Tag: miriam santiago

Duterte is mistaken if he thinks he has escaped from ICC by withdrawing PH membership

Published by Ellen on March 16, 2018

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, the first president in Southeast Asia to be the subject of an examination by the International Criminal Court. Malacañang photo.

If Pres. Duterte thinks he is now out of the reach of the International Criminal Court because he directed the Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to withdraw the ratification of the Philippines of the Rome Statute which established the ICC, he is mistaken.

Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay said Duterte has no unilateral constitutional authority to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC. The Rome Statute was ratified by the Senate, which shares the Treaty Power with the President. Withdrawal, as a constitutional matter, requires a similar concurrence.”

Hilbay also said, the withdrawal cannot be made “immediately”.

Nami-miss ko ang yumaong Sen. Miriam Santiago

Published by Ellen on August 26, 2017

Naala-ala nyo ang litrato na ito na siyang nagpasikat kay Atty. Vitaliano Aguirre? Kuha noon impeachment trial ni noon ay Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona noong Pebrero. 2012.

Tanong ni Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II sa hearing ng Senado noong Huwebes tungkol sa pagpatay sa 17-taong gulang na si Kian Delos Santos sa Caloocan noong Agosto 17:“Anong difference ng mga batang pinatay ng adik sa pinatay na bata ng mga pulis?”

Kung yung hindi malalim ang pag-intindi ng batas ang nagtanong niyan, mapagpasensyahan natin. Ngunit si Aguirre ay hindi basta-basta abogado lang. Justice Secretary siya. Siya ang adviser ng Pangulo para mapatupad ang hustisya sa bansa.

Sa salaysay ng mga nakakita ng pangyayari noong gabi ng Agosto 17 at sa resulta ng autopsy, kinaladkad ng tatlong pulis si Kian, grade 11 sa Our Lady of Lourdes Senior Highschool sa Valenzuela, mga pasado alas-otso ng gabi pagkatapos niya magsara ng tindahan.

Lawyer says Napoles as state witness will benefit country

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2013

Santiago questioning Napoles. Photo by Voltaire Domingo NPPA Image. From Yahoo.

The quote of the day from Thursday’s Senate Blue Ribbon hearing was Sen. Miriam Santiago’s “Ignorance can be treated, but stupid is forever. ”

Santiago was spot on in her observation that Napoles could not be stupid considering the pork barrel operator’s rise from her humble beginnings in Basilan to her being filthy rich today. In a press conference, Santiago said she thinks Napoles’ gall diverting money intended for the poor to private pockets of lawmakers, government officials as well as hers comes from ignorance. She said Napoles is used to cutting deals and she thinks she will be able to get away with plunder, which could put her in prison for 20 to 40 years, by cutting another deal.

One of those who monitored the hearing, Ginny Fabie, a member of the Concerned Citizens Movement, observed that Santiago used military interrogation tactics. Scaring her one moment (“Gusto nilang patayin ka, andiyan sa utak mong ‘yan ang pagkakasira ng, di lamang kayaman, pati buhay nila. Importante malagyan duct tape ang mukha mo” ) and giving her advice to turn state witness another moment after she got the businesswoman to admit that she is not the most guilty (“Gantihan mo na habang buhay ka pa.”)

Hindi happy ang mamamayan sa ginawa ni Enrile

Published by Ellen on January 13, 2013

Note: Enrile’s statement at the end column

May mga sitwasyun na kailangan mo ang mga katulad ni Sen. Miriam Santiago na magsasabi ng gusto mo sabihin ngunit hindi mo masasabi.

Mabuti naman at umalma si Santiago tungkol sa pamumudmud ni Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile ng P1.6 milyon sa 18 na senador maliban sa apat na hindi niya kursunada.

Ang apat na senador hindi niya kursunada ay sina Santiago, Antonio Trillanes IV, Allan Cayetano, Pia Cayetano. P250,000 lang ang binigay niya sa apat.

Ang pera ay savings daw ng Senado. Ipinasok ni Enrile ang P1.6 milyon bilang dagdag sa “Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE)” ng mga senador.

Recto’s equilibrium and erectile dysfunction

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2012

Update: Recto quits as ways and means chair: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/10/15/12/recto-quits-ways-and-means-chair

Ralph Recto — Recto’s version of Sin Tax is Philip Morris-friendly

Studies have shown that the ill-effects of smoking coupled with poor diet and lack of exercise are not limited to cardiovascular, respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer, which are afflicting Filipinos at their most productive age, 40’s and early 50’s.

