Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has passed away at the age of 71.
She had long been battling with lung cancer.
In a short statement, her family said, the Senator died at 8:52 am on Thursday.
Her husband, Atty. Jun Santiago, said, "she died peacefully in her sleep."
The Senator's family will release the details of her wake soon.
They are asking people for prayers in their time of grief.
It was in 2014 when the Senator announced she had stage 4 lung cancer.
Malacanang and her fellow senators have sent their messages of condolences to Santiago’s family.
Senator Grace Poe was presiding over a hearing in the Senate when she learned about the news.
She hailed the legacy of Senator Santiago to the Filipino people.
Senator Santiago ran for President three times.
The first was in 1992 against former President Fidel Ramos, the second was in 1998 against former President Joseph Estrada and the last time was in May, 2016 against President Rodrigo Duterte.
She was born in Iloilo City on June 15, 1945.
