Senate OKs highest civilian award for Miriam Santiago

The Senate on Monday has unanimously adopted a resolution concurring in the posthumous conferment of the Quezon Service Cross, the highest distinction that can be given to a Filipino citizen, to the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. (Photo: Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago/Facebook)

Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s nomination, the Senate on Monday has unanimously adopted a resolution concurring in the posthumous conferment of the Quezon Service Cross, the highest distinction that can be given to a Filipino citizen, to the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The approval of the Concurrent Resolution No. 8 came days after the president nominated Santiago for the highest award.

The resolution was signed by 16 senators, including Senator Grace Poe who sponsored the measure, along with senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Richard Gordon as co-sponsors.

“Senator Miriam’s love for country drove her to greatness and to serve with fervor and utmost dedication her fellow Filipinos until death,” Poe said.

“Bestowing this award upon the former senator enables her to live on as our country’s north star, inspiring future generations to love the nation and serve it in the best way they can,” she added.

According to Poe, the award is given to those individuals who possess unselfish devotion to public good.

Anagara, for his part, said that with the Quezon Service Cross, the Senate enshrine and memorialize Senator Santiago’s legacy of service for generations of Filipinos to imbibe and emulate.

“It is our earnest belief that the Senate’s concurrence with President Duterte’s nomination is unanimous and unequivocal,” Angara said.

The counterpart measure, however, is still pending in the House at the committee level. Once it is approved, the late senator would become the 6th Filipino to receive the distinction.

Since the inception of Quezon Service Cross in 1946, only five individuals have been awarded the recognition.

The five other who received the cross were Carlos P. Romulo in 1951, first Philippine president Emilio Aguinaldo in 1956, former Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay posthumously in 1957, late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. posthumously in 2004, and former interior secretary Jesse Robredo posthumously in 2012.

Duterte has earlier nominated his co-Presidential candidate back in the 2016 elections for the Quezon Service Cross Award.

In his nomination letter to the Congress, the President wrote, “She inspired generations of Filipinos to aspire for excellence and remain steadfast against any challenge and adversity.”

Duterte also cited that the late senator “used her considerable talents for the service of the people and our nation while exhibiting remarkable passion, courage, and integrity.”

The Iron fist lady was born in Iloilo City on June 15, 1945. She served in the Philippine Senate from 1995 to 2001 and was re-elected in 2004. Santiago held her senatorial seat until 2016, and ran for presidency in the 2016 election.

Poe, who was among Santiago’s opponents for presidency, said that the late legislator’s “crusade against the culture of corruption, steadfastness on the rule of law and determination to hold public officials to a higher standard reverberate across generations.”

She added that throughout the Iron fist lady’s 46-year career in the public service, Santiago embodied values that she demanded of leaders: academic, professional, and moral character.

“The values, ideals and service demonstrated by former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago compare favorably to the standard exemplified in public service by the late President Manuel L. Quezon,” Poe further said.