincial National High School. Awardee,       All-Around Girl Medallion.	1961
Valedictorian, La Paz Elementary School	1957

POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES:

Visiting Law Fellow, St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University	2000
Visiting Fellow, Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law,        Cambridge University	1999
Paris-Geneva Summer Program in International Law, sponsored       by American University	1998
Summer Program in Law at Oxford University, sponsored by Florida State University	1997
Summer Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Harvard University	1996
Graduate, California Judicial College, University of California at Berkeley.       In the practical courtroom test, American judges gave her the       highest grade of 33 out of 35.	1985
Fellow, Seminar on judicial writing and caseflow management in the       trial courts, Institute of Judicial Administration, Supreme Court.       Topnotcher of examination in judicial writing	1984
Fellow, UN/UNITAR Programme in International Law, The Hague,       Holland and Brussels, Belgium	1978
Fellow, External Session of The Hague Academy of International Law,        Tokyo, Japan	1978
Fellow, Academy of American and International Law, Southwestern       Legal Foundation, Dallas, Texas	1972

CONFERENCES

Official delegate in numerous state visits by Pres. Arroyo	2007-2009
Speaker, Panel on the Status of Ratification and Implementation      of the Rome Statute in Asian countries, Asia- Pacific Parliamentary      Consultation on the Universality of the Rome Statute of the International      Criminal Court (ICC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	2011
Head of Delegation, 6th International Conference of Tibet       Support Groups, Haryana, Dharamsala, India	2010
Speaker, Panel on Gender Justice and Human Rights, 32nd Annual Forum       Empowering Women – Building Human Security, Istanbul, Turkey	2010
Delegate, 5th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet, Rome, Italy	2009
Delegate, World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland	2008
Head of Delegation, 13th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific       Parliamentary Forum, Ha Long City, S.R. Viet Nam	2005
Delegate, Third Session of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians       for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Rule of Law,       Wellington, New Zealand	2004
Fellow, Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic of China	2002
Keynote Speaker, Island Conference on Public Administration, University of Guam	1992
Fellow, Williamsburg Conference, Chiangmai, Thailand	1990
Fellow, International Visitor Program, Washington, DC and Los Angeles	1989
Fellow, Special Visits Program, Sydney and Canberra, Australia	1988
Chairperson, 13th Roundtable on Current Problems of International       Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy	1988
Philippine Delegate, Interpol General Assembly Session, Nice, France	1987
Secretary-General, ASEAN Women Judges Conference, Manila	1987
Fellow, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California	1985
Philippine Delegate, First International Seminar-Workshop on Managing        Delay in the Courts, Manila	1983
Chairperson, Second Philippine Goodwill Mission to the Republic of China	1968
Philippine Delegate, First Southeast Asian and Australasian Law       Students’ Seminar, Singapore	1967

BOOKS:(Cited as authority in Philippine Supreme Court cases)

Law 2014 ed. 
Constitutional Law, Volume 1 – Political Structure
Constitutional Law, Volume 2 – Bill of Rights
International Law, With Philippine Cases and Materials and ASEAN Instruments
International Law (co-author)
Rules of Court Annotated
Civil Code Annotated
Penal Code Annotated
Constitution Annotated
Corporation Code Annotated
Election Code Annotated
Insurance Code Annotated
Local Government Code Annotated
National Internal Revenue Code Annotated
Tariff and Customs Code Annotated

Philosophy 2003 ed.
History of Philosophy, The Great Philosophers
Political Philosophy, Theory and Issues in Politics
Philosophy of Religion, Western and Eastern Religions
Moral Philosophy, Theory and Issues in Ethics (in progress)

Politics
International Relations 2d. ed.
Politics and Governance
Christianity vs. Corruption
At the Turn of the Century: National Policy Issues in the Philippines
Cutting Edge: The Politics of Reform in the Philippines
Where Angels Fear to Tread: Politics and Religion
How to Fight Election Fraud
How to Fight Graft

Literature
Inventing Myself: an Autobiography
A Frabjous Day and Other Stories
The Miriam Dictionary

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS

Google Top 20 Most Influential Filipinas of 2010
Womanity Award for public service 2010, on website Female Network
“Order of Civil Merit,” Kingdom of Spain, 2008
“The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World,” The Australian magazine, 1996http://wisdom.psinet.au/~kabu/100mpw.html
Magsaysay Award for Government Service, 1988. 
      Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, Magsaysay Awards Foundation. 
TOYM Award for Law, 1985 (The Outstanding Young Men)
      Opened to Women 1984, Philippine Jaycees 
TOWNS Award for Law, 1986 (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service)
      Philippine Lions Most Outstanding Alumna in Law, University of the Philippines, 1988
Gold Vision Triangle Award for government service, 1988
      YMCA Philippines
Republic Anniversary Award for law enforcement, 1988
      Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines 
Golden Jubilee Achievement Award for public service, 1990
      Girl Scouts of the Philippines
Celebrity Mother Award, 1991
      Gintong Ina Awards Foundation 

Agenda

(2004-2010)

EDUCATION

• Improvement of the quality of primary and secondary education in the classroom
• Promotion of safety in schools and campuses
• Advancement of science and technology education
• Strengthening of the recruitment process of Filipino teachers

JOB CREATION AND SUPPORT TO ENTREPRENEURS

• Promotion of entrepreneurship by allowing disposal of unused public lands to deserving persons for use by them as collateral for bank loans
• Provision of more jobs to the unemployed population by helping small and medium sized entrepreneurs establish their businesses

PUBLIC ORDER AND ILLEGAL DRUGS

• Strengthening of the criminal laws by providing for punishment of crimes committed through the use of modem technology
• Strengthening of the criminal laws by providing stiffer penalties for gambling
• Strengthening of the prohibition against entry of illegal drugs
• Regulation of use of firearms and motor vehicles
• Strengthening of the fight against terrorism

YOUTH, WOMEN AND FAMILY RELATIONS

• Promotion of school safety
• Protection of children's welfare against tobacco, illegal drugs, violent programming, and firearms
• Protection of youth against teenage pregnancy
• Improvement of formal, non-formal, and special education
• Promotion of women's health and family relations

HEALTH AND DEMOGRAPHY

• Promotion of health programs and health products in order to combat diseases like cancer, fertility, hepatitis C, dystonia and lead poisoning, by enacting and strengthening laws relating to anti-tobacco campaigns, reduction of metals in packaging, a national folic acid education program, research program regarding birth defects, health care cost reduction programs, poison prevention and control programs

JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

• Protection of basic constitutional rights - to privacy, to information, to free exercise of religion, to travel, and to equal protection
• Improvement of the corrections system
• Strengthening of laws against child abuse
• Promotion of support programs for victims of torture

REVISION OF CODES AND LAWS

• Preservation of the integrity of election results and other aspects of the electoral process
• Improvement of election laws on party list and polling for the disabled and the elderly
• Promotion of transparency of election procedures by the Comelec
• Strengthening of criminal laws by increasing penalties to deter crimes, degenderizing the laws, and improving the probation and indeterminate sentence laws
• Strengthening the laws on succession, family relations, obligations and contracts, and torts and damages.