JV to run for mayor of San Juan?

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito intends to return as San Juan mayor in the next elections, a move that would continue the Estradas’ 48-year reign in the city, a defeated mayoral candidate said.

Former vice mayor Francis Zamora said incumbent Mayor Guia Gomez, who is on her third and last term, would run as the city’s representative in Congress while Vice Mayor Janella Estrada would seek reelection.

The senator is Gomez’s son by former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

“They wanted to perpetuate themselves to power to control the businesses and pieces of lands in the city,” Zamora said during a press briefing in Greenhills last week. “The people are tired of their leadership and want change.”

Zamora said he has thrown his full support behind the move of his 30,000 supporters to seek a recall election, accusing Gomez of corruption, poor leadership and being unable to stop the proliferation of illegal drugs in the city.

“I’m supporting the recall election as I’m also an advocate for change,” he said.

According to Zamora, Vice Mayor Estrada would be left out in the cold in the 2019 polls since the younger Estrada ran for vice mayor with the understanding that she would run for mayor to replace Gomez.

Zamora noted that in the last election, Gomez sought her third term, Estrada ran for vice mayor and Jana Ejercito ran against his father Rep. Ronnie Zamora. This situation left him with no recourse but to run for mayor, he said.

The younger Zamora did not disclose his source on the Estrada camp’s lineup but he was seen recently in the company of former senator Jinggoy Estrada and basketball player James Yap.

The vice mayor is a daughter of Jinggoy, who is out on bail while on trial for plunder. The former senator is the former president’s son by his wife, Dr. Loi Estrada, herself a former senator.

Earlier, the Commission on Elections en banc granted the recall petition against Gomez but Zamora’s supporters accused her of faking a health problem to delay the serving of the Comelec document.