Six years after her death, the late former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago remains a revered and beloved figure, both due to her lofty accomplishments and her brilliance.
That's why three congressmen jointly penned and filed a measure that seeks to honor Santiago by renaming two roads in Quezon City after her.
Filed last Dec. 9 was House Bill (HB) No.6576, or the proposed Act renaming Agham Road and BIR Road located in Quezon City as Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue.
Authoring the measure were Isabela 1st district Rep. Tonypet Albano, Quezon City 1st district Rep. Arjo Atayde and Quezon City 4th district Rep. Marvin Rillo.
According to the solons, renaming the two roads as Defensor-Santiago Avenue “is a fitting recognition of her remarkable efforts and contributions that benefited the Filipinos and the nation as a whole".
They described Santiago as “a brilliant legal luminary who lived a life dedicated to public service".
They noted that in 1983, Santiago became the youngest presiding judge in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City and gained a reputation for strict impartiality in applying the law.
“She brought honor and pride to the country by being the very first Filipino and first Asian in the United Nations (UN) to be elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC),” HB No.6576 stated.
As a three-term senator, Santiago was "known for her unquestionable integrity and her crusade against corruption", the authors said.
“For her courage and moral leadership, Defensor-Santiago received the Magsaysay Award for Government Service, an award that is known as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. She was likewise the only woman recipient of the Philippines’ highest national honor, the Quezon Service Cross,” they said.
Santiago, the authors said, also earned several titles such as incorruptible lady, the dragon lady, the iron lady of Asia, among others and “her excellence in public service helped regain the people’s trust and confidence in the government".
Santiago also served as commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
She ran for president of the Philippines during the memorable 1992 national elections where she put on a strong performance. She made another bid for the Palace seat in the 2016 polls, with then-Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as her running mate.
Santiago died from complications of lung cancer on Sept. 29, 2016. She was 71.