Binay says Santiago’s return to campaign trail ‘good news’

Presidential candidates Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Saturday said he was glad his friend Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago is now back in the game for her last-ditch effort in the national elections campaign.

In an interview after his ocular visit in the debate venue at the University of Pangasinan, Binay expressed relief that Santiago is now out of danger after going through a trial treatment for cancer.

“Thank God. That’s good news,” Binay said.

Binay and Santiago’s ties go a long way back to their student council days at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

They are now presidential contenders for the upcoming May 9 polls.

Santiago took a one-month leave from campaigning last March when she tried a trial anti-cancer treatment.

READ: Santiago to skip Comelec debate to try new anticancer pill 

In a video posted on her Facebook page, Santiago said she was feeling a lot better after taking the trial drug and said she is ready to join the last presidential debates in Pangasinan.

Santiago missed the second presidential debate in Cebu last March 20.

“I’m perfectly normal now as you can tell just from my voice and from the way I speak,” she said in a video posted on her Facebook page on Friday night.

READ: Santiago: I’m perfectly normal now

Santiago said she was glad several voters were switching sides to her favor, an indirect reference to the shifting voters’ alliances after a social media backlash on survey frontrunner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for his tasteless joke about the rape-slay of Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill.

Santiago has been topping the campus surveys while trailing behind national voters’ preference polls.

READ: Miriam ‘disheartened’ by surveys

She has limited her campaign to touring colleges and universities in a bid to woo the youth vote.

READ: Santiago to youth: Help end culture of corruption

This is her second attempt in seeking the presidency, after her 1992 presidential bid which she lost to Fidel Ramos.

“Sa lahat ng taga suporta ko nasa Facebook, nagpapasalamat ako ngayon pa lang sa malasakit at sakripisyo na pinakita nyo para sakin. Di ko kayo nakilala isa isa dahil busy rin tayo pero gusto ko rin malaman nyo na gusto ko rin malaman ng taong bayan ay, na bumalik na ang kalusugan ko dahil meron akong bagong gamot na wala pa ngang pangalan kundi code lang, na nagpapalit ng personalidad ng may cancer at ibinabalik dati sa personalidad ng normal na tao,” she said in the video.

(To all my supporters on Facebook, I thank you as early as now for your concern and sacrifices. I didn’t get the chance to know each of you because we had been busy, but I want you to know and I also want our countrymen to know that my health has returned because I now have medication that doesn’t even have a name yet except for a code, that alters the personality of the cancer patient, bringing it back to the person’s normal personality.)

“I’m happy to notice your reports that you are switching sides so we all know itong panahon na ito ay magdesisyon ang undecided voters. Crucial, napakaimportante ang mga naiwan na araw na pwede natin bilangin (this is the time when the undecided voters will make up their mind. Crucial, these last remaining days are very important as we count down [to election day]),” she said.

Santiago said she hoped to gain more supporters after coming out healthy from her anti-cancer treatment on her way to become the next president.

“Kaya sana magpatuloy lang kayo sa inyong malasakit para sabay-sabay tayong pumunta ng Malacañang (I hope you continue with your concern so that we can go to Malacañang together),” she said. CDG