Bill renaming Quezon City roads after Miriam lapses into law

MANILA, Philippines — A bill renaming Agham Road and BIR Road in Quezon City after the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has lapsed into law, Malacañang said yesterday.

Republic Act (RA) 11963, which lapsed into law on Oct. 12, renamed Agham Road and the BIR Road – stretching from North Avenue, traversing through Quezon Avenue, up to East Avenue, all located in Quezon City – as Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue.

The measure became a law without President Marcos’ signature in accordance with Article VI, Section 27 of the Constitution, the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.

“If the President does not act on a proposed law submitted by Congress, it will lapse into law after 30 days of receipt,” according to the Official Gazette.

The law mandated the Department of Public Works and Highways to issue the necessary rules, orders and circulars to implement the provisions of the Act within 60 days from its effectivity.

RA 11963 was passed by the House of Representative on March 21 and the Senate on Aug. 14, this year.

The new law takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Marcos served as Santiago’s runningmate in the 2016 presidential elections.

Santiago first ran for the country’s top post in 1992 but lost to Fidel Ramos.

She also joined the 1998 presidential race but lost to Joseph Estrada.

In 2011, Santiago was elected as a judge of the International Criminal court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands for a nine-year term but did not assume her functions due to her illness. She is the first Filipino and the first Asian from a developing country to be elected as judge of the ICC.

The former senator died at the age of 71 in September 2016 due to lung cancer.