Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Friday, June 28 rejected Mayor Francis Zamora’s allegations of sabotage during the recent “Wattah Wattah” Festival in San Juan.
Ejercito said the current mayor should stop looking for others to blame to cover up his lapses in the course of the event.
“Under my administration and Mayor (Guia) Gomez, there were hardly any incidents during fiesta. Everything was under control. Ngayon na lang ulit may gulo (It was just only recently that trouble happened),” Ejercito said when sought to comment on Zamora’s remarks.
Zamora earlier urged “victims” of this year’s “Basaan” to come forward and offered them assistance in filing complaints against participants who caused a disturbance.
A rider who was allegedly irked threw muriatic acid on another participant in retaliation.
Ejercito said he cannot help but feel dismayed over the recent incident noting that since 2003, his administration worked hard to ensure of a fun but peaceful observance of the tradition.
“Nilagyan natin ng rules at parameters para hindi na mabalik sa dating magulo ang tradisyon ng basaan. Nilimitahan ang oras, ipinagbawal ang pagbasa sa mga passersby at mga papasok sa trabaho. Ginawan ng sariling tema, kanta, sayaw, at identity ang Fiesta upang maging mas organisado, kaaya-aya at higit sa lahat walang kaguluhan (We put rules and parameters so that the tradition doesn’t go back to the way it used to be. Time was limited, splashing water on passersby were strictly forbidden and especially to those going to work.
“The Fiesta has its own theme, songs, dances, and identity to be more organized, pleasant and above all without chaos,” Ejercito recalled.
“For several years, San Juaneños were truly happy and united, and the festival was attended by visitors from different places,” he pointed out.
As a former mayor who conceptualized the program, Ejercito said he is saddened by the latest development.
“Marahil ay nagkulang sa preparasyon at pagpapaalala. Dati ay pinahuhuli ko mismo ang mga nanggugulo at nambabasa sa mga papasok sa trabaho (Perhaps there was a lack of preparation and reminder. I used to catch troublemakers myself and read to those coming to work),” he said.
“Nasayang ang diwa ng San Juan Fiesta (The spirit of the San Juan Fiesta was wasted). This is a failure of leadership! Ako man ay humihingi ng pasensya sa mga naperwisyo ng kapistahan (I also apologize to those who were harmed during the festival),” Ejercito stressed.