‘TRIBUTE TO MIRIAM’: Iloilo City council pushes Defensor-Santiago statue

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The Sangguniang Panglungsod of Iloilo City on Wednesday, Oct. 1, passed a resolution urging the construction of a statue honoring the life and legacy of the late former senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

In its regular session, 11 councilors co-sponsored the resolution proposed by Councilor Rex Marcus Sarabia, urging Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu to recognize the late former senator and to erect the statue in her honor.

The resolution cited Defensor-Santiago’s academic and professional achievements, noting that she was valedictorian at La Paz Elementary School and Iloilo National High School, graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines Visayas, and finished cum laude at the UP College of Law in Diliman, Quezon City.

It added that she served as a Regional Trial Court judge, Immigration and Deportation commissioner, and senator, and that she was elected as the first Filipino and Asian judge of the International Criminal Court, where she later stepped down due to health concerns.

“The late senator Miriam Santiago, fondly remembered as the ‘Iron Lady of Asia,’ a proud daughter of Iloilo City, born and raised in La Paz, whose brilliance, courage, and integrity brought honor and distinction not only to her hometown but to the entire country,” the resolution read.

“As an Ilongga, her life and legacy are a source of pride and inspiration for Iloilo City, especially for the people of La Paz district, where she spent her formative years, where her values of academic excellence, public service, and moral courage were deeply rooted,” it added.

Sarabia said in his sponsorship speech that the move was a “people-initiated resolution,” citing social media posts stating that Ilonggos are pushing for formal recognition of Santiago and for the erection of the statue.

Daily Guardian attempted to verify the presence of such posts before the Wednesday session and located one post by the Facebook page Ilonggo Nation in Action.

The Sept. 26 post featured an artificial intelligence–made, half-body statue of Defensor-Santiago.

Other posts referring to a monument in the late former senator’s honor appeared only after the resolution was passed.