MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATED) Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago announced on Wednesday that she has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself to you as the only senator who has been diagnosed with lung cancer as of last week," Santiago said in a televised press conference.
The 69-year-old senator said she has cancer of the left lung which makes it hard for her to breathe.
"For the past two or more years, I have had difficulty. I've always been short of breath particularly when I deliver privilege speeches or even commencement speeches," she said.
Santiago said her cancer is now in stage 4 but it is not spreading.
Like her chronic fatigue syndrome, Santiago said her doctors have no clue on what could have caused her cancer since she does not smoke.
"There's always a chance that I might croak," she said. "Nobody is sure of the results in cancer."
The senator said she is taking tablets that will give the benefits of chemotherapy without the side effects. She hopes to be fully cured of cancer in six weeks.
While it may worry some people, Santiago said she was "very excited" upon learning about her health condition.
"I said 'Yes I got cancer!' Because now I am entering another dimension of human life," she said.
"I am not afraid of cancer. There is nothing I am afraid of," she also said.
Despite her condition, Santiago was still able to poke fun and take swipe at her political foes.
"I don't know what the reactions of my enemies are. Maybe they’ll 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 I will get rid of them," Santiago said.
Santiago said she was also told that she can still perform her duties as a senator.
Last month, Santiago resigned from her post as judge of the International Criminal Court due to her chronic fatigue syndrome.