Miriam Defensor Santiago (born 15 June 1945) is a Filipino politician, notable for having served in

all three branches of the Philippine government – judicial, executive, and legislative. She was named

one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian magazine.[1] In 2012,

she was elected judge of the International Criminal Court, the first Filipina and the first Asian from a

developing country to be so honored.[2][3] But she was forced to waive the post, saying she

has chronic fatigue syndrome.[4] She later announced that she diagnosed with lung cancer.[5] In 1988,

she was named laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service, with a citation “for

bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a corrupt-ridden government agency.”[6][7][8][9] She ran in the

1992 presidential elections but was cheated and never conceded defeat.[10] She has also written

books covering topics in law and the social sciences. She has served three terms in the Philippine

Senate.

She is the leading authority of her generation in constitutional law and international law.