Aptly dubbed as the country’s Iron Lady, the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago was definitely not a quitter.
During her two-year battle with stage four lung cancer, the ever-feisty senator remained not only the most prolific but also the feistiest in the Philippine senate.
She even took on the challenge of running as one of the five presidential candidates in the 2016 elections.
Despite her failing condition (and even though she was lagging behind her four opponents), Senator Miriam fought the good fight and finished the race.
Read: Miriam Defensor-Santiago dies at 71
Here, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) rounds up some of the unforgettable quotable quotes of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago:
1. "I may not be a genius, but my opponents are certifiable idiots."
- She said in her presidential campaign speech in 1992.
2. “Kapag tumataas ang posisyon mo sa gobyerno, lumiliit ang balls mo.”
- Miriam cracking jokes during her speech at a student conference in 2013.
3. “I eat death threats for breakfast.”
- Said Miriam, who was undaunted by reported death threats against her.
4. “Fungus face!”
- She once called a political rival whom she challenged to a fistfight.
5. “Maybe they will be happy because on one hand I might die and then they could get rid of me. But on the other hand, I might survive and then I will get rid of them.”
– Said Miriam in a July 2014 presscon where she announced that she had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.
6. “Eat, blank, and die.”
- Miriam told her fellow senators who allegedly got involved in the P10-billion pork-barrel scam in 2013.
7. “You students, there is no substitute to hard work. Kaya huwag kayong mangongopya, and if you copy, you will never succeed. Tingnan mo ang nangyari sa kanila noong college sila, nangopya. Ngayon, senador na, nangopya pa rin."
– Said Senator Miriam in a college forum in July 2013.
8. “Miserable little intellectual amoebas!”
- Said Miriam, referring to public relations firms and other detractors who have attacked her.
9. "If he's brave, he should switch place with me. He should be funny and I'll be the a**hole."
- Said Miriam in a jab against her long-time nemesis and fellow senator.
10. "Discombobulated moral retardates!
- Said Miriam, blasting government officials who organized a protest against her after she was appointed as Department of Agrarian Reform secretary in 1989.
11. "This is goodbye. I shall not importune you any longer. I shall fade into the night like Batman."
- Said Miriam upon her resignation as secretary of Department of Agrarian and Reform in 1990.
12. "Did you know that an earthworm has five hearts, whereas an octopus has two hearts? Kaya kung may kilala ka na nagmamahal ng higit sa dalawa, tanungin mo kung anong klaseng hayop sila."
- One of Senator Miriam's punchlines in honor of Valentine's Day
13. "Para sa mga single, umuwi nang maaga mula sa school o sa trabaho para isipin nila may date ka."
- Another pickup line from Senator Miriam, who was also known for her wit in and outside the senate.
14. “I will never quit! I will never stop! I will never withdraw!"
- Said Senator Miriam amid black propaganda against her at the height of the 2016 presidential elections.
15. "This man, contrary to logic and common sense, hopes to evade criminal prosecution and public outrage over his plunder, by resurrecting campaign dirt against me which are over 21 years old!
"Dream on, old man, a.k.a. Tanda.”
- Said Senator Miriam in a jab against long-time nemesis during her 2013 privilege speech.
