On the Passing of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago

To borrow Kennedy, Senator Miriam's mastery of the Constitution was awesome that when constitutional experts will be summoned to the Senate in the future, it can only be regarded as the greatest gathering of legal minds in one room, second only to the times when Senator Miriam read alone in her office.

She was such an intellectual giant that those who will come after her will be reduced as students forever parsing what she had said as beacons that will light their way and illuminate their minds.

Senator Miriam not only set the benchmark in clarity of thought and convincing discourse, but also in courage which she showed whether in pursuit of her advocacies for the people or the latter's enemies.

She was brains, beauty and balls.

She rarely cursed, never had invectives in her debating arsenal, but she was able to demolish her opponents using language that was devastating yet most elegant.

On her worst day when cancer had already invaded her brain, she was still sharper than any of us, displaying an acumen that was hard to defeat.

Senator Miriam was one of a kind. And we are lucky that like a meteor that streaks across our skies once every century, we were able to witness her dazzling brilliance during our lifetime.