ANGELINA V.

REOJA

ANG KAHALAGAHAN NG EDUKASYON

Ang edukasyon o pagtuturo ay kinabibilangan ng pagtuturo at pag-aaral ng

isang kasanayan, at saka ilang bagay na hindi masyadong nadadama ngunit higit na
malalim: ang pagbahagi ng kaalaman, mabuting paghusga at karunungan.

“Ang Kabatan ay Pag-asa ng bayan”, ayon kay Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

Isa sa mga pangunahing layunin ng edukasyon ang ipahayag ang kultura sa mga
susunod na salinlahi. Ang edukasyon ay isang puhunan ng bawat mamamayan ng isang
partikular na bansa upang maging produktibo ang bawat isa sa pagpapataas ng
ekonomiya.

Pagsusuri sa gawa

1. Ano ang layunin ng manunulat?

2. Ano ang paksa ng sanayasay?
3. Para kanino ang sinulat ng awtor?
4. Ano ang ginamit na paraan ng pagpapahayag ng awtor?

Ano ang iyong repleksyon matapos pag-aralan ang proseso ng pagsulat?

I rate ang iyong sarili sa 1-10 batay sa pag-unawa sa pagsulat.

 MIRIAM DEFENSOR SANTIAGO 
Curriculum Vitae 
August 2014

PERSONAL DATA

Born 1945 in the Philippines 

Father was presiding judge (RTC) and mother was college dean 
Married to Narciso Y. Santiago, Jr., Filipino 
Two adult sons, one dead 
Office: Defensor Santiago Law Firm 
          4/F Narsan Blg. 3 West Fourth St., 
          West Triangle Quezon City, Philippines 
Office email: [email protected] 
Website: www.miriam.com.ph 
Phone: (632) 371-9156 
           (632) 372-4573 
           (632) 411-4380 
Fax:     (632) 376-5936

WORK EXPERIENCE

In December 2011, she was elected by States Parties to Rome Statute as judge of the International
Criminal Court for nine-year term. First Filipino and first Southeast Asian from a developing state to be
thus elected.

But she waived the ICC privilege, after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage 4 (last stage). After six
weeks on new medication, doctors found her cancer has regressed. She returned to work in the
Philippine Senate.

Senator, Republic of the Philippines 1995 - 2016

• Chair, Committee on Foreign Relations   
• Chair, Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes 
• Chair, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee 
   on Automated Election System 
• Chair, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the 
   Overseas Absentee Voting Act 
• Chair, Commission on Appointments, Committee on Foreign Affairs 
• Chair, Legislative Oversight Committee on the Visiting Forces
Agreement 
• Chair, Committee on Economic Affairs 
• Chair, Special Oversight Committee on Economic Affairs
Senior Partner, Defensor Santiago Law Firm 1992 – Present
Opinion Columnist, “Gadfly,” Today  newspaper 1994
Presidential runner-up (Ranked close No. 2 in scandalous 
       canvassing), 1992 Philippine presidential elections  1992
President and founder, People’s Reform Party 1991 – Present
Chair and founder, Movement for Responsible Public Service 1990 – Present
Secretary of Agrarian Reform 
      • Chair, Presidential Agrarian Reform Council Executive Committee 1989
Commissioner of Immigration and Deportation   1988 – 1989  
Member, Board of Directors:
• Public Estates Authority  1988 – 1989 
• Philippine Retirement Authority  1988 – 1989 
• Ninoy Aquino International Airport Authority  1988 – 1989 
• Land Bank of the Philippines 1989
Opinion Columnist, “Overview,” Philippine Panorama Sunday magazine 1985 – 1988
Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, University of 
      the Philippines (evening class) 1976 – 1988
Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court, Branch 106, Quezon City  1983 – 1987
Legal Consultant, University of the Philippines Law Center 1981 – 1983
Legal Consultant, Philippine Embassy, Washington, D.C. 1982
Legal Officer, United Nations High Commissioner for 
      Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland 1979 – 1980
Special Assistant to the Secretary of Justice 1970 – 1980
Member, Board of Censors for Motion Pictures 1977 – 1979
Opinion Columnist, Philippines Daily Express newspaper 1972 – 1975
Professor of Political Science, Trinity University of Asia 1971 – 1974

