MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago yesterday announced she would not attend the presidential debate on Sunday but will instead join an international clinical trial for an anti-cancer pill.
Santiago said joining the international clinical trial would give her free access to the medication, which otherwise would cost some half a million pesos every three weeks. The trial requires Santiago to report for outpatient radiation treatment at the hospital daily for a short period.
Santiago said she would try to participate in the third and last presidential debate next month if the ongoing treatments do not inhibit her.
Santiago is among the five presidential candidates scheduled to appear in debates in Cebu on Sunday.
The second of the series of debates under the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is sponsored by The STAR, TV5 and BusinessWorld.
The debates on Sunday will focus on health, education, disaster preparedness, climate change and corruption.
“I am very sorry to miss out on the debates, but it would be a disservice to the country if I forgo the opportunity to get rid of my cancer completely and strengthen myself further to serve the Filipino people,” Santiago said.
Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said a vacant chair would be reserved for Santiago during the debates.
“It was agreed upon that for candidates who will not be able to attend the debate, a vacant seat with their name will be reserved for them,” he said.
On the other hand, the camp of presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte denied reports that the mayor will also not attend the debate.
Peter Laviña, spokesman and head of the Duterte media group, said there is no truth to reports that Duterte will back out of the debate because it will be held at the University of the Philippines campus in Cebu.
The information, originating in Cebu and given through a bogus poster circulating online, was made to appear to be in connection with the recent visit of Duterte to UP Los Baños.
“This is a squid tactic to confuse our supporters and paint our candidate as a coward, liar and disengaging – things that he is not,” Laviña said.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, for his part, said he would attend but would miss engaging fellow presidential candidate Santiago in the debate on Sunday.
“Sen. Miriam Santiago has been a fighter since our student council days at the University of the Philippines. I wish her well and pray for her fast recovery. I am sure that all of the presidential candidates will miss her presence in the upcoming debate,” Binay said.
Santiago’s media relations officer Kim Arveen Patria, meanwhile, said the clinical trial for the senator had already started.
Santiago was diagnosed with lung cancer, stage four, in June 2014. She had been taking medication that reportedly reduced the cancer cells in her lungs.
Santiago earlier announced her cancer has been cured and she is medically fit to hit the campaign trail for the presidency.
She has delivered speeches in several universities around the country, banking on her popularity among the youth to buoy her presidential bid.
In all her campus speeches, Santiago urged millennial voters to vote for candidates with academic, professional and moral excellence.
She also asked the youth to campaign for her, recalling the massive impact of youth volunteers in her 1992 run. – With Sheila Crisostomo, Mike Frialde, Helen Flores