Many people are dazzled by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. Her intelligence, feistiness and wit captivate Filipinos even if they do not agree with everything she says. In 1992, during her run for the presidency, she almost made it, propelled by the votes of young people who were idealistic and on the lookout for something new.
In recent years, the senator has continued to be relevant—and interesting—because of her ability to hold the people’s attention through her pick-up lines and strong social media presence. Of course, we know Santiago is not all puff. Sure, her books on stupidity are bestsellers, but before all these, she has authored countless law books that show her firm grasp of the country’s laws, specifically the Constitution.
On the Senate floor, Senator Santiago has not hesitated to speak her mind and show her exasperation every time somebody turns in a less-than-stellar performance.
This is why nobody was surprised when she got elected to the International Court of Justice, and why many were saddened when news of her illness—chronic fatigue syndrome and eventually, cancer—broke.
Last week, however, the senator emerged from her medical issues and announced she had been completely healed—so healthy that she was running for President.
There were mixed reactions to her decision—her choice of a running mate, her defense of the Marcoses, but mostly her filing of a Certificate of Candidacy at a time when people are not sure about her fitness to run a campaign, much less lead more than 100 million Filipinos for the next six years if she wins.
As any Filipino who meets the basic requirements for the presidency, Mrs. Santiago can run for any position she likes. Her intelligence and her tough-as-nails attitude may just be what the country needs to propel it to the long-overdue resolution of its complex ills.
What we cannot afford, however, is a leader who may not be able to keep up with the physical demands of her job. But in response to an open letter asking that she release her medical records to the public, Santiago insisted that compelling her to release her records would be a violation of her human rights.
If anybody truly wanted to find out, she added, he or she could try asking the hospital for her documents and the request would be duly processed by the hospital according to its protocol.
The question of whether candidates should release their records has been brought up since the previous presidential race, when some quarters demanded to see documents describing the mental state of the current president. Nothing came out of that, too, except allegations that it was just one of the many dirty tricks played on a string contender.
There are no tricks here, though. The need to know the physical and mental state of candidates who are applying for the most difficult job in the country is only reasonable. Even companies look at a job applicant’s records before they hire them—why shouldn’t we, especially so since the presidency is daunting and taxing? The performance of the chief executive would have a profound impact on our collective life.
Senator Santiago is correct, as always, that there can be no law to compel her to show her medical records to the people. As with most issues of governance, however, not everything is covered. We only have to be governed by our understanding of what is just and fair. Keeping us in the dark would be a violation of our rights, as well.