Clash of clans in San Juan as ex-allies vie for top posts

For more than four decades, the Ejercito-Estrada and the Zamora families used to be allies in ruling the city of San Juan, until each family decided to push forward their respective political agenda.

In an interview with GMA News Online, incumbent San Juan Vice mayor Francisco Zamora said he and his father decided to break their ties with the Ejercito-Estrada clan after learning that the influential political family was supposedly secretly edging them out from the 2016 elections.

Zamora recounted that on June 12, 2015, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada called for a meeting at his detention cell in Camp Crame, Quezon City with the councilors and barangay chairmen of San Juan supposedly to form their strategy for the May 2016 elections.

Estrada is detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame for graft and plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.

Zamora said the secret meeting had as attendees incumbent San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez and former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada.

“Biglang dumating si Mayor Guia dun kasama ni Erap, bagay na kinagulat ng lahat kasi alam naman ng lahat na magkaaway ang pamilya ni Senator Jinggoy at ang pamilya ni Senator JV,” Zamora said.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito is the son of Gomez with the elder Estrada.

Zamora said during that meeting, wherein he and his father were not invited, it was declared by the Ejercito-Estrada family that San Juan must remain their stronghold.

“Ang naging malakas na mensahe nila ay hindi daw dapat mawala sa pamilya Estrada ang San Juan,” Zamora said.

“Nilaglag ako bilang kanilang vice mayor at nilaglag si Congressman [Ronaldo] Zamora bilang kanilang congressman to give way for Janella Ejercito Estrada, the daughter of Senator Jinggoy and for Jana Ejercito, the cousin of Senator JV,” Zamora added.

Zamora said what happened during the meeting was relayed to him by some barangay officials who were loyal to his family.

Broken promise

Though there was no official pronouncement to the media, Zamora said he and Gomez had an agreement that the latter will endorse his mayoral candidacy in 2019.

“There was a time that I believed in Mayor Guia’s promise then that after three terms daw, tapusin lang daw namin ang aming ika-tatlong termino ay pagkatapos daw nun ay i-e-endorso niya ako bilang mayor ng San Juan sa 2019,” Zamora said.

The vice mayor said it was after that event that he and his father, incumbent San Juan lone district Rep. Ronaldo Zamora decided to leave the Ejercito-Estrada family’s political party Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and switch to the Nacionalista Party (NP).

The younger Zamora is running for the mayoral position in the upcoming elections against Gomez who is seeking her third term.

The elder Zamora, meanwhile is seeking re-election for the congressional post. He is running against Jana Ejercito and an independent candidate George Cordero.

The Zamora father and son also got into their team Rolando “Totoy” Bernardo to run against Sen. Jinggoy’s daughter Janella in the vice mayoralty race. Both Bernardo and Janelle are incumbent councilors of the city.

Also vying for the vice mayoral position is independent candidate Glenn Angeles who already ran for the mayoral post in 2013 but lost to Gomez.

“There are now formidable candidates who they (voters) can choose from. That is something that people of San Juan have been missing for more than 40 years. Kasi all these years, the candidates for the position of mayor have been pre-selected from within the Estrada family,” Zamora said.

The Ejercito-Estrada family has been at the helm of San Juan for a total of 41 years. Estrada served as mayor from 1969 to 1986. The reign was broken from 1986 to 1991.

In 1992, Estrada’s son Jinggoy was elected as the mayor and completed three terms until 2001. He was succeeded by JV who also finished three terms from 2001 to 2010.

JV’s mother Gomez succeeded him in 2010 and was reelected in 2013.

“It is clear that Erap brokered the deal na dapat kunin ni Mayor (Guia) ang kanyang apo na si Janella in preparation for her mayoralty run in 2019, kasi matatapos na si Mayor Guia sa 2019 e,” Zamora said.

“ Ayaw nila na ako ang makaporma sa pagka-mayor so prineempt na nila what will happen in 2019. They voted me out. They have become too greedy to monopolize all the positions in San Juan,” Zamora added.

