Clash of Estrada, Zamora clans in 2019 seen

The mayoralty race in San Juan City in 2019 will be a twoway fight between the young generation of the Estrada and Zamora families.

In a telephone interview with The STAR, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said his granddaughter, incumbent Vice Mayor Jannella Ejercito, would run for mayor in the next elections.

Janella is the eldest daughter of former senator Jinggoy Estrada, the former president’s eldest son by Loi Ejercito.

The elder Estrada denied the statement of former vice mayor Francis Zamora that the mayor’s son, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito would run for San Juan mayor instead of seeking reelection.

JV is Estrada’s son by Mayor Guia Gomez, who is on her third and last term.

Estrada also ended speculation that Jinggoy will slide down to mayor instead of seeking a Senate seat in 2019.

The mayor said Jinggoy and Ejercito would both run for senator.

“Jannella will be our candidate for mayor of San Juan against Francis (Zamora),” Estrada said.

Estrada slammed Zamora for continuously attacking Gomez.

“He sounds like a gay. Is he a gay? He is picking on a woman,” Estrada said.

Zamora, who served as councilor of San Juan before becoming vice mayor, is a son of Estrada’s protege and long-time political ally, Rep. Ronaldo Zamora.

The younger Zamora was allegedly behind the recall petition filed by more than 30,000 San Juan residents against Gomez.

The Commission on Elections earlier issued a notice of sufficiency for a recall election in San Juan.

Zamora accused Gomez of neglecting her duties as mayor and delaying the recall election process with her continued absence at city hall.

Ejercito asked the Zamoras not to bully her mother in seeking her ouster.

She will face the recall elections fair and square, the senator said.

“My mother wanted to report back to work in the first week of January. But her doctor advised her to rest because of her cough,” Ejercito said.