Curriculum Vitae
MIRIAM DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Date of birth: 15 June 1945
Place of birth: Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines
Nationality: Filipino
Languages: Filipino, English (fluent)
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Visiting Fellow, St. Hilda's College, Oxford University
Visiting Fellow, Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law, Cambridge University
Paris-Geneva Summer Program in International Law, Cambridge University
Summer Program in Law, Oxford University
Summer Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Harvard University
Graduate, California Judicial College, University of California at Berkeley
Fellow, Seminar on judicial writing and case flow management in the trial courts, Institute of Judicial
Administration, Quezon City
Fellow, UN/UNITAR Programme in International Law, The Hague, Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium
Fellow, External Session of The Hague Academy of International Law, Tokyo, Japan
Fellow, Academy of American and International Law, Southwestern Legal Foundation, Dallas, Texas
LL.D. (Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow), University of Michigan
LL.M. (DeWitt Fellow), University of Michigan
LL.B. (cum laude), University of the Philippines
BA Political Science (magna cum laude), University of the Philippines
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, 2010-2016
Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, 2004-2010
Senator of the Republic of the Philippines, 1995-2001
Secretary (Minister) of Agrarian Reform, 1989
Commissioner, Bureau of Immigration and Deportation, 1988-1989
Professorial Lecturer, College of Law, University of the Philippines, 1976-1988
Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court, Branch 106, Quezon City, 1983-1987
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Philippine candidate to the International Court of Justice, 2008
Opinion Columnist, "Gadfly," Today newspaper, 1994
Senior Partner, Defensor-Santiago Law Firm, 1992 to present
Presidential candidate (with second highest number of votes), 1992
President and Founder, People's Reform Party, 1991 to present
Chair and Founder, Movement for Responsible Public Service, 1990-present
Member, Board of Directors
- Public Estates Authority, 1988-1989
- Philippine Retirement Authority, 1988-1989
- Ninoy Aquino International Airport Authority, 1988-1989
- Landbank of the Philippines, 1989
Opinion Columnist, "Overview," Philippine Panorama Sunday magazine
Legal Consultant, University of the Philippines Law Center, 1981-1983
Legal Consultant, Philippine Embassy, Washington, D.C., 1982
Legal Officer, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva, Switzerland, 1979-1980
Special Assistant to the Secretary (Minister) of Justice, 1970-1980
DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS
Top Womanity Award for Public Service (2011, Female Network)
Order of Civil Merit (2008, Kingdom of Spain)
Diamond Award for excellence in the legal profession (1993, University of the Philippines Portia Sorority)
Award of Honor (1990, 1991 and 1993, U.P. Women's Law Circle)
Golden Jubilee Achievement Award for government service (1990, Girl Scouts of the Philippines)
Magsaysay Award for Government Service (1988, Ramon Magsaysay Foundation)
Professional award in law (1988, University of the Philippines Alumni Association)
Gold Vision Triangle Award for government service (1988, YMCA Philippines)
Republic Anniversary Award for law enforcement (1988, Civic Assembly of Women in the Philippines)
Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service Award for Law (1986, Philippine Lions)
Ten Outstanding Young Men Award for Law (1985, Philippine Jaycees)
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Law (College Textbook Series, 1999-2003)
Civil Code Annotated
Constitution Annotated
Corporation Code Annotated
Election Code Annotated
Insurance Code Annotated
Local Government Code Annotated
National Internal Revenue Code Annotated
Penal Code Annotated
Rules of Court Annotated, 2nd ed.
Tariff and Customs Code Annotated
Constitutional Law, Volume 1 - Political Structure
Constitutional Law, Volume 2 - Bill of Rights
The 1973 Constitution
International Law, With Philippine Cases and Material and ASEAN Instruments
International Law (co-author)
Papers Published
International Humanitarian Law as an Evolving Field of Law, Integrated Bar of the Philippines Journal,
Volume 33, 2007
The Status of IRRI as an International Organization in National and International Law, Philippine Law
Journal, Volume 79, page 887, 2005
Some Issues of Immigration Law in a Developing State, Michigan Journal of International Law, Volume 10,
page 252, 1989
CID: The Philippine Experiment in fighting Graft, Career Executive Journal, Volume 1, 1989
Family Reunification for Refugees, the Philippine context, Lawyer's Review, Volume 2
Arrest and Search: Guidelines for Policemen, Criminal Justice Journal, Volume 6, 1986
Criminal Procedure in the Juvenile Justice System, Criminal Justice Journal, Volume 4, page 31, 1984
The 'New' Equal Protection, Philippine Law Journal, Volume 58, 1983
Identifying the Political Offender, Philippine Law Journal, Volume 56, page 395, 1981
Promotion, Dissemination, and Teaching of International Refugee Law: Towards a New International Social
Order, Philippine Law Journal, Volume 55, page 139, 1980
Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflicts, Philippine Law Journal, Volume 54, page 188, 1979
Procedural Aspects of the Political Offence Doctrine, Philippine Law Journal, Volume 51, page 238, 1976
The Archipelago Concept in the Law of the Sea, Philippine Law Journal, Volume 49, page 315, 1974
PAPERS AND CONFERENCES
Papers Delivered
"On Issues and Principles of the Rome Statute of the ICC," Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Consultation on the
Universality of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Parliament of Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur, 9 March 2011
"Principle of Non-Discrimination in International Law," 6th International Conference of Tibet Support Groups,
Haryana, Dharamsala, India, 5 Nov 2010
"The Praxis of Gender Justice in the Philippines - Implications for Lawmaking," Panel on Gender Justice and
Women Rights, 32nd Annual Forum of Parliamentarians for Global Action, Istanbul, Turkey,
25 October 2010
"Reflections on the Evolution of International Responsibility and the Rule of Law," 9th Doha Forum on
Democracy, Development and Free Trade, Doha, Qatar, 5 May 2009
"Reservation to Treaties," 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, USA,
29 October 2008
"Shared Natural Resources," 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, USA,
27 October 2008
"Reservation to Treaties" and "Shared Natural Resources," 62nd Session of the United Nations General
Assembly, New York, USA, 2 November 2007
"A Democratic State and Governance in the 21st Century: A View from East Asia," II Global Forum on
Reinventing Government, Brasilia, Brazil, 29 May 2000
"Guidelines for Reporting by Governments on the Implementation of the Global Program of Action, on the
Progress Achieved in Meeting the Goals and Targets for the Years 2003 and 2008," 42nd Session of
The Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Vienna, Austria, 17 March 1999
"Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism," 53rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly,
New York, USA, 12 November 1998
"Women Business Lawyers: Meeting the New Political and Economic Challenges in Asia," Conference of the
Inter-Pacific Bar Association (Women Business Lawyers' Group), Singapore, 4 December 1995
"The 'Gap' in the International Protection of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, Victims of Conflicts,"
International Congress on Respect for International Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy,
7 September 1995
"Toward Radical Humanism in a Meta-Technological Society," Global Convention on the Restoration of
Morality and Humanity, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea, 5 September 1995
"Asian Perspective: The Promotion of International Refugee Law as a Factor in Conflict Prevention," 19th
Roundtable on Current Problems of International Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy 31 August 1994
"Corruption Prevention Strategies in Developing Countries," Keynote Speaker, Fourth International
Anticorruption Conference, Sydney, Australia
