Second and third term, 2004–2016[edit]
Defensor Santiago ran for senator in 2004 and was elected. She focused on creating significant laws
that changed the country as a whole. She ran again for senator in 2010 and won. During her three
terms, she served as chair mostly of the foreign relations committee and the constitutional
amendments committee. She was elected as official candidate of her party People's Reform Party,
serving also as chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Commission on Appointments. She
exposed and named numerous jueteng (illegal gambling) lords and illegal-logging lords throughout
her terms. [citation needed]
In 2011, Defensor Santiago was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which
hears cases against humanity for former heads of state. She was the first Asian from a third-world
country to be elected to such a post. She resigned in 2014 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
She was one of the senators who backed Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona during his
impeachment trial; he was ultimately impeached due to corruption.
In December 2012, she exposed that the Senate president, Juan Ponce Enrile, used Senate funds
to give away as cash gifts. Every senator, except Defensor Santiago and two others, received ₱2
million as a chunk of the Filipino population lived in poverty. This led to the Priority Development
Assistance Fund scandal, which put the Senate president behind bars with charges of plunder.
Defensor Santiago's live Senate hearings in the case led to public outrage and support for Defensor
Santiago's call to abolish the pork barrel system.
She was the first Filipino elected as a commissioner for the International Development Law
Organization (IDLO) in 2016. Her role in the organization was advisory to the international law
community. [38]
Select laws authored[edit]
The many laws that Defensor Santiago authored include:
Reproductive Health Act of 2012, which instills reproductive health education throughout the
nation, and was backed by the majority of the population while criticized by religious institutions
in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. [39]
Sin Tax Law, which improved the taxation of the country and led to the economic revolutions
that bolstered Philippine shares. [40]
Climate Change Act of 2009, which mandated the entire nation to become a bastion for
climate change responsiveness, mitigation, adaptation, and management. [41]
Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which mandated the government to shift the energy source
of the country from coal and oil into solar, wind, and other renewable sources – this became the
foundation for the establishment of numerous wind and solar plants in the country which made
the Philippines the 'Wind Energy Capital of Southeast Asia'. [42]
Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, which safeguarded human
rights in the entire nation. [43]
Magna Carta of Women, which protected the rights of women in the country. [44]
Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (Unifast) Act, which
enhanced the educational system in the country, paving way for the intellectual revolution in
urban and rural areas.
[45]
Cybercrime Act of 2012, which protected the nation and its people from cybercrimes which
infested the country's cyberspace.
[46]
Department of Information and Communication Technology Act, which established the
Department of Information and Communication Technology for better information dissemination
and better internet speed in the country
Archipelagic Baselines Act of 2009, which became one of the major basises for the country's
claims on maritime sovereignty, including the West Philippine Sea.
[47]
