ACHIEVEMENT
REPORT
1995-2000
MIRIAM DEFENSOR SANTIAGO
Senator of the Philippines
1995-2001
Anticorruption senator
Hailed for her moral courage with exposes on:
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P438 billion foreign debt of National Power Corporation, stemming from alleged onerous contracts with independent power producers. Ongoing.
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P9.2 billion Centennial Expo scandal, with unconstitutional fund-juggling.
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P6.6 billion national lotto scandal, with contract awarded to Malaysian gambling firm.
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P3.2 billion DILG scandal on a monopoly contract awarded to a favored drug-testing firm. Criminal cases filed in Sandiganbayan court.
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P278 million Philippine Coconut Authority scandal, with foreign loans diverted to charter change (cha-cha) campaign.
In July 1995, hostages were taken at the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital in Manila, by a hospital employee who wanted to protest alleged graft and corruption in hospital management. He said he was willing to negotiate release of the hostages only with Sen. Santiago, because of her courage and honesty. The hostage-taker then surrendered to Sen. Santiago, and released the hostages. Subsequently, Sen. Santiago filed a resolution calling for an investigation on the charges aired by the hostage-taker, and the resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on Health.
World-class senator. Keynote speaker at 2000 Brazil global forum on reinventing government. Keynote speaker at 1989 Australia international anti-corruption conference.
Senate's leading expert on constitutional and international law. Personally argued and won anti-charter change (cha-cha) case in Supreme Court, Defensor Santiago v. Comelec. Included in 2000 UN list of eminent and qualified experts.
Earned nationwide admiration as honest senator, when media reported she was the only senator who did not get pork barrel funds known as Congressional Initiative Allocation (CIA) for 1996. CIA funds ranged from P110 million to P5.4 billion.
She also voted "No" to the proposed transfer of the Senate from the Congress Bldg. on Taft Avenue, to the PNB Bldg. on Roxas Boulevard, Pasay. She opposed spending P200 million for the transfer, and proposed instead an inexpensive transfer to the COA Bldg. on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.
Sen. Santiago sponsored the law providing for an automated counting system for the 1998 elections. But she insisted on the all-important provision that the counting machines should be able to distinguish between fake and genuine ballots. Otherwise, machines would only facilitate "Operation: Dagdag-Bawas" by means of computer fraud.
Most outstanding legal outreach project: wrote 23 books, including the unprecedented and monumental Code Annotated Series and Basic Textbook Series.
Most outstanding community outreach project: mobile free legal aid clinics in Metro Manila city halls.
Most outstanding youth outreach project: Senate Internship Program, also known as Summer sa Senado, with 40 university students in 1999 and 220 university students in 2000, nationwide.
One of the most hardworking senators. From 1995 to 2000, filed:
- 549 bills
- 211 resolutions
On these main topics:
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Human Rights
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Governance
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Youth and Women
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Health and Safety
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Education
No. 1 in privilege speeches delivered, 1995 & 1998 - 2000.
No. 1 in number of bills and resolutions filed, 1998 - 2000.
No. 1 in number of committee reports filed, 1998 .
Chair, Senate committee on constitutional amendments,
revision of codes and laws.
Author or sponsor of bills passed into law:
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Access Devices Regulation Act
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Agricultural Modernization Act
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Automated Election System Act
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Domestic Adoption Act
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Downstream Oil Deregulation Act
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Indigenous Peoples' Act of 1996
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Anti-Rape Law of 1997
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Seatbelt Law
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Intellectual Property Code
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Banning right-hand steering
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Assistance for rape victims
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Regulating the practice of Mechanical Engineering
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Act for general re-registration of voters
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Act on ARMM elections