Santiago’s behavior in impeachment trial questioned

This is in reaction to the rantings and ravings of Miriam Santiago at the impeachment trial.  When she took a private prosecutor to task and engaged him in what she termed a “colloquy,” little did anyone realize she meant to do a soliloquy and expected everyone to keep their mouth shut.  For the irrepressible senator loves talking to and listening to herself so much she probably thinks she is the only person she can have a sane and intelligent conversation with.  Thus, when the prosecutor tried to butt in, he should have seen it coming:  “How dare you argue with me!”

After some hiatus due to high blood pressure (thank God for little mercies), Santiago returned with more barbs and rhubarbs.  She was snorting like a raging bull—and did anyone notice those dagger-stares?  She berated the prosecutors (again!) for not knowing the persnickety technicalities of the law. She also took potshots at her own colleagues for issuing subpoenas indiscriminately.  We submit that having been away from the courtroom for a very long time, she already forgot the usual praxis that subpoenas are issued perfunctorily ex parte to compel production of testimonial and/or documentary evidence germane to the allegations made in a pleading (so long as they are not “privileged”).  Nobody is sent to jail for procuring subpoenas in aid of prosecuting or defending cases. The paramount interest is the search for the truth.  It is up to the court to determine the weight (or lack of it) of the evidence produced thereby.

But Santiago was simply being true to form:  At times funny when in a good mood, but totally homicidal when provoked—which happens more often.  Her colossal inability to manage her anger should be real cause for alarm.  Lucky for us she won a seat as a judge in the International Criminal Court.  Imagine what she would have said had she lost:  “Who wants to be in the company of idiots anyway!”  That’s what she said of our very own Supreme Court when the ship sailed without her in search of a new chief justice!

While in the Netherlands, she will be the egregious representation of the best “criminal” mind our country has to offer the world.   Let’s all cross our fingers and earnestly pray she will not make a bizarre spectacle of herself there as she does so hilariously here almost all the time!  Really, “[i]t’s more fun in the Philippines”?

—STEPHEN L. MONSANTO,

Monsanto Law Office,

Loyola Heights, Quezon City;

[email protected]