Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago passes away at 71
“When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I came back home, fell on my knees and I said, ‘God I’m prepared’.”
The moment the senator expressed that she was prepared, everybody was look up to her because yes she was the toughest senator we had and the moment the news came out, everybody was not ready, we just lost a brilliant, brave, iconic senator as September 29 marked the history, the Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago passed away at the age of 71.
Sen. Santiago was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014. Despite her bad condition, during the campaign for presidential election, the senator showed like she was the Miriam that we’ve known for so many years—tough, always on the go, no fear, attended presidential debates, went to different places in the country for campaign, but took a long break from campaigning.
On her interview during the campaign days, the senator admitted that she occasionally had to take short pauses to catch her breath and her sense of balance was “very precarious” — she would sometimes stumble and fall in the bathroom.
She also wrote to Senate President Franklin Drilon on May 24 to inform fellow senators that she will be on medical leave until her term ends on June 30. The senator said she developed anorexia, or the inability to eat, as a side effect of one of her anti-cancer medications, which weakened her body.
On May 31, she was rushed to Makati Medical Center after she contracted pneumonia. She was moved to the ICU a day after, and was transferred to regular private room two days later.
Though it was tough for her body, weakened her, the senator remained brave and remained fighting but it was an image of a brave, prepared woman, no regrets if God finally touched her and she did.
She was the most loved senator of this generation because the woman behind tough statements, no fear revelations, is a woman whose goal is to help the Philippines and its people, is a woman of action, is a woman of great ideas, is a woman of no matter what she has been through she remained faithful to her country, passing bills, helping people until her last breathe.
The woman that we saw standing though struggling with her health condition is now resting in God’s arm, marking all her achievements that made us proud as a Filipino.
