Miriam Defensor Santiago

Miriam Defensor Santiago, born on June fifteenth, nineteen forty-five, was a distinguished Filipino politician and lawyer who made her mark across all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executive, and legislative. Renowned for her unwavering commitment to public service, she served as a long-standing senator and was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court, showcasing her legal prowess on an international stage.

Her illustrious career was highlighted by her receipt of the Ramon Magsaysay Award in nineteen eighty-eight, recognizing her bold and moral leadership in reforming a graft-ridden government agency. Appointed by President Corazon Aquino as the Secretary of Agrarian Reform from nineteen eighty-nine to nineteen ninety, she later made a bid for the presidency in the nineteen ninety-two elections, a campaign marred by a car crash injury and power outages that affected the voting process.

Defensor Santiago's political journey included three terms in the Philippine Senate, where she was a vocal critic during the EDSA II protests following the arrest of former President Joseph Estrada in two thousand one. In two thousand twelve, she was elected to the International Criminal Court but resigned due to chronic fatigue syndrome. Her resilience shone through when she declared her candidacy for the presidency again in two thousand fifteen, after her cancer was reported as stable, although she ultimately lost the election.

Sadly, Miriam Defensor Santiago passed away on September twenty-ninth, two thousand sixteen, due to complications from cancer. She was laid to rest at Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina. In December two thousand eighteen, she was posthumously awarded the prestigious Quezon Service Cross, becoming the first woman and the sixth individual to receive this honor. Known as the 'Iron Lady of Asia,' she remains a celebrated figure in Philippine history, fondly referred to as Miriam or MDS.