The bill seeking to rename Agham Road and BIR Road in Quezon City to Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue has lapsed into law after failing to get the signature of President Marcos.

Republic Act (RA) No. 11963, titled, "An Act Renaming the 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," became law without the President's signature on Oct. 12, 2023.

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, a bill lapses into law if the President does not act on it after 30 days of receipt.

Based on the new law, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shall issue the necessary rules, orders, and circulars to implement its provisions within 60 days of its effectivity.

RA 11963 was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on March 21, 2023, and Aug. 14, 2023, respectively.

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

The late Senator Defensor-Santiago, dubbed the Iron Lady of Asia, died at 71 on Sept. 29, 2016. She had been battling lung cancer since 2014.

Santiago's almost three-decade public service career included serving in all three branches of government. She was a regional trial court judge, Immigration commissioner, and Secretary of Agrarian Reform.

Santiago became a senator from 1995 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2016.

She won a seat as a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) but could not serve her term due to her illness.

She ran for president but lost in the 1992 and 1998 presidential polls. Her last attempt for the presidency was in 2016, but she lost to former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

President Marcos served as Santiago's running mate in the 2016 polls.