Luisa Pimentel Ejército (; born June 2, 1930), commonly known as Dra. Loi Ejército, is a Filipino politician and physician who last served as a
Senator of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Senado ng Pilipinas'', also ''Mataas na Kapulungan ng Pilipinas'' or "upper chamber") is the upper house of Congress of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines with the House of Representatives a ...
from 2001 to 2007. She is the wife of former
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Joseph Ejercito Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...
, and was the twelfth
First Spouse of the Philippines
The first lady or first gentleman of the Philippines ( fil, Unang Ginang o Unang Ginoó ng Pilipinas) is the courtesy title given to the host or hostess of Malacañang Palace, the residence of the head of state and head of government of the Phil ...
from 1998 to 2001. Her son,
Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, is an incumbent senator since 2022 and previously from 2004 to 2016.
Early life and career
Ejercito was born Luisa Fernandez Pimentel on June 2, 1930 to Rufino Pimentel and Manuela Fernandez. She grew up and received her primary and secondary education in the town of
Iba in
Zambales
Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...
. She later pursued higher education at
University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...
, where she obtained an associate in arts degree from the
College of Liberal Arts in 1949 and doctor of medicine in 1954. After which, she worked as a professor at the university's
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and as a physician at the
University of Santo Tomas Hospital. She later worked at the
National Center for Mental Health
The National Center for Mental Health ( fil, Pambansang Sentro ng Pangkaisipang Kalusugan), is a 4,200-bed psychiatric hospital occupying 47 hectares of land in the city of Mandaluyong, Philippines. It is PhilHealth-accredited.
History
Formerly ...
(NCMH), where she became a
Junior Resident. There, she met her husband, actor
Joseph Estrada
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...
.
In 1960, she was a Training-Fellow at the
Royal Park Hospital
Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital, commonly known as Royal Park is a former Receiving House and Psychiatric Hospital located in Parkville. Operating for over 90 years, Royal Park Hospital was the first psychiatric hospital established in Victo ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
and
Ballarat Mental Hospital Department. She also served as a Training Fellow at Ararat Mental Hospital in 1961. In 1962, she returned to the Philippines and established the Mental Health Department at
Davao General Hospital
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) is a government hospital under the Department of Health of the Republic of the Philippines. It is located at the JP Laurel Ave, Bajada, Davao City. It began as the ''Davao Medical Center''. Its name ...
in
Davao City
Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land ...
. For fifteen years, starting in 1972, she has also been involved as a volunteer doctor at San Martin de Porres Charity Hospital in
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
.
Public role
A psychiatrist by profession, Loi was dubbed First Lady ng Masa (First Lady of the Masses) and Doktora ng Masa (Doctor of the Masses) because of her medical and outreach missions during her term.
On October 12, 1999, she received an
Honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
degree in Philosophy from
Kyung Hee University
Kyung Hee University (abbreviated to KHU) ( Hangul: 경희대학교; Hanja: 慶熙大學校) is a private research university in South Korea with campuses in Seoul and Suwon. Founded in 1949, it is widely regarded as one of the best universit ...
.
After her husband was deposed in the
EDSA Revolution of 2001, she ran as a candidate of the
Puwersa ng Masa
The Puwersa ng Masa Coalition (Force of the Masses) was the Philippine opposition's political multi-party electoral alliance in the May 14, 2001 midterm Legislative elections. The coalition was created after the EDSA Revolution of 2001 that ou ...
opposition coalition for a seat in
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. She won, placing 11th overall, and served in the
12th and the
13th Congress, making her the first First Lady to win a seat in the Senate. With the election of her son
Jinggoy in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
, they became the first ever mother-and-son as incumbent senators in Philippine Senate history.
During her tenure (2001–2007), she authored 121 bills and 13 resolutions, some of which have already been enacted into law:
R.A. No. 9241 The National Health Insurance Program;
R.A. No. 9211 The No Smoking Act;
The Film Development Council of the Philippines,
R.A. No. 9165 The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act; and
The Clean Water Act.
Ejercito decided to seek re-election in
2007 Philippine Senate election, 2007, but she didn't push through with it. At the end of her Senate term, she retired from politics.
Post-Senate
In January 2014, letters sent to the
Department of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
showed that Ejercito allocated her
pork barrel
''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district.
The usage originated in American English, and i ...
to at least two non-governmental organizations linked to
Janet Lim-Napoles
Janet Lim-Napoles (born Janet Luy Lim; January 15, 1964) is a Filipina businesswoman who is believed to have masterminded the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) Scam. She was convicted of plunder for her involvement in the PDAF Scam a ...
during her Senate term.
In June 2014, she was named as the personal physician of her son
Jinggoy, who was one of the senators implicated and detained for their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.
On June 2, 2022, coinciding with her 92nd birthday, she released her memoir entitled “''Love, Mommyla: My Memories of 9 Decade''s,” a 104-pager published by her daughter Jackie.
Percentage of the sales of the memoir would go to their medical missions.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ejercito, Loi
1930 births
Living people
Loi
Loi
Filipino psychiatrists
Filipino academics
Filipino medical doctors
Filipino women medical doctors
Filipino Roman Catholics
Senators of the 12th Congress of the Philippines
Senators of the 13th Congress of the Philippines
Women members of the Senate of the Philippines
Ilocano people
People from Zambales
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino politicians
First Ladies and First Gentlemen of the Philippines
University of Santo Tomas alumni
Politicians from Zambales
21st-century Filipino women politicians
21st-century Filipino politicians
Spouses of presidents of the Philippines