‘Provoked’ Miriam blows top

She almost stole the limelight from the leading cha-racters of the greatest show in town.

Eyes blazing, an indignant Sen. Miriam Defensor- Santiago went ballistic yesterday on the Senate floor, accusing three persons in the gallery of looking "provocatively" at her.

Just as some journalists were already conceding an uneventful day at President Estrada’s impeachment trial, Santiago gave the public a heavy dose of her angry eloquence. She stood up after Sen. Raul Roco had virtually commended lawyer-witness Jazmine Banal for transferring from a high-paying job at the De Borja-Serapio law office, to a lower-paying job at the Romulo-Mabanta law office.

Roco said that this did not follow the usual pattern of changing jobs and indicated idealism, the belief that law is not a business but a noble profession. Santiago resented these comments of Roco because she had earlier wondered why Banal went against a "usual" career pattern and transferred to a low-paying job.

"Is it ethical for a senator-judge to stand up and make a point with a fellow senator-judge?" she asked, arguing that allowing this would pit the senator-judges against one another.

She said colloquy among senators is prohibited and she contended that she was being provoked by a colloquy.

Three persons also got Santiago’s goat for allegedly standing up and looking at her "provocatively" after Roco had made his comments on Banal "despite a prominent sign that members of the audience should remain seated."

She contended that the three persons went out of their way to provoke her.

She then stood up and pointed with her forefinger at three persons in the gallery. They were later identified as Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption; Rosanna Fores, daughter-in-law of Dr. Raul Fores, director of the Makati Medical Center; and Betina Aboitiz, a barangay council member of Forbes Park.

The three protested the charge. They said that they were merely leaning over because their view was blocked by a wall.

"Our rights have been violated!" protested Jimenez after being publicly pointed to by Santiago and being escorted out by employees of the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

Their protestations, however, fell on deaf ears because after a caucus, the senators decided to keep them off the gallery for the rest of the impeachment trial.

Sen. Ramon Revilla said that those in the gallery should not glare or look provocatively at senators, and that Santiago was correct in resenting such looks.

On the Senate floor, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile once took umbrage that Senate Minority Leader Teofisto Guingona "glared" at him.

Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tanada, on the other hand, said he was surprised the reaction of Santiago. He said that it merely indicated that the senators were now high-strung.

Sen. Juan Flavier said that if the three persons merely stood up to get a better view, then they should be excused.

"I myself stand up from to time because I could not see anything being very small," he said.

At the same time, he said that he might be more circumspect from hereon in cracking jokes during the trial.

He admitted that persons in the gallery who would laugh at his jokes might be cited for contempt.

But that would be another story. – Efren Danao, Perseus Echeminada