Dr. Miriam Defensor-Santiago: The Best Philippine Candidate to the International Criminal Court

Dr. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (Photo from miriam.com.ph)

Undeniably, the Philippines has interesting figures to count on when it comes to “Who’s Who” in “legal luminaries” who are best qualified and commendable by the state to compete among the best of the world’s outstanding, highly-competent, incorruptibly independent (specifically, among the best candidates from all “states parties” or members in the organization) in law and justice profession.  However, Philippines, maybe, at that sobering state of timidity and modesty to excuse itself from entering into international arena of “Who’s Who” in law and justice luminaries without this “woman of brilliance, a figure of incorruptibility, an icon of moral integrity and undaunted courage and expertise, and a grandiloquent legal guru that, without falter, upholds impartiality and independence, logic and reason, and justice within the bound of law.  This woman is Dr. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a crème de la crème of Philippine legal luminaries.

Dr. Miriam Defensor-Santiago represents the country (as state party) as candidate to the post of judge in the International Criminal Court (ICC) at elections on December 12 to 21 this year (2011).

 

Her Some Major Qualifications and Achievements

Miriam Defensor-Santiago is, currently, a member of the Philippine Senate. She has marked a distinguished career as presiding judge in Regional Trial Court, as commissioner of Immigration, as minister of Agrarian Reform, and has been elected thrice to the Philippine Senate.  She has, also, served as chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Relations and a very distinguished and high standard professor in the fields of constitutional and international law and an author of various legal publications.

In addition, from 1979 to 1980, Dr. Santiago has served as legal officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She has also served as legal consultant of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1982.

In 1988, Miriam Defensor-Santiago has received the Magsaysay Award for government service. She has also received other several awards and titles for her exemplary public service and outstanding expertise in the field of law.

Also, Miriam has run as presidential candidate in 1992 with second highest number of votes. She has also been nominated as Philippine candidate to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2008.

 

Academic Achievements

Miriam Defensor-Santiago is a graduate of BA Political Science, magna cum laude, in the University of the Philippines (UP). She pursued her law education in UP and graduated cum laude. Then, as DeWitt Fellow, she took up her master of laws, and completed her doctor of laws as Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow both in the University of Michigan in the United States of America.

Miriam Defensor-Santigao was also a visiting fellow at St. Hilda’s College in Oxford University in the United Kingdom. She was also a visiting fellow at Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law in Cambridge University, United Kingdom and some other achievements that focus on constitution and international law.

Presently, Dr. Mirriam Defensor-Santiago is nominated as Philippine candidate to the ICC as being highly qualified for her competence in international law, international humanitarian law, law of human rights and as being having extensive experience in legal and judicial work.

The International Criminal Court Headquarter in The Hague, Netherlands (File from wikipedia)

What is the ICC or the International Criminal Court?

The International Criminal Court is governed by the Rome Statute (the adopted legal basis for establishing the permanent ICC on July 17, 1998). The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based international criminal court to try crimes committed only within a specific time-frame and during a specific conflict and to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes such as crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The ICC is an independent, separate from the United Nations, yet it maintains cooperative relationship with the former.

The ICC is based in The Hague, Netherlands.

The elections of six (6) new ICC judges from the nineteen (19) nominated candidates are under the strict determination of the Independent Panel on ICC Judicial Elections (Panel). This Panel ensures election of the most highly-qualified judges to the ICC through a transparent and merit-based process.  The Panel is composed of highly-esteemed experts that represent legal systems from the five (5) geographical regions recognized at the United Nations.

The six (6) new elected judges will serve to a non-renewable nine-year terms.

References:

1. International Criminal Court
2. Note Verbale, Miriam Defensor-Santiago
3. Curriculum Vitae, Miriam Defensor-Santiago

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