Miriam to finish Corona trial before assuming ICC seat

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Tuesday said that she will ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow her to finish the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona before she assumes her judicial seat.   "Even only one vote could be crucial to decide the impeachment case. Hence, I shall take steps to persuade the ICC to call me only until after the impeachment decision has been promulgated," Santiago said in a letter to the media on Tuesday.   The ICC is the independent body that prosecutes individuals for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Santiago was elected as one of its six new judges, who are expected to take oath in March and wait for the ICC to call them.   "This could take from six months to two years. It is black propaganda to imply that my strong efforts to prevent trial delays will not amount to anything, because I will no longer be in the country when the impeachment trial is submitted for decision," Santiago said.   Santiago, known for her sharp tongue and snide remarks, said she will no longer respond to personal attacks against her.   "I have two reasons. One, taking the debate outside of the courtroom will distract the public discourse on the issues raised by the impeachment trial. Two, it would raise my blood pressure, and I might suffer a stroke," she said.   Smear campaign?   Santiago specifically cited an instance when her blood pressure rose while he was listening to an attack by a "publicity-seeking senatorial candidate" and to "malicious questions" baiting her.   She also said that a columnist, whom she called a "regular Malacañang apologist," used a fake letter to raise an issue about her mental health.   "The attempt to resurrect the age-old issue of mental health is a dead give-away that the personal attacks are part of an orchestrated smear campaign," Santiago said.   "As the last ploy of the desperate, it was used against me during the 1992 presidential campaign. It always resurfaces when, in my crusade against corruption, I make enemies who are so filthy rich that they can hire an expensive PR firm specializing in dirty tricks," she added.   She likewise reminded "those who abuse press freedom" that personal attacks against a judge during trial qualify as a crime of contempt because it tends to "degrade the administration of justice."   "I am aghast and postal that a party in litigation and the sub-mental cretins who are my enemies have the gall to demand the power to control the personality of the judge.  To educate the non-educable, it is the judge who controls the proceedings," Santiago said.    She added that debaters should stick to the issues and not "descend to the level of personalities," which he said is a "despicable low blow."   "My enemies could deliberately provoke me with a personal attack that could lead me to further hypertension and a possible stroke, thus effectively removing me from the impeachment court," Santiago said. — KBK, GMA News