Former Senator Miriam Santiago Dies at 71- Succumbed to Lung Cancer

Former Senator Miriam-Defensor Santiago has succumbed to cancer Thursday morning. Husband Attorney Jun Santiago told media of the very sad news

Attorney Santiago said that the senator died in her sleep; she was confined at the St. Luke's Medical Center at the Bonifacio Global City.

Senator Grace Poe has announced the news to her colleagues during the hearing on the Freedom of Information bill. Senator Poe asked everyone to pause for a moment of silence to pray for Senator Santiago's soul.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago would be best remembered for her strong will and outstanding dedication to her work as a public servant. She ran for president but finished last in the May 2016 elections along side Bongbong Marcos.

Before the elections, she said that she was getting better because of a pill that she was taking; she contradicted her detractors when they said she was unfit and had poor health to run for president. Santiago made the fewest public appearances to campaign for presidency last election however; she has won the hearts and the interests of young people getting high percentages of voters from universities and colleges nationwide.

It was noticeable that the senator was not her usual self during the campaign. She would occasionally take short pauses when speaking and there were even reports that she stumbled and fell in her bathroom.

Last May 24, she asked for a medical leave until she ends her term as senator on June 30. CNN Philippines said that she developed weakness, had very little appetite and had anorexia because of the side effects of the medication that she took.

Miriam was born and raised in Iloilo City. She received the highest honors in class from grade school to high school. She is magna cum laude in Political Science and a cum laude for Bachelor of Laws at the University of the Philippines. Miriam passed the bar in 1969 and then pursued continuing studies abroad.

Before being elected as a senator, Santiago was a regional trial court judge in Quezon City and became agrarian reform secretary and immigration commissioner during the regime of President Corazon Aquino.

She was elected in the International Criminal Court or ICC in 2011 but she was never able to commit to her post because of fatigue. She was the first Filipino to be a part of the ICC.

GMA Network said that Santiago had the title "Iron Lady of Asia" because of her wit and strong opposition against corruption.

Senator Santiago was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2014. After a year, she announced that she was cured. In 2016, she announced that she will be running for president which is her third time to do so.

Senator Santiago leaves behind her husband Narciso "Jun" Santiago, Jr. and a son.

According to her official Twitter account, details of the interment will be announced later.