Erap's mom passes away at 103

Mary Ejercito, the mother of former President Joseph Estrada, died yesterday of heart seizure and aneurysm in the stomach at the San Juan Medical Center. She was 103.

Angel Gonong, Estrada’s media officer, said Ejercito died at around 4:15 p.m.

“Her condition started getting critical during the interfaith rally against Charter change (Cha-cha) in Makati, when President Estrada was forced to rush to the hospital and failed to attend the rally. Her condition stabilized, but early yesterday afternoon, Doña Mary’s health deteriorated again. She died with President Estrada by her side,” Gonong said.

A grief-stricken Estrada himself broke the news to The STAR a few minutes after his mother’s death.

“I’ve lost the best mother I could have,” he said.

After kissing his mother on the forehead, Estrada returned to his house on Polk Street in Greenhills, San Juan and refused to see anyone.

Upon release from his rest house detention in Tanay, Rizal last September after he was granted executive pardon, Estrada had gone straight to his ailing mother at the hospital.

He even joked that his mother admonished him from her hospital bed: “Ikaw, Joseph, hindi mo na nga natapos ang pagka-presidente mo, pati ba detention di mo rin tinapos? (Joseph, you did not finish your term as president, now you won’t even finish your detention term?)”

Since she was hospitalized, Mary had been connected to a respirator and fed through a tube.

When her medical situation deteriorated last year, the Ejercito siblings left it up to the former president to decide whether or not to disconnect the respirator.

He refused and told attending medical personnel to keep his mother on the respirator as long as her heart remained strong.

Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said his grandmother’s remains would be brought to St. John the Baptist Church in Pinaglabanan, San Juan.           

The younger Estrada was not among family members at Mary’s deathbed because he was at the Cardinal Santos Hospital, having just undergone gall bladder surgery.

Malacañang expressed its sympathies to the Estrada family.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to former President Estrada on the passing of his beloved mother, Doña Mary,” Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the “grand lady exemplified grace, filial and abiding love and affection to her family and loved ones, especially to the former President.”

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said: “The Palace offers its most sincere condolences and prayers to the Ejercito family. Doña Mary was a good and loving matriarch and her passing is a great loss.”

Mary is survived by six of her 10 children – Joseph, Dr. Pilarica Ejercito, lawyer Paulino Ejercito, Petrocinia E. de Guzman, Marita Ejercito, and Jesse Ejercito.

Jesse Ejercito asked family and friends not to send flowers. Donations are welcome for the Erap Para sa Mahirap Foundation which will give the proceeds to the Damas de Filipinas Orphanage in Canonigo, Paco, Manila, which was Mary’s favorite charity. – With Paolo Romero, Marvin Sy