Exclusive - Why Was Miriam Defensor-Santiago Called 'The Iron Lady'? FIND OUT HERE

A brave-heart in the Senate who speaks her mind and never was afraid to stand for what she believes was right, former Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was dubbed as the "Iron Lady of Asia".

Because of her renowned no-nonsense drive against graft and corruption when she served all the three branches of the government—judicial, executive, and legislative, the former Senator received various names aside from being the Iron Lady: the Dragon Lady, the Platinum Lady, the Incorruptible Lady, the Tiger Lady.

This dynamic woman sadly passed away peacefully in her sleep this Thursday morning at the St. Luke's Medical Center at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig after battling stage 4 lung cancer.

She can be remembered in her remarkable life:

Santiago was named one of The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World in 1997 by The Australian magazine.

In 1988, Santiago was named laureate of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service, with a citation "for bold and moral leadership in cleaning up a graft-ridden government agency." She ran in the 1992 presidential elections but was defeated. However, there was the quote, 'Miriam won in the elections, but lost in the counting.' that became popular nationwide.

Santiago first became senator of the republic in 1995 and authored the most number of laws and bills in the entire history of the Philippines. She ran again for president in the 1998 presidential elections but lost after heavy black propaganda against her was eventually proven false on the latter. She continued her work as senator - exposed and lambasted numerous government scandals, such as the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, which led to massive outrage and triggered major reforms throughout the country.

She portrayed an icon of incorruptibility, honest government service, and constitutional law.

Because of her conviction, she received numerous awards and recognition for her continuous fight against corruption in the country.

In 2012, Santiago became the first ever Filipina and Asian from a developing country to be elected as judge of the International Criminal Court. She later resigned because of cited chronic fatigue syndrome, which later turned out to be lung cancer.

Santiago had served three terms in the Philippine Senate. On 13 October 2015, she declared her third candidacy for President of the Philippines in the 2016 elections even after her doctors from the United States declared her cancer 'stable' and 'receded', but lost to now current President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte.

Her supporters, most are the youth, stated that Miriam Defensor-Santiago was "the best president we never had."