Miriam on choosing nation’s leader: ‘Hindi puwedeng yung nakaupo sa likod ang magiging presidente’  

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago on Sunday reminded the Filipino people to give their choice of president some real thought.

In her closing statement at Sunday night's Pilipinas Debates 2016 at the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City, she said choosing who to vote for president in next month's elections should not be done on a whim.

“Kaya pag-isipan n’yo nang mabuti itong ginagawa natin. Nagpipili tayo ng ating lider sa loob ng susunod na anim na taon. Hindi tayo pwede mamili sa base lang ng kursunada, o dahil uso doon sa mga gang ninyo o sa mga tribes ninyo sa eskwela,” she said. 

 “We are not looking for an ordinary leader or an ordinary manager or administrator. We are looking for the President of the Philippines. I think the first qualification should be international stature. That would be a great help to Philippine foreign and domestic policy,” she said.

Santiago then proceeded to detail the three qualifications she believed necessary to become president.

She said the first is academic excellence.

“Ako, meron akong doctorate of juridical science from America. Tsaka valedictorian ako ng lahat ng klase ko. Hindi naman puwede na iyong maupo sa likod, iyon ang magiging presidente ng Pilipinas,” she said.

Santiago earned a Doctor of Juridical Science (Barbour Scholar and DeWitt Fellow) degree  from the University of Michigan with an “A” average grade in 1976.

Second is professional excellence, Santiago said.

“Binigyan ako ng prestigious Magsaysay Award for government service ‘for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a corrupt government agency’. Meron ba silang ganoon?” she said.

The award, which is considered as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, was given to her in 1988.

And finally, the president should have moral excellence, according to Santiago.

“Maliban diyan sa dalawang excellence na iyon, meron pang moral excellence, which is the most important.  Unfortunately, there is no machine that you can attach to a human being so that you can tell whether the person is honest or not. Maaaring bolero lang. Maaaring magaan ang bibig. Maaaring kung anu-anong sinasabi basta kung ano ang dumating sa isipan niya,” she said. 

In the Pulse Asia presidential survey released hours before the debate, Santiago only received three percent while tough-talking Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte led the poll with 34 percent. — APG, GMA News