THE Senate yesterday adopted a resolution honoring former President Joseph Estrada and former Sen. Luisa “Loi” Ejercito-Estrada for their “invaluable contributions” to the country.
Senate President Francis Escudero said Senate Resolution No. 1296 seeks to honor the former President and his wife for their legacy in public service and contributions to the country and the Filipino people.
“Today, we welcome back to the Senate a man who opened his heart, lent his voice, and consecrated his life to fighting for the Filipino people. And it was in this arena that he championed their dreams of progress, amidst poverty, and sovereignty over subjugation,” Escudero said in his sponsorship speech.
He said Estrada may have left the Senate more than three decades ago but his two sons – Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joseph Victor Ejercito – continued his legacy “with the burden matching the quality of service that you have done here.”
In his acceptance speech read by Sen. Estrada, the former president thanked Escudero for the initiative to recognize his achievements in public service.
“Thank you for the kind words you have shared with me. This honor is bestowed upon me and my wife, former first lady Lusia ‘Loi’ Estrada, reaffirms that our service and contributions to this nation are never forgotten,” Estrada said.
Estrada, now 87 years old, recalled that people used to poke fun at his “carabao English” but did not resent it and responded with legislation.
“They called it carabao English, so I gave them a carabao law. The Philippine Carabao Act of 1992 or RA 7307 which established the Philippine Carabao Center in Nueva Ecija,” he added.
Estrada was also one of the 12 senators who voted against the upper chamber’s concurrence of a treaty that would extend the presence of US bases for 10 years.
“The day I voted for Senate Resolution No. 1259, of non-concurrence to a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security on September 16, 1991 was what I called our finest hour in the Senate. As I said in my speech that day, our nation has become known as a nation of beggars, of prostitutes, and mendicants. And if we had not voted against the bases, we would have also been known as a nation of cowards,” he added.
“As I accept this recognition, I do so with the deepest appreciation for everyone who has walked this path with me. I am grateful to my colleagues, both past and present for the lessons learned and the friendships formed,” he said.
Senators Estrada and Ejercito thanked their colleagues for the recognition given to the former president and his wife.
The elder Estrada, who was elected president in 1998, was ousted from office amid mass protests in 2001 after a corruption scandal and an abandoned impeachment trial.
The popular former actor and senator was later convicted of plunder but was pardoned by his successor, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.