Miriam to Comelec: I’m not yet resigning

Ayee Macaraig

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Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago's Senate seat is not up for grabs

MANILA, Philippines – There is no replacing Sen Miriam Defensor Santiago. 

The lady senator from Iloilo formally notified the Commission on Elections that she is keeping her Senate seat, opening only 12 slots for the 2013 senatorial polls.

In a letter to Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr dated July 4, Santiago said she is not yet resigning from the Senate despite being elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Santiago explained that ICC rules state that new judges will have to wait for retiring judges to finish disposing of their cases before they can take office.

“I regret that I am unable to determine the date of my resignation, and that the ICC itself does not know either. Of course, I will not resign from the Senate until the ICC calls me to duty. Hence, I respectfully submit that even only out of prudence, the 2013 ballot should list only 12 vacancies for senators.”

Santiago wrote Brillantes after the Comelec chief sought clarification on her status. She said she hoped her letter would guide the Comelec and political parties in their preparations for next year’s polls.  

“I will simply have to wait until the ICC Presidency makes a decision on whether I should report to the Appeals Chamber, which is considered the most prestigious of the three chambers of the ICC.” 

‘Wardrobe’s regime change’ 

Santiago was one of 6 judges elected to a 9-year term in the ICC last December 2011. This triggered speculation that she would leave the Senate, opening up an extra slot in 2013.

The senator, however, clarified that it would take time before she leaves for The Hague.

“Conscious of my obligation to the Filipino people to serve a six-year term starting from the elections of May 2010, I requested [ICC] President Song [Sang-Hyun] … to call me to duty as one of the last of the 6 new judges. The Presidency took note of my personal preference.”

The new ICC judge skipped her oath-taking in The Hague last March due to hypertension. “In hindsight, it was fortuitous that I did not take my oath as judge because it could have disqualified me from remaining as Senator.” 

Santiago said she initially wanted to keep secret when she would assume her post but public speculation made her do otherwise. 

“[Joining the ICC] will necessitate that I should lease a house, organize a household staff, and organize an official staff in The Hague. Because The Hague has extremely cold weather, even my wardrobe will have to undergo an entire regime change.”

“More significantly, I will have to transfer from the political to the legal sphere. These are the reasons why I have kept silent about my potential resignation.”

Santiago said that she did want to add to the “agitation among my political supporters, as evidenced by their comments on my Facebook page.”

In a speech last week, Santiago said her decision was also meant for her critics, particularly those who started a petition asking that she be disqualified from the ICC.

“If they continue to aggravate me, I will continue to stay in the Philippines.” – Rappler.com


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