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1989–1991 | |
| Political Party: | People's Reform Party |
|---|---|
| Born: | June 15, 1945 Iloilo City |
| Spouse: | Narciso Y. Santiago, Jr. |
Miriam Palma Defensor–Santiago (born June 15, 1945), named as one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in the World" by the Australian Magazine in 1997, is a well respected politician with a record of academic and professional excellence. "Miriam", as she is popularly known to many, brought honor to the Philippines, when she was named recipient of the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, known as the Magsaysay Award, for government service.
Early Life and Studies
Miriam was born in Iloilo City, Iloilo to District Judge Benjamin A. Defensor and Dean Dimpna Palma Defensor. She finished her elementary studies as valedictorian at La Paz Elementary School in 1957. In 1961, she graduated as valedictorian at the Iloilo National High School.
Miriam enrolled at the University of the Philippines. She made history in the university when she became the first female editor-in-chief of its student newspaper, Philippine Collegian, shattering a 50-year-old record of male dominance. She was also the first female to win the Best Debater Award in law school. She held a campus beauty title twice, as U.P. ROTC corps sponsor. She was twice recipient of the Vinzons Achievement Award for excellence in leadership, and the Rotary Award for most outstanding graduate. She won first place in oratorical and literary contests. She finished her degree of Bachelor of Arts in just 3½ years instead of 4, with an average grade in the last semester of l.l. She graduated magna cum laude in 1965. In 1969, she finished her Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of the Philippines. She graduated cum laude.
Then, Miriam pursued further studies. She earned the degree Master of Laws (DeWitt Fellow), with "A" average at the University of Michigan in 1975. She finished her law doctorate after only six months, also with an average grade of "A." She was bestowed with a degree of Doctor of the Science of Law (Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow) at the University of Michigan in 1976.
Professional Career
Private
Miriam was a political science professor of Trinity College of Quezon City from 1971 to 1974 and concurrently Special Assistant to the Secretary of Justice from 1970 to 1980. She was also a member of the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures from 1977 to 1979. She served as a legal officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland from 1979 to 1980.
Public
Miriam held various government positions. These include:
- Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, University of the Philippines, 1976-1988
- Legal Consultant, University of the Philippines Law Center, 1981-1983
- Legal Consultant, Philippine Embassy, Washington, D.C., 1982.
- Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court, Branch 106, Quezon City from 1983 to 1987.
- in the first year of the national judicial reorganization in 1983, she got the Highest case disposal among 12 new RTC judges in Metropolitan Manila
- Member, Board of Directors
- Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation from 1988 to 1989
- Secretary of Agrarian Reform, 1989-1991.
- Senator of the Philippines, 1995-2001.
- Senator of the Philippines, 2004-Present.
Political Life
When President Corazon Aquino was looking for a candidate for the 1992 elections, Miriam decided to run for president. She founded the People's Reform Party and invited Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. as her running mate. The party however did not have any other candidates in the national level and endorsed only local candidates Alfredo Lim and Jose Atienza for the position of mayor and vice mayor of Manila. Miriam lost the favor of Mrs. Aquino's endorsement to Fidel Ramos; however she was consistently gaining public support for her candidacy for president.
In the first five days of the election tabulation, she was ahead of other candidates, until after a string of black outs mysteriously hit the country. When the tabulation ended, Ramos was proclaimed as winner, with a small margin of votes to Miriam. She filed a protest before the Supreme Court acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, on the ground of massive cheating. It was, however, technically dismissed because she won as senator. At the that time, the Supreme Court Chief Justice was also appointed by her rival.
Miriam returned into public attention when she ran for the Senate of the Philippines and had won the 1995 elections, as a candidate of her own party. However, as mentioned above, her protest over the 1992 presidential elections was technically dismissed. At the Senate, she was an active critic of the Ramos Administration.