In one of the lectures,Dr. Anthony Leachon, cardiologist and consultant on non-communicable diseases of the Department of Health, said recent studies have shown that smoking causes erectile dysfunction.

Privilege Speech delivered by Sen Recto Oct 15,2012

“You may not die of erectile dysfunction but some men die for it,” quipped Leachon, who is leading the campaign for the passage of the Sin Tax, not the Recto-fied version but the one that the authored by Sen. Miriam Santiago. He also supports the version passed by the House of Representatives authored by then Cavite Representative (now Secretary of Transportation and Communication) Joseph Abaya.

If PNoy believes Puno’s Israel trip story, pity the Filipino people

Published by Ellen on September 16, 2012

Puno at Sept 14 Senate hearing. Thanks to Inquirer for photo. — Thanks to Inquirer for photo.

I wish President Aquino would stop talking about “tuwid na daan” anymore.

It’s adding insult to injury with the way he protected Rico Puno, his shooting buddy whom he appointed undersecretary in the Department of Interior and Local Government. He accepted Puno’s resignation last Sept. 11.

Santiago Sept 14 hearing — “You are testing my level of belief ..”

The House of Representatives spared the public another farce by dropping the planned investigation on the alleged overpriced purchase of firearms for the Philippine National Police and the conflicting versions of Puno’s role in securing the documents on the deal, which included a report questioning his trip to Israel to visit the manufacturing plant of one of the bidders, the Israeli Military Industries.

If Puno was able to get away with stonewalling Sen. Miriam Santiago, chair of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Laws, who conducted hearing, the congressmen are not expected to fare better when it comes to ferreting out the truth. They won’t dare antagonize Malacañang.

‘Wah’ happened! Miriam Santiago goes ballistic

Published by Ellen on March 1, 2012

Proposed punishment fro Aquirre:

Sotto, the majority leader, later told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the senators would take up the penalty to be imposed on Aguirre in a caucus on Tuesday.

“I don’t know if this is serious or not but it is being suggested by Senators Francis Escudero and Panfilo Lacson that we place attorney Aguirre in a room in front of a television set playing the videotape of one of Miriam’s privilege speeches.”

By Cathy Yamsuan, Michael Lim Ubac, TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer

An irate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago covers her ears during a tumultuous moment in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona on Wednesday after private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre III was caught on camera covering his ears as Santiago was berating the prosecution panel. Aguirre, who said his ears “were hurting,” was later cited in contempt for disrespect of a senator-judge.

Private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre had had enough of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and had the guts to stand up to her.

We will miss Sen. Miriam

Published by Ellen on December 13, 2011

There is no truth to the malicious talk that Malacañang ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to work hard for Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago election to the International Criminal Court because they are worried that she would block the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona who was impeached by the House of Representatives last Monday.

Santiago was elected Tuesday as judge in the International Criminal Court, the female judge from a developing Asian country to hold a seat in that international body.

“I will be the first Filipino to sit there. Plus, I will be the first Asian from a developing country. So this is an honor for the Philippines actually and for President Aquino who nominated me,” Santiago said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

Miriam ‘loses’ road rigging contract probe

Published by Ellen on February 17, 2009

Blue Ribbon likely to take over investigation

by JP Lopez
Malaya

miriam-santiago The Senate economic affairs panel chaired by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago will no longer investigate the criminal side of the World Bank report on alleged collusion and bribery in government infrastructure projects and will instead focus on the report’s economic implications.

Santiago said this was the consensus reached by the majority bloc in a caucus called yesterday after some senators complained that last week’s hearing turned into a forum for bashing the World Bank.

“The first item is, pursuant to my recommendation, the Senate economic affairs committee will no longer issue subpoena to the country director of the WB,” Santiago said.

Palitan ang liderato sa Senado

Published by Ellen on February 14, 2009

Dapat siguro palitan na ang liderato sa Senado.Mukha ngang naisahan ng Malacañang sina Senador Ping Lacson, Mar Roxas, Jamby Madrigal nang tinanggal nila si Senate President Manny Villar at ipinalit si Senador Juan Ponce Enrile.

Para kasi makuha ang suporta ng mga kaalyado ni Gloria Arroyo sa pagtanggal kay Villar, pumayag sina Lacson na ibigay ang mga mahalagang committee sa mga kaalyado ni Arroyo. At nakikisama sila sa kanila.

Akala kasi nina Lacson na dahil itong sina Enrile at Santiago ay makasarili, kapag mabaho na si Arroyo, bibitawan nila. Hindi nila naiisip na kaya ni Arroyo magbigay ng hindi kayang ibigay ng iba para sa mga katulad nina Enrile at Santiago.