Miriam Santiago: A long career of firsts, among the fiercest

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who passed away Thursday, will be remembered for many things, among which for making footprints in Philippine public life that "will be hard to follow," as one of her Senate colleagues described it.

Santiago started out young in government as a special assistant to the secretary of Justice for 10 years, and becoming a legal officer to the United Nations due to her rare wisdom in international law and the Constitution.

She was first elected senator in 1995, and went on to become among the most respected, towering figures in the Philippines' public and political landscape.

Santiago always intended to serve the nation with an able, even pursuing the highest post three times to do so. She ran against Fidel Ramos in 1992 but lost amid accusations of poll fraud. She also challenged the candidacy of Joseph Estrada in 1998, but failed after heavy black propaganda which were eventually proven false.

Earlier this year, she aimed for the presidency one last time despite a visibly poor health. She lost to Rodrigo Duterte in May. She is immortalized by her supporters as  "the best president we never had."

'Death threats for breakfast'

Santiago, born in 1945, was first appointed judge at Quezon City Regional Trial Court during the Ferdinand Marcos-imposed Martial Law. As a trial magistrate, she earned the nation's respect when she was the first to issue a decision to rule against the strongman's military rule.

In 1988, she was appointed immigration commissioner by President Corazon Aquino, who succeeded Marcos after he was ousted through a church-backed people's revolution.

Facing a multitude of problems and powerful foes in the agency, Santiago declared that the country as the world's "fake passport capital." This is when she quipped that she eats "death threats for breakfast."

Santiago was the first women and Asian to be elected to serve as judge at the International Criminal Court where she hears cases against former heads of states for widescale violations of human rights. She resigned from the post in 2014 when she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Recently, Santiago was  elected as the first Filipino commissioner for the International Development Law Organization in 2016, an intergovernmental body that promotes the rule of law.

Trailblazing legislation

Santiago made her mark as among the leading legal minds in the country, lecturing even her colleagues in the Upper House on rules, processes and jurisprudence

As a senator, she chaired the committees on foreign relations and constitutional amendments, among others. She authored laws focusing on women and the youth. She also advocated for freedom of information and internet freedom.

Known for her impassioned pronouncements, Santiago exposed government scandals and criticized officials' wrongdoing. Santiago criticized then Senate President Juan Ponce for using public funds for cash gifts and alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam. She was among the loudest voices against the system of lump sum funds in Congress before it was abolished by the Supreme Court.

Despite being a political veteran, Santiago is an endearing personality to the Filipino youth through her bestselling collections of her humorous, witty remarks. Upon her death, Santiago is an icon of government service and a known critic of corruption. — Kristian Javier