Luisa "Loi" P. Ejercito-Estrada

2006-07-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Senadora ng Masa

A native Zabaleño, Luisa Pimentel Ejercito Estrada was born in Iba, Zambales in 1930. Her parents are Rufino Pimentel and Manuela Fernandez. She was married to the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

The Ejercito Estrada have three (3) children: Jose “Jinggoy” married to Precy Vitug; Jacqueline married to Beaver Lopez; and Jude.

“Loi”, as she is fondly known, grew up and finished her primary and secondary schooling in Iba, Zambales.

She studied at the University of Santo Tomas (U.S.T.), where she obtained two degrees during five years of study: Associate in Arts, College of Liberal Arts (1949), and Doctor of Medicine (1954). She eventually specialized in the field of Psychiatry.

In 1956, she joined the National Center for Mental Health (formerly known the Philippine Mental Hospital); where she became a Junior Resident.

In 1960, she was a Training-Fellow at the Royal Park Hospital in Melbourne, Australia and Ballarat Mental Hospital Department under the tutelage of Dr. Cunningham Dax and Dr. John Cade. She also served as a Training Fellow at Ararat Mental Hospital in 1961.

In 1962, she came back in the Philippines to serve as pioneer in mental health, setting up the Mental Health Department at Davao General Hospital in Davao City, Southern Mindanao.

For fifteen years, starting in 1972, she has also been involved as a volunteer doctor at St. Martin de Porres Charity Hospital in San Juan, Manila.

On October 12, 1999, she received an Honorary Doctorate degree in Philosophy from the Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.

Dr. Ejercito Estrada’s concern and care for the less fortunate took a more expansive reach when her husband-actor ran for and was elected into office as mayor of one of the country’s thriving municipalities, the municipality of San Juan. Later years after through her husband’s term as Senator and Vice President she founded many noteworthy projects, which become famous pillars of achievements for the Ejercito Estrada Family. One of these is the “ERAP Para Sa Mahirap” Foundation” that she helped established in 1989 together with the President. Its primary goal was to provide scholarship oppurtunities to the underpriviledged but deserving students all over the country that has resulted to more or less 10,000 graduates as of 1999.

An offshoot of her background in medicine, another notable project that she began more than a decade now is the organization and conduct of medical mission in various parts of the country. She has conducted a number of medical missions, more importantly, to far-flung areas bringing the country skilled doctors and medical practitioners.

Coupled with her role as Senadora ng Masa, Dr. Loi Ejercito Estrada has made known her intentions to support, through private and non-governmental initiatives, the mission of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in promoting a sustainable development in the country and attending the basic developmental needs of the citizenry, particularly the poor masses. Hence, the “MARE” Program was conceived.

The “MARE” Program under her stewardship was developed specifically to address the various concerns of the community, which has five (5) primary projects namely; Tubig Pang-Kalusugan at Pangkabuhayan (Water for Health and livelihood), Serbisyong Panggamutan para sa Mahirap (Medical Service for the Poor), Pangkabuhayan para sa Mahirap (Livelihood for the Poor), Batang Lansangan Program (Street Children Program), and Bulaklakan at Gulayan sa paligiran (Backyard Flower and Vegetable Gardening).

Senator Loi Estrada handles Committees in the Senate 12th Congress of which, among others, she is Chairperson of the Committee on Youth Women and Family Relations and Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Health and Demography.

Loi Estrada

2006-07-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Luisa "Loi" Pimentel Ejercito Estrada (born 1930 in Iba, Zambales) is the wife of Philippine President Joseph Estrada and was the thirteenth First Lady of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001. In 2001, she ran as a candidate of the opposition for a seat in the Senate. She won and serving the 12th and the current 13th Congress of the Philippines, making her the first First Lady to win a seat in the Senate. Her son, Jose Jinggoy Estrada is also a Senator serving with her in the Upper Chamber. She is a medical doctor in profession, known as very close to the poor, she was dubbed as "First Lady ng Masa" (First Lady of the Masses) because of her medical and outreach missions during her term as First Lady.