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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Zamora on relationship with Estradas: They have different views

Zamora on relationship with Estradas: They have different views

Published Apr 4, 2022 12:04 pm

Incumbent San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora bared on Thursday, March 31, the status of his relationship with the Ejercitos and Estradas as he ended their almost 50-year rule in the city in 2019.

At the Manila Bulletin (MB) Hot Seat forum, Zamora was asked about his relationship with the two political clans as he vies for a second term as mayor in the upcoming May 2022 elections.

"Well, in terms of relationship, you have to understand that their family has certain factions. So if you ask relationship, I may have a different relationship with faction A and faction B. If you'll talk about Mayor Guia Gomez and I, looking back during the years we were together, we had a good personal and professional relationship from 2010 to 2015, except that politics came along. In fact, family politics was the main reason of whatever problems we faced because if we're just Mayor Guia Gomez and I, I believe everything will be okay," Zamora said.

"But you must understand that their family, their family members, may have different views or different dreams and aspirations for their next generation. Sa madaling salIta, ayaw nilang maging mayor si Francis Zamora kasi they have to protect yung younger generation nila na gusto nila maging mayor din ng San Juan," he added.

Zamora said he met with former San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez a few days after his win in the 2019 midterm elections wherein they exchanged views and opinions regarding the city. Gomez also shared with Zamora her own challenges because of the certain expectations of the other parties from her wherein she was also blamed as to why Zamora's opponent lost the mayoral bid.

"As far as I'm concerned, tapos naman na yung election. Ito na yung naging decision ng San Juan (As far as I'm concerned, the election has already ended. This is the decision of San Juan). I hope that it's something they will understand. Nanggaling din naman ako sa talo (I myself came from defeat)? I experienced to lose in 2016 but what did I do? After I lost, I strived hard, in fact, harder than the first time, and for three years, I pushed myself to continue on even without a position," Zamora said.

"Yung three years after natalo ako, ang turing sa akin ng kalahati ng San Juan na bumoto sa akin, ako pa din ang mayor nila (In the three years after I lost, half of San Juan that voted for me still treated me like I'm still their mayor). In fact I was like the de facto mayor of San Juan during that time and I never let them down. Even on a personal capacity, even without an official title, an official position, ginampanan ko pa din ang tungkulin ko sa kanila bilang mayor (I still fulfilled my duty to them as mayor)," he added.

He explained that during his term as mayor, he didn't have any issues with Gomez nor with her son, former Senator JV Ejercito, who also became mayor of San Juan from 2001 to 2010, and then as representative of San Juan from 2010 to 2013.

"In terms of Mayor Guia Gomez and I, wala naman akong problem sa kanya. I hope wala din syang problem sa akin (I don't have any problem with her. I hope that she doesn't have any problem with me either), and a lot of her supporters are with us now. In fact, her biggest support base is with me already. In fact, even after we won in the elections, lumipat na sila, nagbigay ng suporta (they all shifted and gave their support to us)," Zamora said.

He recounted that in 2019, only seven out of 21 barangay captains in San Juan were his allies. But now, all 21 barangay chiefs are now on his side, together with all barangay and city government officials and employees. He said that he did not make them feel as outcasts or branded them as employees of the Estradas.

"My choice of appointees will never be politically based. It will always be based on qualifications, experience, what they can do for the city," he said.

He added that Gomez and former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who served as San Juan mayor from 1992 to 2001, are two different sides of a coin.

"It goes to show also na yung direksyon ng magkahiwalay na factions magkaiba. So yung side nila Mayor Guia Gomez and former Senator JV Ejercito, tahimik naman ngayon. Di naman kami inaaway or ginugulo. In fact, nafeel namin sa kanila na supportive sila sa ating administration. Supportive in a sense na they are not derailing or they are not going against our plans and programs," Zamora said.

Jinggoy's side then fielded all of Zamora's political rivals whom the latter said are just doing everything they can to derail his administration's projects and platforms.

"In fact, yung kalaban ng kapatid ko na pinsan nya (Jinggoy), sya itong tumatakbong congresswoman nila (my sister's opponent, who is his cousin, is also gunning for congresswoman) and their councilors voted against the ordinance appropriating funding for vaccines in San Juan. Can you imagine that? Ang Sangguniang Panglungsod ng San Juan ay nagpasa ng ordinansa allocating P50 million to procure Covid-19 vaccines (The City Government of San Juan passed an ordinance allocating P50 million to procure Covid-19 vaccines). They voted against this,"

Zamora said that these people only know how to be a nuisance against his administration and not think of what San Juaneños need, especially amid the pandemic.

"Even yung annual budget namin, they voted against it also and obviously, ito yung instructions sa kanila na gawin (They even voted against our annual budget and obviously, these are their instructions to them)," he added.

Zamora was also asked about his thoughts on the UniTeam party's decision to include Jinggoy in their senatorial slate in the 2022 elections. He replied: "Regarding the UniTeam, I am very supportive of course of the candidacy of my president, Bongbong Marcos, and my vice president, Sara Duterte. But in terms of one of their candidates? Pano ko naman susuportahan yun kung lahat ng kalaban namin sa San Juan, galing sa kanya? Pano ko naman susuportahan yun kung yung mga konsehal nila bumoboto laban sa mga bakunang kinakailangan ng aming mga mamamayan? So I cannot do that (How can I support him if all our enemies in San Juan came from him? How can I support him if their councilors are voting against the vaccines needed by our constituents? So I cannot do that)."

Related Tags

mb hot seat mayor francis zamora san juan city
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