EDUCATION:

Doctor of Juridical Science (Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow), 

      University of Michigan. Requirements (except publication),
      fulfilled in six months, with “A” average. 1976
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Centro Escolar University 1989
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro  1989
Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, University of San Agustin 1989
Master of Laws (DeWitt Fellow), University of Michigan, with “A” average 1975
Master of Arts in Religious Studies (without thesis),  1996
       Maryhill School of Theology, Quezon City
Bachelor of Laws, cum laude, University of the Philippines 1969
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, 
       University of the Philippines.  Finished in 3-1/2 instead of 4 years, 
       with an average grade in the last semester of 1.1. 1965
Member, Pi Gamma Mu and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies  1969
Valedictorian, Iloilo Provincial National High School. Awardee, 
      All-Around Girl Medallion. 1961
Valedictorian, La Paz Elementary School  1957

POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES:

Visiting Law Fellow, St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University 2000

Visiting Fellow, Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law, 
      Cambridge University 1999
Paris-Geneva Summer Program in International Law, sponsored 
      by American University 1998
Summer Program in Law at Oxford University, sponsored by   
Florida State University 1997
Summer Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Harvard University 1996
Graduate, California Judicial College, University of California at Berkeley. 
      In the practical courtroom test, American judges gave her the 
      highest grade of 33 out of 35. 1985
Fellow, Seminar on judicial writing and caseflow management in the 
      trial courts, Institute of Judicial Administration, Supreme Court. 
      Topnotcher of examination in judicial writing 1984
Fellow, UN/UNITAR Programme in International Law, The Hague, 
      Holland and Brussels, Belgium 1978
Fellow, External Session of The Hague Academy of International Law, 
      Tokyo, Japan 1978
Fellow, Academy of American and International Law, Southwestern 
      Legal Foundation, Dallas, Texas 1972

CONFERENCES

Official delegate in numerous state visits by Pres. Arroyo 2007-2009

Speaker, Panel on the Status of Ratification and Implementation 
     of the Rome Statute in Asian countries, Asia- Pacific Parliamentary 
     Consultation on the Universality of the Rome Statute of the International 
     Criminal Court (ICC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2011
Head of Delegation, 6th International Conference of Tibet 
      Support Groups, Haryana, Dharamsala, India 2010
Speaker, Panel on Gender Justice and Human Rights, 32nd Annual Forum 
      Empowering Women – Building Human Security, Istanbul, Turkey 2010
Delegate, 5th World Parliamentarian’s Convention on Tibet, Rome, Italy  2009
Delegate, World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland 2008
Head of Delegation, 13th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific 
      Parliamentary Forum, Ha Long City, S.R. Viet Nam  2005
Delegate, Third Session of the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians 
      for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Rule of Law,
      Wellington, New Zealand 2004
Fellow, Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, People’s Republic of China 2002
Keynote Speaker, Island Conference on Public Administration, University of 1992
Guam
Fellow, Williamsburg Conference, Chiangmai, Thailand 1990
Fellow, International Visitor Program, Washington, DC and Los Angeles  1989
Fellow, Special Visits Program, Sydney and Canberra, Australia  1988
Chairperson, 13th Roundtable on Current Problems of International 
      Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy 1988
Philippine Delegate, Interpol General Assembly Session, Nice, France  1987
Secretary-General, ASEAN Women Judges Conference, Manila 1987
Fellow, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 1985
Philippine Delegate, First International Seminar-Workshop on Managing 
       Delay in the Courts, Manila 1983
Chairperson, Second Philippine Goodwill Mission to the Republic of China 1968
Philippine Delegate, First Southeast Asian and Australasian Law   
      Students’ Seminar, Singapore 1967
BOOKS:
(Cited as authority in Philippine Supreme Court cases)

Law 2014 ed. 

