**MB Publisher Sec. Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. and 2025 Newsmakers of the Year Award honoree Hon. Francis Zamora**

The city's state reflects good governance, which San Juan City’s mayor aims to demonstrate through his exemplary leadership—having a strong determination to leave a lasting legacy, believing that San Juan will recognize the full impact of his nine years in office leaving behind a Makabagong San Juan with all his flagship projects completed.

While initially pursuing a basketball career, Francis Zamora shifted his focus to public service, choosing to serve the city of San Juan.

He has approached his role as mayor with a sense of purpose, acknowledging the demands of political leadership.

He has demonstrated a commitment to improving San Juan City, aligning with his principles.

His political journey began as a councilor for San Juan's second district in 2007. He then served as the City Vice Mayor from 2010 to 2016.

Although unsuccessful in his first bid for the mayoral seat, he secured the position in 2019, ending the Ejercito-Estrada clan’s 50-year reign over San Juan.

His victory marked the beginning of a new era for the city, and he has since lived up to the people’s trust, with San Juan receiving various recognitions and accolades for its advancements and developments.

Leading a community by balancing his mayoral responsibilities and overcoming personal challenges, Zamora has proven himself worthy of the trust placed in him by the people of San Juan.

Under his leadership, the city has received numerous recognitions for its progress and development.

In the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, San Juan City ranked second among the Most Improved Highly Urbanized Cities. Additionally, the city was awarded the prestigious 2024 Seal of Good Local Governance for the second time, successfully meeting all 10 governance criteria under the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s All-In Assessment Approach.

Mayor Zamora's unwavering dedication and exemplary governance have illuminated San Juan, a feat worthy of recognition by the Manila Bulletin’s 2025 Newsmakers of the Year Award.

This recognition highlighted his leadership and San Juan's remarkable progress, acknowledging his contributions to the city and Metro Manila, where he serves as president of the Metro Manila Council and chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council.

This recognition is a testament to his passion for public service and commitment to realizing his vision of a Makabagong San Juan.

His dedication extends beyond the city, as he actively shares best practices to inspire other local government units.

In his acceptance speech, he emphasized that his column, Metro Matters, serves as a platform to share these initiatives, fostering collaboration and innovation in governance.

“I also have a column called Metro Matters, and all of these allow me to share our best practices with other local government units—which I believe should be done—because the good things that we do and the bad things that we should not do must also be shared with others.”

He also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Manila Bulletin for honoring him and San Juan City and their consistent coverage of their significant contributions to the country.

“I am very, very thankful for recognizing our efforts. And thank you also for featuring San Juan all the time in Manila Bulletin, not just San Juan, but also what we do in Metro Manila,” he stated.

Mayor Zamora's unwavering dedication to serving San Juan City, evident in its significant improvements, underscores his devotion, which transcends mere duty and embodies a true passion.

This commitment resonates with the Manila Bulletin's 125-year legacy of dedicated and excellent service, creating a shared symphony of inspiration.

Letizia Balanag

Honorable Francis Zamora is one of the 2025 Manila Bulletin Newsmakers of the Year Awardees