Former First Lady and Senator Luisa “Loi” Estrada said Tuesday she only has prayers for her close friend and former colleague, Sen. Panfilo Lacson in his continuing personal attack on her family that ended almost two decades of friendship, saying that “in that long span of time, there was no sign nor hint whatsoever how much he hated our family he has amplified in his privilege speech which is now coming out as nothing but political vendetta.”

Mrs. Estrada stood as the principal sponsor during the wedding of Lacson’s son, Pampi to Jodi Sta. Maria in Las Vegas, Nevada. The wedding was held shortly after their election to the Philippine Senate.

The former First Lady said she specially flew to the United States mainly to stand as principal sponsor in the wedding of the son of a dear friend for whom she had a high degree of respect.

A doctor by profession, Mrs. Estrada and Lacson ran and won as opposition candidates for the Philippine Senate during the 2001 elections under the same political party while her husband, former President Joseph Estrada and their son, now Sen. Jinggoy Estrada were in jail.

“Even in the Senate, I always consulted Ping on legislative issues and other matters considering that both of us came from the same political aisle, and he always obliged,” Mrs. Estrada recalled, adding he even offered advice “whenever necessary.”

She also remembered that when their son was elected senator as a neophyte, she told Jinggoy he can count on Sen. Lacson for advice.

Dra. Loi also remembered their friendship became even more profound at the Senate, admitting her stint as a legislator became more memorable with the closeness she shared with Lacson on a personal level, “being a family friend from way, way back.”

She shared her thoughts with the Bulletin as reports swirled that her former colleague was on the verge of delivering another privilege speech not only attacking again her husband, but herself and their son, Jinggoy, repeating the very same accusations thrown at their doorstep during the trial of her husband and their son while they were both in jail.

Asked how it has affected her, Dra. Loi said she no longer is fazed with political brick-bats, but coming from someone who was a long-time friend, “it is not only sad, but it hurts because it is looking like a friendship coming to an end.”

With the Lacson experience, Mrs. Estrada noted that indeed for some, political thirst knows no barriers, “in fact reversing the tide of closeness you once enjoyed as friends that I thought transcended partisanship, alliances and political views.”

“In fact, after the January 2001 power grab events, and specially in the aftermath of the arrest of both my husband and son that eventually ended in their being thrown to jail by the government, I felt my family’s ties with Ping (Lacson) even rose even to higher heights,” Mrs. Estrada said.