DFA still optimistic on Miriam ICJ bid

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is confident that the allegations of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago about moves to derail her bid to get elected to  the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will not affect her candidacy.

A ranking DFA official, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that the Philippines continues to seek the support of different countries for Santiago’s candidature.

“The DFA is facing governments to ask for their support for Sen. Santiago’s candidature. Her election will give gender-balance to the ICJ. If she wins, she’ll be the only female in the ICJ and the only one from the ASEAN,” the official said.

Meantime, abs-cbnnews.com/NEWSBREAK editor in chief Marites Danguilan Vitug denied yesterday Santiago’s accusations that their website’s reporting on the senator’s bid for a seat in the ICJ is an attempt to blackmail her.

In a statement, Vitug said: “It is incorrect for Senator Santiago to ascribe motives to journalists who, because of their hard-hitting pursuit of the truth, write stories that that do not please her.”

“Unfortunately, Sen. Santiago fails to understand our work. It is our duty to report on issues of public interest in a fair manner and as accurately as we can,” Vitug said. “In fact, in August 2007, abs-cbnnews.com reported on her campaign for the ICJ and quoted Ambassador Romeo Arguelles as saying that Santiago will not be a ‘hard sell’ because of her brilliant qualifications.”

“Her bid for the ICJ is a separate issue from her position on the Meralco controversy. It deserves separate scrutiny,” she added.

Santiago was nominated on July 20, 2007 to the ICJ by the Philippine National Group composed of Supreme Court Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares Santiago, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Florentino Feliciano, then Integrated Bar of the Philippines National President Jose Vicente Salazar, and University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Dean Alfredo Benipayo.

Her candidature was endorsed by Chief Justice Reynato Puno, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Bar Association, The Philippine Women Judges Association Inc., The Philippine Association of Law Schools and the Philippine Association of Law Professors.

The senator’s nomination to the ICJ was announced by President Arroyo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Ministers’ meeting last July 30, 2007.

Should Santiago get elected to the ICJ, she will be the second Filipino to serve in the World Court. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cesar Bengzon served as ICJ judge from 1967 to 1976.

Santiago will also be the first female Asian judge in the ICJ, and the second female ICJ judge, next to Rosalyn Higgins of the United Kingdom. Higgins currently serves as president of the ICJ.

Five seats in the ICJ will be available in Feb. 5, 2009. Elections will be held at the United Nations in New York later this year.

A candidate needs to get at least a majority vote in both the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, voting simultaneously but separately.

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The Court decides two types of cases: legal disputes between States submitted to Court (contentious cases) and requests for advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by the United Nations organs and specialized agencies (advisory opinions).

Santiago is banking on her long and distinguished career in government and her strong record of academic excellence to take her to the World Court.