The Senate has unanimously adopted a resolution concurring in the posthumous conferment of the Quezon Service Cross – the highest award the nation can bestow on a person for outstanding civilian service – to the late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The approval on Monday of Concurrent Resolution No. 8 – entitled “Resolution Concurring in the Posthumous Conferment of the Quezon Service Cross to Miriam Defensor Santiago” – came days after President Rodrigo Duterte nominated her for the award.

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The resolution was signed by 16 senators, including Sen. Grace Poe, who endorsed its approval on the floor.

“Senator Miriam’s love for country drove her to greatness and to serve with fervor and utmost dedication her fellow Filipinos until death,” Poe said when she sponsored the resolution on the floor. “Bestowing this award upon the former senator enables her to live on as our country’s north star, inspiring future generations to love the nation and serve it in the best way they can.”

According to Poe, the Quezon Service Cross is awarded to those who has shown “unselfish devotion to the public good.”

“Only five individuals have been awarded the cross since its inception in 1946. And of the five, only two were given in the past decade,” Poe said.

“And in typical Miriam fashion, she managed to exceed her fellow awardees as the first female recipient of the Quezon Service Cross. That’s Senator Miriam for you, always striving to be the first or the best,” she added.

The five others who received the cross were:

Carlos P. Romulo, on April 12, 1951

Emilio Aguinaldo, on June 12, 1956

Ramon Magsaysay, posthumously on July 4, 1957

Benigno Aquino Jr., posthumously on Aug. 21, 2004

Jesse M. Robredo, posthumously on Nov. 26, 2012

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives must concur with the proclamation for conferment of the award.

In the resolution, Poe also described Santiago as a “paragon of passion, courage and integrity.” The late senator, she said, was also “the embodiment of the very characteristics she demanded in any public servant: academic, professional and moral excellence.”

“The values, ideals and service demonstrated by former Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago compare favorably to the standard exemplified in public service by the late President Manuel L. Quezon,” Poe further said.

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