"Iron Lady of Asia", Philippine Senator Miriam Santiago died of lung cancer
Philippine Senator Miriam Santiago called the "Iron Lady of Asia", died peacefully in her sleep just this morning, Thursday at 8:52 while battling her lung cancer, a long-time illness. The presidential hopeful was confined at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City.
The late politician admitted in 2014 that she has a lung cancer which already reached to stage 4. Physical frailty is evident during her campaign for the presidential race on May 29 where she took a long recession. It is noticeable of her less appearance during the campaign period with Senator Bongbong Marcos.
She confessed to CNN Philippines that she is "perfectly normal" since she is taking an anti-cancer drug. However, she had to take short pauses on occasion to catch her breath. There are also instances that her feel of balance was very unstable making her sometimes topple and fall in the bathroom.
Santiago was born in Iloilo City on June 15, 1945. She graduated in the University of the Philippines as a magna cum laude having a degree in Political Science aside from being a cum laude for Bachelor of Laws. She is the first female editor-in-chief of UP's Philippine Collegian. She also became judge and a senator before running for the presidency.
Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe who presides over the Senate committee's hearing on public information and mass media verified Santiago's death during the Freedom of Information Bill hearing. The hearing was paused to offer a prayer for the deceased former colleague, Inquirer reported.
"I would like to ask we take a moment of silence to pray for the soul of an esteemed, a respected courageous colleague, a woman who had helped us in the past pass the freedom of information bill. May we pray for Senator Santiago, she passed away a few minutes ago," she said.
Santiago has been entitled the "Iron Lady of Asia" because of her straightforward operation against graft and corruption when she was serving the judicial, executive, and legislative branches of the government.
