JV on Estrada clan's defeat in 2019 polls: 'We spread ourselves too thin'

Re-electionist Senator JV Ejercito on Tuesday admitted that the Estrada clan, to which he belongs, erred when it let a lot of its members run in the recently concluded midterm elections.

"I think we just have to be honest about it. We spread ourselves too thin," Ejercito, son of former President Joseph Estrada, said in an interview on Eleksyon 2019: The GMA News and Public Affairs Special Coverage.

"Andami namin masyado instead of strengthening our base."

Ejercito and his brother, Jinggoy Estrada, have yet to enter the Top 12 in the Senate race as of Tuesday morning. As of 8:42 a.m., Ejercito was at 13th spot with 13,751,411 votes while Jinggoy was at 15th place with 10,922,980 votes.

Meanwhile, former President Estrada, who gunned for re-election as Manila mayor, was behind former vice mayor and actor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso based on the latest partial and unofficial count.

As of 9:16 a.m. on Tuesday with 98.34% of Election Returns (ERs) processed, Domagoso has 351,432 votes while Estrada has 206,306.

In San Juan City, Vice Mayor Janella Estrada, Jinggoy's daughter, was defeated by Francis Zamora in the mayoral race. Zamora's victory ended the 49-year rule of the Estrada clan in San Juan City.

"It's a sad day for the family," Ejercito said in the television interview.

Ejercito said his and Jinggoy's chances of winning in Senate race would have been better if only one of them ran.

"Dalawa kaming magkapatid [na tumakbo]. Yung chances of winnability will be affected," he said. —KBK, GMA News