Please say it’s just a joke, Senator Miriam!

This is one instance when I hope Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago was only joking—her revelation in a presscon at the Senate last Wednesday that she has Stage 4 lung cancer. But even if it’s only a joke, it’s still a cruel one. Lung cancer is a dreadful disease that I won’t wish even on ill-disciplined people with coughing fits who remain addicted to cigarettes.

Senator Miriam often jokes about threats to her life from the many enemies she has created. She often said she was eating death threats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and that she was not at all concerned over her security.