Ejercito-Estrada’s side

Senator JV, meanwhile, offered a different version of the story of their family’s fall-out with the Zamoras.

In an earlier statement, JV said that as early as 2013, the Zamora father and son have been planning to run against his mother for the 2016 elections.

“We discovered that the Zamoras have been acting behind our back since 2013. Francis has since planned to run against Mayor Guia Gomez in the 2016 elections. We have no problem with competition. But we would’ve appreciated if Francis had been frank with his ambition,” JV said.

JV said it was only late last year that his family learned that the Zamoras were supposedly secretly talking with several city officials to get their support for the younger Zamora’s plan to run against Gomez.

“We gave Vice Mayor Francis Zamora every avenue where he could honestly tell us his political plans. It is unfortunate that in return, Francis and the Zamora clan carried on speaking against our backs,” JV said.

Sandiganbayan cases

In an interview with reporters early last month, JV said it was also the Zamoras who were behind the graft and technical malversation cases recently filed against him before the Sandiganbayan.

The cases stemmed from the alleged anomalous purchase of P2.1-million worth of high-powered firearms in 2008 during JV’s term as the mayor of San Juan.

“Ang utos nila [Zamoras] noon, pinalalaglag ako. Noong magkakampi pa kami, tinawag na ni Ronnie Zamora lahat ng konsehal at ang gusto niyang mangyari ay ituro ako. Na ako daw ang may kasalanan ng lahat,” JV said.

The elder Zamora, in a press statement, denied the senator’s allegation, pointing out that his son Francisco and vice mayoral candidate Bernardo are also included in the technical malversation charges.

“First, my son, now running for mayor against JV's mother, and who was a new councilor then, together with Councilor Bernardo, now running for vice mayor with my son against JV's niece, are also included in the second charge against JV. So how can we be behind these charges?” Rep. Zamora said.

“JV has always been known in San Juan to be the least bright among the Estradas. He should not use every turn and every opportunity like this one to prove it,” he added.

Jinggoy hits back

For Senator Jinggoy, the Zamoras had the ambition to dethrone his family as early as the ‘80s.

“Ang mag-amang Zamora na iyan, parehong ingrato iyan, parehong ingrates, walang utang na loob. As early as 1987, they would want to have control over San Juan by asking me, by pleading with me not to run for vice mayor when I first entered politics in San Juan,” Jinggoy said in an interview with reporters after attending the hearing of his case at the Sandiganbayan.

“When I first ran for mayor, what did the elder Zamora do to me? He betrayed me. He supported another candidate after all the things that my dad did to him,” Jinggoy further recounted.

Congressman Zamora has been running under Estrada’s party since 1987. He served as the representative of San Juan for seven terms and is now seeking his eight term.

“As I’ve told you he (Rep. Zamora) was nothing, he was plucked out of obscurity by my father. My father told him to run for Congress. He was just a creation of my father,” Jinggoy said.

In response to the senator’s statement, the younger Zamora said their family has been one of the major campaign funders of the Ejercito-Estrada family from the start of the political careers of the Estrada patriarch and his sons.

“Our family has funded all the campaigns of the Estradas all these years,” Zamora said.

“Even the national campaign of Sen. JV in 2013 at 'yung presidential campaign ni Mayor Estrada nung 1998, the Zamora family has been one the funders.”

Small but rich city

San Juan is considered as the smallest city in the country with a land area of just under six square kilometers. It became a city in 2007 during the term of JV and Rep. Zamora.

But despite its geological smallness, San Juan is considered as among the most promising cities in the country with the rise of call center offices, as well as shopping, leisure and entertainment establishments.

Based on the data from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), San Juan was fifth among 144 cities in the country with the highest total income per capita from 2007 to 2009.

The city has a total of 71,225 registered voters for the May 9 elections, based on the record of the Commission on Elections. —KG, GMA News