Miriam Defensor Santiago

Miriam Palma Defensor Santiago ( born June 15, 1945 in La Paz, Iloilo City, Iloilo ) is a Filipino lawyer, journalist and politician who unsuccessfully ran in 1992 and 1998, among other things, for the office of President of the Philippines, as well as between 1995 and 2001 and again since 2004, Senator. In November 2011 she was elected Judge of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and joined this office in March 2012 officially, but still kept her Senate seat. It is thus the first Philippine nationals and also the first Asian from a developing country, which belongs to the ICC.

Life

Studies and professional career

After visiting the La Paz Elementary School and the Iloilo National High School, which they both finished with distinction, began Miriam Defensor, daughter of a judge and a college professor, in 1961 to study at the University of the Philippines and graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA ) magna cum laude. A subsequent study of law at the University of the Philippines, she finished 1969 with a Bachelor of Laws ( LL.B. ) cum laude.

After graduation and the lawyer's approval, she was 1970 Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice and held this function for ten years until 1980. Besides, she took over at the same time 1971-1974 a professor at Trinity College of Quezon City and was also also a columnist, between in 1972 and 1975 with the Philippine Daily Express, and from 1976 to 1978 at the Philippine Panorama. She then completed a postgraduate course in law at the University of Michigan Law School and graduated there in 1975, first a Master of Laws ( LL.M.) in 1976 and a Doctor of the Science of Law ( SJD ).

Then Miriam Defensor Santiago was 1976-1988 lecturer at the Law Faculty of the University of the Philippines next to between 1977 to 1979 a member of the film censor board.

Between 1979 and 1980 she worked as a legal advisor at Poul Hartling, the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR ) in Geneva. Upon her return she was between 1981 and 1983 Legal Adviser in the Law Center of the University of the Philippines and at the same time 1982 Legal adviser to the Philippine Embassy in the United States.

In 1983, her appeal to presiding Judge of the 106th chamber at the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City, where he worked until 1987. At the same time she was again 1985-1988 columnist of the Philippine panorama.

After the end of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in 1988, Miriam Defensor Santiago was that earned by a further study of Religious Studies at the Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City also holds a Master of Arts ( MA Religious Science ), board member of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Authority ( NAIAA ), the airport of Manila.

In addition to this office, which she held until 1989, she was at the same time board member of the Philippine Pension Authority ( Philippine Retirement Authority) and a member of the Immigration and Deportation Commission (Commission of Immigration and Deportation ). In addition, she belonged from 1988 to 1991 on the board of management for public land (Public Estates Authority) and was honored for her achievements in the public administration of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service, named after Ramon Magsaysay.

Political career

Minister and presidential candidate in 1992

Miriam Defensor Santiago in July 1989 to January 1990 was for a short time Minister for agrarian reform in the government of President Corazon Aquino and in this function also at the same time board member of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP ).

She founded in 1990 the movement for responsible public service ( Movement for Responsible Public Service ) and became its chairman. Furthermore, it is since 1992 senior partner of the law firm Miriam Defensor Santiago Law Office.

After she had founded the People's Reform Party (PRP ), they ran on 11 May 1992, even for the office of President. The choice, however, it was subject to former Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos, ( 23.58 percent) was elected president with 5,342,521 votes, while ( 19.72 percent) took second place with 4,468,173 votes. My " running mate " for the office of Vice President Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., won with 2,900,556 votes ( 14.2 percent) after Joseph Estrada, Marcelo B. Fernan and Emilio Mario Osmeña only fourth among the seven candidates for the Office of the Vice President.

In addition to her work as a lawyer in 1994, she was for some time a columnist for the daily newspaper Today.

Senator and presidential candidate in 1998

In May 1995, she was first elected to a six year term senator and represented to 2001, the PRP in the Senate.

In the presidential elections on 11 May 1998, she ran again for the office of President, but that ended this time with 797 206 votes (2.96 percent) after the President elected Joseph Estrada ( 10,722,295 votes ), Jose De Venecia Jr., Raul Roco, Emilio Mario Osmeña, Alfredo Lim and Renato de Villa relegated to seventh place among the ten candidates for president. Your the times " running mate " for the office of Vice -President Francisco TatAd, finished with 745 389 votes (2.91 percent) after Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo ( 12,667,252 votes ), Edgardo Angara, Oscar Orbos and Sergio Osmeña III fifth among the nine candidates for the vice- presidency.

Since 2004

In the Senate elections on 10 May 2004 Miriam Defensor Santiago was, who is married to the former Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government Narciso Y. Santiago Jr., in turn, elected for a six-year term senator, reaching 12,187,401 votes, the seventh place in the twelve to be awarded senate seats. During this time she was both Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy ( Committee on Energy ) and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ( Committee on Foreign Relations ).

At the last Senate elections on 10 May 2010 it was then confirmed with the 17,344,742 votes impressive in their office and Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. took this time to ( 19,513,521 votes ) and Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada ( 18,925,925 votes ) for third place among the twelve Senate seats to be filled. In the incumbent for the legislature 15th Congress it is now Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional amendments and the revision of laws and regulations ( Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws).

On December 12, 2011 Miriam Defensor Santiago was elected with a large majority of 79 out of 104 votes for nine-year tenure as a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC ) in The Hague. This office will officially take over in March 2012 and then give up her Senate seat. It is thus the first Philippine nationals and also the first Asian from a developing country, which belongs to the ICC.