THE cancer-stricken Senator Miriam Santiago is now out of the intensive Care Unit of the Makati Medical Center and is in a stable condition, her office said Thursday.
Her staff said Santiago, whose term expires on June 30, was transferred to a regular private room at midday on |Thursday.
Santiago was taken to the MMC in Makati City on Monday after she developed pneumonia due to complications from her lung cancer.
She was met by a steady stream of visitors bearing presents, but the hospital’s management forbade the visitors and their gifts.
Instead, Santiago’s staff requested the public to express their sympathy and to send prayer cards to her official Facebook page.
“Miriam said that she thanks all her family, friends, supporters, fans, and others who helped pray for her recovery and sent their well-wishes on Facebook,” said her husband, former Commissioner Narciso Santiago.
Santiago was named the number one choice among the Ten Most Influential Women in the country on social media, which was posted on the Internet right before the campaign period for this year’s elections.
After a grueling but widely popular campaign among the youth, Santiago ended her term as senator at the close of the 16th Congress. She was a senator for 18 years.
Although she was still undergoing treatment for stage-4 lung cancer, the feisty senator ran for president in the May elections, which was won by newly-proclaimed President Rodrigo Duterte.
She also ran for president in the 1998 elections under her own People’s Reform Party, but was defeated by Fidel Ramos by a slim margin. The senator claims she was cheated by Ramos in that election.
Sometime in July 2014, Santiago called for a press conference at the Senate and announced that she was diagnosed with cancer. Since then, she has been on medical leave.
Being an aspirant for president, she attended twice the presidential debates but failed to make it to the last and final debate in Pangasinan. That time, the senator said she was scheduled to undergo a treatment trial for cancer.
Her running mate, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., urged the whole nation to pray for her immediate recovery.
“Senator Santiago has proven to be a relentless fighter against corruption and incompetence in government all throughout her career,” Marcos said.
“It is our hope that she again wins this fight and be on her way.”
Senator Nancy Binay said despite Santiago’s illness, she had shown that serving the country still came first. “My prayers for @senmiriam’s immediate recovery,” she said.
Senators JV Ejercito and Loren Legarda said they were also praying for Santiago’ speedy recovery.
“Hope she is ok,” Senator Sonny Angara said.