Miriam again ran for president in the 1998 elections, and invited fellow Senator Francisco Tatad as her running mate. She however lost to Joseph Estrada because she could not afford election watchers to protect her votes. She went back to serve the country as senator after the presidential elections.
In 2001, during former President Joseph Estrada's impeachment trial, Miriam showed her stance in the proceedings by supporting Estrada on the grounds that the said trial is unconstitutional. On January 13, 2001, she, along with 10 other senators voted against the opening of a bank envelope. The incident consequently ended the impeachment trial and led to the second EDSA People Power Revolution which removed Joseph Estrada as president. Afterwhich, she ran for re-election as a senator. Similar to her experience in the 1992 elections, Miriam, who was in the opposition, was consistently in the top 5 senatorial spots when the initial results of the votes were being tabulated. But in the end, she lost because she was cheated in the elections.
In the 2004 elections, Miriam made a political comeback when she ran for senator under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's K4 coalition and won. She currently held the position of chairperson and lone government official of the People's Reform Party. Her office in West Triangle, Quezon City offers a library of her written books.
Santiago's name is being flaunted by most media sources as a possible successor to Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban when the latter retires in December 2006. If Arroyo appoints her to the position, she would be the country's first female Chief Justice and the first judicial outsider to be appointed as Chief Justice, although there are some quarters who are against the idea, especially those inside the judiciary.
Admiration and Criticism
Miriam might be the most awarded public official to date. Her citations range from academic and professional to public service. They include the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award for law and the 1988 Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service. She was regarded by many common Filipinos as the most intelligent Filipina.
Admired for her intellectual superior, opponents find it difficult to destroy Miriam's public image. However, her opponents think that they can use the same admiration in a negative way. They called her "names" and have invented various stories about her; a cheap tactic to destroy a woman with outstanding academic and professional achievements. But despite the "gimmicks" and "black propaganda" created against her, Santiago's popularity did not waver. For her millions of fans, she is still the same admirable Miriam, best known for her unique charisma, which media reporters just love to call, "Miriam Magic". Her uncommon words were published in a book entitled Miriam's Dictionary (a slang expression different from Merriam Webster's Dictionary).
Personal Life
Miriam, the name most Filipinos know her by, grew up being called Inday by her parents. In the 1998 elections, she couldn't use the nickname Inday Santiago in Iloilo due to conflicts with Raul Roco's running mate Irene Santiago.
Miriam is married to Narciso Yap Santiago Jr., her former classmate at the University of the Philippines. Narsing, as he is known to many, was once an undersecretary for Interior and Local Governments, and is currently a presidential adviser for revenue enhancement. He is also a respected businessman. They have two adopted children: twins Megan and Molly born in 1996. Miriam's brother, Benjamin Santiago Jr., is a retired general who served as Philippine Air Force commander and Armed Forces Chief of Staff. He is currently an ambassador-at-large for counter-terrorism. Two of her cousins are congressmen. Matias Defensor represents the 3rd district of Quezon City, where Miriam resides, and Arthur Defensor represents the 3rd district of Iloilo, Miriam's hometown. Miriam's nephew, Michael Defensor, is the current chief of staff of Malacanang.
Miriam has two biological children: Narciso III and Alexander Robert. Alexander Robert or AR passed away in November 20, 2003.
External links
- Senate of the Philippines
- Miriam Defensor Santiago's Official Website
- Detailed Biography of Miriam Defensor Santiago from the RM Foundation
- Miriam Defensor Santiago's Blog
References
- Santiago, Miriam D. (1994). The Miriam Defensor Santiago Dictionary. Narsan Publishing.
- ______________. (1993). The Politics of Reform in the Philippines. Narsan Publishing.
{{cite book}}:|author=has numeric name (help) - ______________. (1991). Inventing Myself. Narsan Publishing.
{{cite book}}:|author=has numeric name (help)
- Zaide, Sonia M. (1999). The Philippines: A Unique Nation. All Nations Publishing. ISBN 971-642-071-4.
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