Heart Evangelista and the late Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago | Image: Tiktok/@lme85
Heart Evangelista paid tribute to the late Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, whom she considers her “mentor” and “second mom,” on the day she took oath as the new president of the Senate Spouses Foundation Inc. (SSFI).
On Wednesday, June 5, after the Kapuso actress led the oath-taking of the new set of officers of SSFI, she shared on Instagram a photo of her with the late senator and wrote in the caption, “I missed you very much today, mama.”
Image: Instagram story/@iamhearte
Two days later, Evangelista posted a new video on her TikTok page with a slideshow of their old photos to further honor the memory of Santiago.
“She was my defender, my second mom. She was my cupid and set me up with my now husband. I miss you. I wish I could still call you like before,” she wrote in the caption.
In a separate video, the fashion influencer shared how she and the late stateswoman became close to each other.
“I was very young when I met her. We actually met at the entrace of Rustans, and it was raining very hard. We were both waiting for our cars, and then she asked me, “You’re Heart Evangelista, right?” she recalled, adding that the late senator asked her a question she won’t ever forget.
Evangelista underscored that Santiago taught her so much about life, and the former judge even asked her to pursue law.
“I remember we were always together. I would sleep over at her house. She advised me on not just my career but my life. She was basically my mentor,” she expressed.
“We would travel together. She’d take me on her short trips. She even took me to New York when she was campaigning for the UN. She wanted me to become a lawyer. She wanted me to go to UP,” continued the actress.
The 39-year-old fashionista remarked that Santiago was a “huge part of her life” and that she was “extremely heartbroken” when the latter died.
“She was really my angel. I remember when she passed, I was extremely heartbroken. I just couldn’t imagine her being sick because she was just such a queen,” said Evangelista.
@lme85 Replying to @JINLEI051324 always and forever 😇 story time #miriamdefensorsantiago ♬ Scott Street – Phoebe Bridgers
At age 71, Santiago died in her sleep on Sept. 29, 2016, while battling lung cancer. She will be remembered on her 79th birthday this coming June 15.
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