Lawyer Estelito Mendoza (left), former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Facebook)

Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will always be "eternally grateful" to the late fomer Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza for helping her get acquitted in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) confidential funds case.

Arroyo, currently Pampanga's 2nd district congresswoman, shared stories about her beloved "Tatang Titong" in a Facebook post Thursday, March 27 in what appeared to be her way of grappling with Mendoza's recent passing.

"It was with profound sorrow that I learned of the passing of my lawyer, former Solicitor General, and former governor of Pampanga, Estelito 'Titong' Mendoza," she wrote.

Arroyo started by sharing that Mendoza's father, Guillermo D. Mendoza, "was my father the late Diosdado Macapagal’s favorite teacher in Pampanga".

"Later, on his own, Tatang Titong became such a famous lawyer that he became known as the legal eagle and the lawyer’s lawyer. When I was President, he helped me frame our baselines policy, including the nuances of the South China Sea issue," she recounted.

"When the Noynoy Aquino administration persecuted me with a dozen cases filed, and even during his term itself all but one of the cases ended with case dismissed or my acquittal, the administration concentrated their efforts on the case that they thought was the strongest, the case of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office confidential funds," Arroyo said.

She continued: "Tatang Titong reperesented me in that case in the Supreme Court and argued that the prosecution presented no evidence, testimonial or otherwise, showing even the remotest possibility that the confidential and intelligence funds of the PCSO had been diverted to me."

"In a decision penned by then Justice Lucas Bersamin, the Supreme Court dismissed the case and acquitted me. I am eternally grateful to Tatang Titong.," Arroyo said. 

"Attorney Mendoza’s legacy is characterized by his unwavering commitment to the rule of law and his significant impact on the Philippine legal system. His passing is a profound loss not only to me and to others whom he defended in court, but to the nation," she further wrote.

Arroyo served as Philippine president from 2001 to 2010. She was succeeded by President Benigno S. Aquino III.