BIR-AGHAM ROAD IS NOW SENATOR MIRIAM P. DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO AVENUE

THE BIR-Agham Road in Diliman, Quezon City was formally renamed Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue during a ceremony held on Saturday.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago Avenue spans from North Avenue, traverses Quezon Avenue, up to East Avenue.

The renaming of the road was made following the passage by the House of Representatives of Republic Act 11963 on March 21 and was approved by the Senate on Aug. 14.

Vice President Sara Z. Duterte led the unveiling of the signage of the Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago Avenue, along with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City 1st district councilor Juan Carlos Atayde, and Dra. Linnea Defensor-Evangelista and Narciso Santiago, sister and husband of the late senator, respectively.

According to the Vice President, the road would serve as an expression of the country’s gratitude to the late legislator who fought for truth and upheld legal brilliance while fighting against corruption in the government.

The Vice President is hopeful that her legacy would inspire future generations.

“May this road serve as an expression of our gratitude for a remarkable and unforgettable and colorful Filipina who fought for truth and upheld legal brilliance while fighting against corruption in the government,” Duterte said.

“She embodied integrity in a society that often lacked it, especially in our pursuit for genuine public service. May this road serve as a reminder of her lasting legacy and motivate us to follow in her footsteps,” she added.

Defensor-Santiago, called the “Iron Lady of Asia” and “Dragon Lady,” was the first Asian judge elected to the International Criminal Court and the first Filipino elected as commissioner for the International Development Organization.

She also served as a legal officer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1988, Defensor-Santiago received the Magsaysay Award for Government Service, known as the Asian counterpart of the Nobel Prize, “for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency.”

She held positions in all three branches of the government — a senator for three terms, a presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court in Quezon City and commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration.

The former female senator succumbed to stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 71 on Sept. 29, 2016.