THE SENATE has approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to rename Agham Road and Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Road in Quezon City after the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
In a 22-0 vote, senators approved House Bill 7413, which will rename the roads to Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago Avenue. The House of Representatives approved the bill in March.
Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri and several senators paid tribute to her and recalled memorable experiences with the late senator, dubbed as the “Iron Lady of Asia” and “Dragon Lady.”
“She had a feisty appearance on TV and she was a very feisty woman, a firebrand of leadership and performance, but in the halls of Congress… she was like a mother to all of us,” Mr. Zubiri said.
Ms. Santiago was the first Asian judge elected to the International Criminal Court. She was also the first Filipino elected as commissioner of the International Development Organization. She also served as a legal officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