Constitutional Law, Volume 1 – Political Structure 
Constitutional Law, Volume 2 – Bill of Rights 
International Law, With Philippine Cases and Materials and ASEAN Instruments  
International Law (co-author) 
Rules of Court Annotated 
Civil Code Annotated 
Penal Code Annotated 
Constitution Annotated 
Corporation Code Annotated 
Election Code Annotated 
Insurance Code Annotated 
Local Government Code Annotated 
National Internal Revenue Code Annotated 
Tariff and Customs Code Annotated

Philosophy 2003 ed. 

History of Philosophy, The Great Philosophers 
Political Philosophy, Theory and Issues in Politics 
Philosophy of Religion, Western and Eastern Religions 
Moral Philosophy, Theory and Issues in Ethics (in progress)

Politics 
International Relations 2d. ed. 
Politics and Governance 
Christianity vs. Corruption 
At the Turn of the Century: National Policy Issues in the Philippines 
Cutting Edge: The Politics of Reform in the Philippines 
Where Angels Fear to Tread: Politics and Religion 
How to Fight Election Fraud 
How to Fight Graft

Literature 
Inventing Myself: an Autobiography 
A Frabjous Day and Other Stories 
The Miriam Dictionary

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS

Google Top 20 Most Influential Filipinas of 2010 

Womanity Award for public service 2010, on website Female Network 
“Order of Civil Merit,” Kingdom of Spain, 2008 
“The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World,” The Australian magazine,
1996http://wisdom.psinet.au/~kabu/100mpw.html 
Magsaysay Award for Government Service, 1988. 
      Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, Magsaysay Awards Foundation. 
TOYM Award for Law, 1985 (The Outstanding Young Men) 
      Opened to Women 1984, Philippine Jaycees 
TOWNS Award for Law, 1986 (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) 
      Philippine Lions 
Most Outstanding Alumna in Law, University of the Philippines, 1988 
Gold Vision Triangle Award for government service, 1988 
      YMCA Philippines 
Republic Anniversary Award for law enforcement, 1988 
      Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines 
Golden Jubilee Achievement Award for public service, 1990 
      Girl Scouts of the Philippines 
Celebrity Mother Award, 1991 
      Gintong Ina Awards Foundation 

Global Fame

She earned the degree, Doctor of Juridical Science, in the United States. Dr. Miriam Defensor Santiago is
a globally famous personality, because of her legal brilliance and courageous example in fighting
corruption. In a nation where many public officials are charged with, or suspected, of plunder, her
honesty shines like a light in the darkness.

She has brought honor to the Philippines in several ways. She is the first Filipino and the first Asian from
a developing country, to be elected in the United Nations as judge of the International Criminal Court.
The ICC hears cases against heads of state. Thus, she put the Philippines on the global map in the 21st
century. Unfortunately, grave illness forced her to waive the privilege of being an ICC judge.

For two years, she suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome. In June 2014 she was diagnosed with lung
cancer, stage 4 (the last stage). But with her signature humor and bravery, she fought back, and her
cancer has regressed. Even cancer cells are afraid of her!

She was chosen as laureate of the Magsaysay Award for Government Service, known as the Asian
equivalent of the Nobel Prize. She was cited “for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden
government agency.” She was named one of “The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World” by The
Australian magazine.

Academic Excellence

Dr. Santiago is one of the most intellectually brilliant leaders that our country has ever seen. She earned
the degrees Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude; and Bachelor of Laws, cum laude, from the University of
the Philippines. She went abroad and earned the graduate degrees of Master of Laws, and Doctor of
Juridical Science, from the University of Michigan, one of the top three law schools in the United States.
She finished the academic requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Religious Studies, at the Maryhill
School of Theology.

In U.P., the perfect grade is 1.0. In her last undergraduate semester, Dr. Santiago earned the near-
perfect average grade of 1.1. And she finished her 4-year course in only 3-1/2 years. At the University of
Michigan, she was a Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow. She finished her master’s degree in only one
year, and her doctorate in only six months.
Our guest speaker loves learning. She has done postdoctoral studies all over the world, including Oxford
University, Cambridge University, Harvard University, University of California at Berkeley, Stanford
University, and Academy of Public International Law at the Peace Palace (the seat of the International
Court of Justice), at The Hague, Netherlands.

