Miriam Santiago’s Genie can stop Mideast turmoil, but not Senate hearings

Which wish is easier for a magic genie to grant, peace in the Middle East or a stop to televised Senate hearings “in aid of legislation?”  Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has a ready answer: the former, of course.

At a forum on international criminal justice at the University of the Philippines College of Law on Friday, Santiago recounted how she “met” a genie in a bottle floating in flooded Calumpit, Bulacan and wished for a stop to televised Senate investigations.

“In Senate investigations, some are brazen in their display of ignorance of the rules of court—that is a crime in itself!” Santiago said to roars of laughter.

The genie, according to Santiago, will rather be asked to bring peace to the Middle East than close the curtains on Senate grandstanding, which is a more formidable task.

Santiago spoke before UP law students and faculty members on the Philippines’ contributions to international criminal justice.

“One of the good things about the country is that we are at the forefront of pioneering efforts,” she said, noting that international laws had been incorporated into the Constitution.

What should have been a scholarly discussion on international criminal law became a lively lecture with the lawmaker playing professor at times, tossing questions at the audience.

Her address was sprinkled with her trademark witticism delivered in deadpan tone, greedily lapped up by the UP community that regards the former UP student and professor as one of their own.

Santiago is a candidate for a seat at the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) which will elect its judges in December in New York. She will be leaving next week to meet with the 118 ambassadors of the member-states of the ICC where she will no doubt campaign for votes in the ICC elections.

She recalled that lawyer Raul Pangalangan was generous in his praise after she delivered a sponsorship speech for the Rome Statute, the treaty creating the ICC. The Senate ratified the Rome Statute in August, paving the way for the Philippines to become ICC’s 117th member.

Pangalangan had described his former professor as “firm and gracious” as she defended the country’s bid to become a member of the ICC.

Santiago however said: “That’s not true. I was not firm, I was angry. And I was not gracious, I was homicidal!”

Santiago welcomed the various tags pinned on her—“dragon lady,” “iron lady” and other unflattering descriptions. “Thank you for the extravagant introduction… which made me sound like different kinds of animals,” she said.

As if to remind her audience to take her words with a grain of salt, the senator added: “This is my home territory. But when I go out, I will deny everything I’ve said!”