Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago talks to the media during a press conference about her being nominated as judge for the International Criminal Court at the Diamond Hotel, Tuesday. The luncheon event was hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario to honor the senator. Jamie Marie Elona/蜜桃工作室
United States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. on Wednesday continued to draw flak for saying 40 percent of male tourists visiting the Philippines come for sex, this time with Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago making sarcastic allusions to him in front of other diplomats.
Thomas was not present in the gathering, but the tart-tongued lawmaker was apparently referring to the American official in her remarks at a luncheon promoting her bid to become a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Santiago opened her speech by giving her own twist to the 鈥淎laddin and the Wonderful Lamp鈥� story: She purportedly encountered a 鈥済enie鈥� that emerged from a bottle that washed ashore during last week鈥檚 Typhoon 鈥淧edring.鈥�
Granted only one wish, she said, she initially asked for peace in the Middle East. But the genie suggested that she make a more 鈥渞easonable鈥� wish, so she asked instead: 鈥淲ell, change the habit of certain diplomats talking about sex tourism in my country.鈥�
The genie supposedly replied: 鈥淲ell, you know diplomats, sometimes they have a tendency to speak out of touch with reality. Why don鈥檛 you just go back to the problem of peace in the Middle East. I think we can negotiate that matter.鈥�
Santiago spoke before a group of diplomats鈥擳homas not among them鈥攁t the Capricorn Room of the Diamond Hotel in Manila. The senator is the country鈥檚 nominee to the ICC, a tribunal that would try persons accused of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, among others.
The United States has not ratified the Rome Statute that established the ICC.