MANILA, Philippines — Lung cancer did not prevent Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago to take a swipe at those detained over the pork barrel scam using her signature humor.
After revealing on Wednesday that she has stage 4 lung cancer, Santiago criticized her political nemesis, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, for being a "drama king" with his request for hospital detention due to his old age.
"Gusto niya special treatment siya? Tumigil na nga siya. Nag-aarte 'yan. Ang lakas-lakas niya eh," Santiago said in a televised press conference.
Citing the equal protection clause of the Constitution, Santiago said if Enrile will be placed under hospital arrest, then all detained senior citizens should also receive the same treatment.
"I am against any VIP treatment for any detention prisoner unless all other detention prisoners in the country are placed in the same situation," she said.
Although she did not mention names, Santiago also hit Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada whose families had reportedly complained about the condition of their detention cells in the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame.
According to previous reports, the families of the two senators had cited the heat, rats, and cockroaches inside the detention cells for their complaint.
"We're always saying, kawawa naman, ang dami-daming mga daga at mga ipis. Did you ever ask the rats and the cockroaches how they feel?" Santiago said.
Enrile, Revilla and Estrada have been charged with graft and plunder before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly amassing kickbacks from their pork barrel funds coursed to the bogus foundations of businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.
Both Revilla and Estrada surrendered last month after the anti-graft court ordered their arrests.