Santiago not yet ‘physically fit’ to attend plenary sessions

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago informed the Senate on Thursday that while  90 percent of her cancer  cells  have already regressed,  she was not yet “physically fit” to attend plenary sessions.

“Six weeks after my diagnoses and after taking modern medication, the scans and other laboratory tests showed that some 70 percent of the cancer cells  had regressed; now over three months after diagnosis, the same scans and tests showed that some  90 percent of the cancer cells have regressed,”  Santiago said in her letter to Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER.net photo

Despite this,  she said, “I am not yet physically fit to attend plenary sessions because of the characteristic debilitating  fatigue that  marks cancer.”

Santiago though pointed out that she has managed to discharge her  duties  as chair of certain  committees.

“In addition, I continue to file bills and resolutions, on weekly basis. I have managed to discharge  some speaking  obligations , on condition that the event will not last more than two hours, which is my physical  limit at this time,” she said.

The senator was the guest speaker in an event at the Philippine Christian University in Manila Wednesday.

She said she furnished the Senate secretariat a copy of the letter with the request  that her committee and other activities  should be credited as official discharge of her duties.

“I further request that this letter should be made part of my  personnel files to prevent malicious  comments about my Senate attendance,”  Santiago added.

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