Miriam ready to torment colleagues, foes after losing ICJ bid

MANILA, Philippines – Still smarting from her failure to get a seat at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago warned her colleagues and foes yesterday that she is back and ready to “torment” them.

Santiago said although she lost her bid at the ICJ, she is not allowing this experience to affect her.

“When God closes a door, he opens another. So I am afraid that the door that has been opened for me is to remain in Philippine politics and continue to torment my enemies,” she said.

She added that while she knows many might have wished she would have gotten the ICJ seat, she is sorry for them.

“It’s not my luck to leave this country. I know, many were praying to promote me at The Hague so they would have no problem anymore. But it looks like I will stay in politics to continue to make trouble with them,” Santiago said in the vernacular.

For her hard stance on various issues, Santiago admitted that she sometimes feels tired in exposing corruption in government. 

She expressed disappointment that some of her colleagues have learned how to make big money out of certain transactions in government, without directly accusing anyone. 

Told of her valuable contribution in helping the Filipino people on her anti-corruption campaign, Santiago said: “Kung minsan hindi ko lang masabi sa media na nagsasawa na rin ako sa responsibilidad na yan eh. Dahil unang una, nakikita ko ang laki ng kinikita ng mga kasamahan ko sa Senado at sa Kongreso. Ang laki! You cannot imagine that it is bigger than the total compensation of being an ICJ judge. Pero dahil ayaw ko makisama, nagiging outsider ako.”