Dr. Santiago was class valedictorian at all levels – elementary, high school, and college. She made history
in U.P. when she became the first female editor-in-chief of the famous student newspaper, Philippine
Collegian, thus shattering a 50-year old record of male dominance. She won as Best Debater in the
annual U.P. law debate, where she was captain of the winning team. It is interesting that at the same
time she held a campus beauty title, not once but twice – as ROTC corps sponsor.

 Professional Excellence

Dr. Santiago holds an amazing record of excellence in all three branches of government – judicial,
executive, and legislative. In the judicial branch, she has been presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court
at Quezon City. In the executive branch, she has been immigration commissioner; and a cabinet member,
as agrarian reform secretary. In the legislative branch, she has now been a senator for three terms.

Dr. Santiago worked abroad. She served as legal officer of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
She also served as a consultant of the Philippine embassy in Washington, D.C.

In all three branches of government, she has been showered with awards for being outstanding, making
her the most awarded public official in our country today. For example, she has received awards such as
The Outstanding Young Men, or TOYM; The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service, or TOWNS; and
Most Outstanding Alumna in Law from U.P.

Dr. Santiago was a U.P. law professor for some 10 years, teaching evening class after office hours. She
has written some 30 books, many of which are very scholarly textbooks in law and the social sciences,
well advanced of our time. During her initial battle with cancer, she continued to work on the 2014
edition of all her law books. She is considered the leading expert of her generation in constitutional law
and in international law.

In the Philippine Senate where Dr. Santiago is on her third term, she has filed the highest number of bills,
and authored some of the most important laws. Some of her most important pending bills are: anti-
dynasty bill; an act institutionalizing an age-appropriate curriculum to prevent the abduction, exploitation,
and sexual abuse of children; anti-epal bill; freedom of information bill; and magna carta for Philippine
internet freedom. She has been fearless in exposing and naming notorious criminal suspects in legislative
investigations, particularly in naming jueteng lords and illegal logging lords.

Unquestioned Honesty

It was Senator Santiago who in effect started the national plunder investigation (which is now a historic
scandal). In December 2012 she revealed that the senate president had used Senate funds to give away
cash gifts. Every senator received P2 million as a Christmas gift, taken from public funds, except Senator
Santiago and two others. That scandal led to the notorious pork barrel scandal, for which the senate
president is now suspended and in jail, having been charged with plunder by the Ombudsman.

COA records show that her “pork barrel,” also known as PDAF, was never marred by any kickback, unlike
those of her colleagues in Congress. In three separate cases, the Supreme Court had upheld the pork
barrel system as constitutional. Sen. Santiago gave her PDAF to: the University of the Philippines system;
Philippine General Hospital; and local government units. She never released her pork barrel to any NGO,
particularly those headed by those guilty of plunder, which means wholesale stealing of public money by
accepting kickbacks, or simply pocketing the entire money.

After the impeachment of the Chief Justice in 2012, it was later revealed that Miriam was one of only
three senators who refused to receive the DAP, amounting to ₱50 million for every senator and ₱10
million for every congressman. It was also later revealed that three senators even received ₱100 million
each, after the impeachment.

When she was a student in U.P. law school, one magazine dubbed her “Supergirl at the State University.”
She is probably the public official whose face has graced the highest number of magazine covers. She
has been featured by famous international publications, including Time, the New York Times, and the
Herald-Tribune.

In 1992, the foreign press reported that she had been elected as President of the Philippines after a
nationwide election. However, she was cheated. As the Filipinos say: “Miriam won in the voting, but lost
in the counting.”

She is a renowned celebrity. Like a rock star, she attracts crowds everywhere. She is the most sought-
after guest speaker of university students. Sen. Santiago is a woman of destiny. She will be remembered
in Philippine history as a genuine hero of her people.

She has been called the incorruptible lady, the platinum lady, the tiger lady, the dragon lady, the iron
lady of Asia, the queen of popularity polls, and the undisputed campus hero. But to her millions of fans,
she is best known for the unique brand of charismatic leadership that media likes to call “Miriam Magic.