November 30, 2003 tragedy

Tragedy brings out the best and the worst in human beings. In the case of Miriam Defensor-Santiago, it brought out her humanity. This is my conclusion after watching the segment made on the suicide of her bunso by Jessica Soho on the weekly show “Jessica Soho Reports.” With that singular report, Ms. Santiago was able to erase, at least to me, all the bad impressions and characterizations—founded or unfounded—that have been attributed to her through these years: BRENDA, eccentric (this she admitted herself), me tililing, etc. The tragedy that was her son’s suicide proved once and for all that Ms. Santiago was foremost, not a politician, but a loving mom. She was not spared the most painful experience of all—losing a child. But in her grief, she has shown the courage and the wisdom that most of us saw in her when she was just starting her foray into politics, doing the rounds of the universities. When asked to ponder why her son had to go at such a young age, Ms. Santiago mused that probably, her son had fulfilled his purpose in life—that of giving her immense joy and solace, accepting her unconditionally no matter what he hears about her from other people. Nobody in the world, except maybe her son, called her “Babe.” And Ms. Santiago seemed to bask in that appellation. Remember her very public posing, clad in a bathing suit, beside the pool? Ms. Santiago also said that perhaps, God had really wanted her to lose the presidency so that she could spend the remaining two-and-a-half years of his son’s life with him. It was so ironic that the reason why his son took his own life was that he failed his constitutional law subject at the Ateneo College of Law. Ms. Santiago is supposed to be an expert on this subject, and this must have been doubly painful for her. It seems as if it was she who failed her son. Ms. Santiago has accepted her son’s death with resignation, even though her husband and eldest son refused to accept suicide as the cause of her son’s death. I am not sure if I correctly heard Jessica’s report but there was a statement that Ms. Santiago would never go into politics again. (Maybe she decided on that before the tragedy struck and her son’s death only sealed further her decision. It could also be that her son’s suicide had made her realize that there was more to life than being President of the Philippines. FPJ should learn a thing or two from Ms. Santiago). While I grieved with Ms. Santiago, I actually celebrated her decision to shun politics altogether. Jessica Soho labeled the four segments shown during this particular episode of her show as follows: politics (FPJ’s declaration of his presidential bid at the Manila Hotel); tragedy (Ms. Santiago’s story); scandal (Michael Jackson’s latest child molestation case); and victory (Manny Pacquiao’s demolition of Barrera). Relabelling of these segments should be in order. Except for Ms. Santiago’s segment, the rest are actually tragedies or are in danger of becoming tragedies. Pacquiao’s victory is being taken advantage of by the government for its infomercials on the Strong Republic. Apparently, Barrera’s punches were not enough punishment for the poor (figuratively, that is) guy. FPJ’s own tragedy is that he will always be associated with Tito Sotto. The Jacko is deteriorating, literally and figuratively. For me, Ms. Santiago’s case, though personal in nature, is the one true victory in the show’s episode. If she remains faithful to the memory of her son, she will forever be spared the muck and mud that is Philippine politics.