‘Stage 4 cancer’ a face-saving alibi?
WE HAVE a serious problem with the presidential run of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago. We are more alarmed that she has embraced
Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as her running mate. The saying “the sins of the father cannot be visited upon the son” is baloney! The younger Marcos is a classic example of a fruit falling right next to the tree! In fact, he himself minced no words about his intention to continue the “legacy” left by his father!
It may be recalled that Santiago supposedly declined the judgeship she had previously fought so hard for in that very prestigious tribunal called the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague. She cited her “stage 4 cancer” as the reason, and it seemed delicadeza impelled her to withdraw for fear that she might not be able to live up to expectations on account of poor health.
Some, however, saw it as just an excuse to save face. Her cantankerous and rambunctious demeanor as a senator in this country hardly inspired belief in her sobriety. She would go ballistic at the slightest provocation; she would badmouth everyone who disagreed with her. That is no way for an “impartial judge” to behave! So, perhaps, instead of being told to her face that her fellow judges in that court didn’t want a loose cannon sitting in their midst, she could have just lied about being too sick.
That fuzzy idea began to make sense when she declared she has been “totally cured” of cancer and is ready to take on the presidency of this country! Doctors say that one afflicted with a “stage 4 cancer” has a very slim chance of surviving it. So, it’s either Santiago got the benefit of a “miracle” or simply lied about being that sick. The latter speculation is fueled by her refusal to make her medical records available for scrutiny, fulminating that they are very personal and nobody else’s business!
It is every voter’s business to know what her health condition really is. Will she live long enough to finish her term if she wins? Or will she be presiding over the fate of this country from a hospital’s intensive care unit?
Or worse, if Bongbong wins with her, will a Marcos clone ease her out to take over Malacañang all over again? With so many young voters going gaga over Santiago’s antics and idiotic pickup lines, God save this country!
—YVETTE SAN LUIS-PETROCELLI, [email protected]
