CURRICULUM  VITAE

of  SEN.  MIRIAM  DEFENSOR  SANTIAGO (July 1998)

Asian Nobel Prize  Miriam Defensor Santiago brought honor to the Philippines, when she was named recipient of the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, known as the Magsaysay Award, for government service.  She was cited “for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a corrupt agency,” referring to her courageous work as immigration commissioner. Her spectacular  crusade  against  corruption and criminality catapulted her to the status of cult figure among the Filipino youth. She was named one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in the World" by The Australian magazine in 1997(http://wisdom.psinet.net.au/~lani/100mpw.html).  She is cited as a political leader by the book Megatrends Asia.   Academic Excellence  Sen. Santiago has a record of academic excellence.  She earned the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, and Bachelor of Laws, cum laude, from the University of the Philippines (U.P.); Master of Laws, and Doctor of the Science of Law, from the University of Michigan, where she was a Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow.  She is a candidate for the degree, Master of Arts in Religious Studies, at the Maryhill School of Theology.  She has done specialized studies in over a dozen countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States.  She has studied at, among others, Oxford University, Harvard University, University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and the Academy of Public International Law at The Hague, Netherlands.  She holds honorary doctorates from Philippine universities.  Sen. Santiago was class valedictorian and campus editor at all levels.  She won as champion of a high school spelling contest, when she was only a freshman student.  Despite a three-month bout with illness, she finished her bachelor’s degree at U.P. after only three and a half instead of four years, with a near-perfect average grade in the last semester of 1.1.  She finished her law doctorate after only six months, with an average grade of "A."  She finished the academic requirements for her master’s degree in theology, with an average grade of 1.25.  She made history in U.P. when she became the first female editor-in-chief of the venerable student newspaper The Philippine Collegian, thus shattering a 50-year-old record of male dominance.  She was also the first female to win the Best Debater Award in law school.  She held a campus beauty title twice, as U.P. ROTC corps sponsor.  She was twice recipient of the Vinzons Achievement Award for excellence in leadership, and of the Rotary Award for most outstanding graduate.  She won first place in oratorical and literary contests.   Professional Excellence  Sen. Santiago’s record of academic excellence is matched by her record of professional excellence.  Media has called her the most awarded Filipino public official today.  At a relatively young age, she has held ranking positions in all three branches of government — executive, legislative, and judicial.  She has been presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court at Quezon City; immigration commissioner; and a cabinet member, as agrarian reform secretary.  She has also been legal officer of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and a consultant of the Philippine embassy in Washington D.C.  She was elected senator in 1995. She has been a U.P. law professor, and is the author of 25 books, including the authoritative casebooks, Constitutional Law; and Public International Law.  She is accredited as an expert in international law by United Nations agencies.  She has also been a popular newspaper columnist.  In addition to the Magsaysay Award, Sen. Santiago has been honored with over a hundred prestigious awards for excellence in public service.  Her awards include: TOYF (The Outstanding Young Filipinos) of the Jaycees; TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service) of the Lions; Gold Vision Triangle Award of the YMCA; Golden Jubilee Achievement Award of the Girl Scouts; and Republic Anniversary Award of the Civic Assembly of Women of the Philippines.  U.P. gave her the Outstanding Law Alumna Award, and the Portia Diamond Award.  She also received the Public Service Award from the Metro Manila bishops, as well as the Woman of the Year Award from the Catholic Education  Association of the Philippines.  She was recipient of the Public Servant of the Year Award from the Council of Evangelical Churches of the Philippines.   Presidential Candidate  Sen. Santiago was dubbed as a political phenomenon, when she  ran for President as an independent candidate in the 1992 elections, and lost only by a very slim margin.  She filed an election protest on the ground of massive cheating, but unfortunately it was dismissed by the Supreme Court on a technicality.  In 1998, she again ran for president, but could not afford election watchers to protect her votes.  Her popularity surged to new heights after sensational media exposes on the pork barrel funds known as Congressional Initiative Allocation, or CIA.  Only Sen. Santiago refused to get this pork barrel in 1996.  In 1997, she won the landmark case of Santiago versus Comelec in the Supreme Court.  As a result, the court stopped a signature campaign for a people’s initiative, and thus barred a controversial move to amend the Constitution and lift term limits. Miriam Magic  For her moral courage in fighting the culture of corruption, she has been acclaimed not only by the local, but also by the foreign press worldwide.  When she was a college student, one magazine already dubbed her “super girl at the state university.”  Her face has graced dozens of magazine covers, and 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 heroine.  But to her millions of fans, she is best known for the unique brand of charismatic leadership that media likes to call — “Miriam Magic.”

[Home] [Resume] [Bills] [Resolution] [Performance Report] [Speeches] [Press Releases] [Photos] [Books Authored] [Dictionary] [Games] [Feedback]