Growing up Estrada
A day in her life: ‘I’m just a carefree girl who leaves everything serious behind when we get out of the office... I’m not a fan of anything too serious because I like to have fun and go on adventures.’
Jel Ejercito, 24, daughter of Senator Jinggoy Estrada and granddaughter of former President Joseph Estrada, went to the same school as I did. We live in the same city, San Juan, where she currently holds a position as councilor (taking the most votes during the elections and being the youngest of her batch). It’s interesting because while most people have access to only a public view of the Estrada family, I see them as people from the same milieu — even if, for my 12th birthday, my family and I marched during the protest on EDSA that overthrew her grandfather’s government after blowing out the candles in my cake. Watching a girl grow up on the same campus and then suddenly hold public office is… hmm… gripping.
Just recently, Jel and her brothers made news for engaging in a Twitter war with the belligerent DJ Mo Twister. “Does Jolo Ejercito have Twitter? I was hoping to cyber-bully him,” tweeted DJ Mo. To which siblings Julian Estrada and Councilor Jel Ejercito responded. The response spiraled into a heated exchange.
It’s not easy to be always in the limelight, but we’re happy that Jel Ejercito took time to talk to Young STAR via e-mail about growing up an Estrada, getting into politics, and social media.
YOUNG STAR: What is a day in your life like?
?JEL EJERCITO: We’re usually just expected every Monday to attend the session. Then if there are other days we are needed to attend special meetings, we go to those as well. I’m just a carefree girl who leaves everything serious behind when we get out of the office. I go on an eating spree or a movie night out with family and friends. I’m not a fan of anything too serious because I like to have fun and go on adventures. But when it’s time to get serious, I know how to switch the “on” button for that, too.
What are your thoughts on the controversies that have riddled your family?
It is never easy when your family is put in these controversies. I’m always affected when these things come about. The thing is, I know the truth and I trust in my family. I know that they will get out of these situations and everything will turn out for the better. And if it doesn’t, life has already given me the maturity to learn to be positive and be strong. If there’s anything that I’ve learned from all this it’s that your real friends will come out and it’s better to be surrounded by people you can trust and lean on.
Has being young and being in politics been difficult for you? ?
It’s not difficult but it’s challenging. It just gives me the boost to learn at my own pace. I really don’t feel discouraged since there’s nothing too difficult that I can’t face — at least, as of right now.??
What are the disappointments that you had to face, if any??
I’m a positive person. We don’t dwell on disappointments. We figure out what’s wrong and solve it whenever we can.??
Being from the new generation, what are your thoughts on social media and politics? You seem to be active on Instagram and Twitter. ?
I like sharing about my life and the things that I do, not to brag or anything. I’ve been doing it even before I became a councilor. People just forget that we have a personal life also, that they think that we should just think about our work all the time, which is wrong. It’s a normal thing to post online besides the fact that we live in the age of social media. It’s either we just shouldn’t believe everything online or not take it seriously.
Why did you feel the need to respond to Mo Twister on Twitter regarding his allegations against your brother?
I don’t support any type of bullying. I only wanted to defend my brothers because they’re my family. Also, they’re young and really vulnerable to take part in these silly things. I just deleted my account so that I won’t receive any more negativity that everyone else took part in. It’s really funny thinking about it now and we actually laugh at ourselves for being involved especially when you’re dealing with someone who has been in several controversial issues in the past. All I wanted to say was that I don’t condone bullies and I don’t, like anyone else, want my family or friends to be talked down to or disrespected.
What are your thoughts on people’s reaction to the Instagram posts of your brother and his lifestyle?
Really frustrating. The media is really critical of everything they post whether it be celebrities, politicians or just things that they want to write about. The media knows how to play with the heads of readers by writing about things that they take sides on. And we know how fast people share things these days. Just write a controversial title and people are bound to read it, especially if it has photos. Those are old photos of them and there are people who post about their things and experiences. Just look at your Facebook and Instagram friends and you’ll see that there’s a lot of them, they don’t even have to be celebrities, politicians and the like — just normal people. We live in a very judgmental world and all we can ever do is just deal with it.
The reason that a lot of people were angry about the posts of your brother was because of the allegations against your father and his involvement with the pork barrel scam. What are your thoughts about this??
Perhaps they’re trying to piece (together) a puzzle that doesn’t fit but even if that is the case, they will still make it so. We’re never going to please everyone. Just because someone is constantly being scrutinized by any form of media for whatever reason, doesn’t always justify that the one being scrutinized is doing something wrong. Sometimes, it’s the people behind the spreading of these issues. They try to make it because people love gossip and anything controversial. I wonder why me eating galunggong, isaw and other types of street food never makes rounds on social media? That would probably be an interesting read, no? Exactly my point.
