The Late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. (file photo)

e are in many ways saddened by the passing away of former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. She was the most prolific Philippine senator by far. She has authored over 437, 435 bills and filed 181 resolutions since becoming senator in 1995. Santiago has also one of the largest social media following of any Philippine politician. She showed promise early on when she won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award in 1988 "for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency." In 2012 she became the first Filipino to be elected a judge in the International Criminal Court headquartered in the Hague.

Santiago could have become a beloved hero of the Filipino people had she not had such an acerbic personality. On the senate floor, Santiago’s speeches were usually browbeatings, talking down to her audience, instead of an exchange of ideas between equals. Such acts were so common, that it seemed as though Santiago relished the notoriety she would receive. Her hubris and lecturing manner towards witnesses as well as fellow senator-judges during the televised impeachment hearings of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011 brought her antics to a global audience via the worldwide web.

Unfortunately for Santiago, like many Filipinos, she appeared to have an inflated ego which she used to mask an insecurity complex.

Santiago during one of her many speeches. (file photo)

If Miriam Defensor-Santiago had a more normal personality, there can be no doubt that she would have been a truly great Filipina who would have been loved and cherished by Filipinos for all time. But because of her character flaws she may sadly end up as just another footnote in Philippine history: a highly prolific Senator who tried to do her best for the country but her caustic character oftentimes got in the way. Published 10/04/2016