The family of the late senator Miriam Santiago has asked the public not to forget her, even if the beloved lawmaker only wished to be remembered by her own family.

"Her wish before she passed on was only for her to remain in the memory of her own family," the Santiago family said in a statement posted on Miriam's Facebook fan page.

"What Miriam seemed to have forgotten is that for all Filipinos she moved, inspired, or touched, she was family," the family added.

The Santiago family urged Filipinos to "carve a space in your hearts" for the late lawmaker, who had been called the "Iron Lady of Asia, the dragon lady, the tiger lady, the queen of popularity polls, and the undisputed campus hero."

"Remember her, as well, as God’s faithful servant, guided until the end by her moral sense to do good for others," the family added.

Santiago passed away in her sleep Thursday at the age of 71. She was laid to rest on Sunday, with thousands of mourners paying their final tributes.

"We thank from the bottom of our hearts all those who shared our grief over the loss of our beloved Miriam," the family said.

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