San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (Photo from Mayor Francis Zamora FB page)
MANILA, Philippines — San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora countered on Thursday allegations that his leadership is “vindictive,” maintaining that he embraced all the people that the Estrada clan left behind when they were no longer in power.
Zamora’s remarks came after Senator JV Ejercito’s allegation that some San Juan City residents were being “terrorized” by Zamora’s “vindictive” leadership.
Ejercito was a former mayor of San Juan City. So were his brother, Senator Jinggoy Estrada; his father, former President Joseph Estrada; and his mother, Guia Gomez.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about regarding vindictiveness kasi niyakap ko yung mga tao nila. Marami sa mga leaders and supporters nila na pinabayaan nila, especially when they both lost in the Senate in 2019, when his mother was not a mayor anymore and when they both lost in the Senate — noong pinabayaan nila ang leaders nila, namamatay, nagkakasakit, kanino sila lumalapit? Sa akin,” Zamora told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
(I have no idea what he’s talking about regarding vindictiveness because I embraced their people. Many of the leaders and supporters they abandoned, especially when they both lost in the Senate in 2019, when his mother was not a mayor anymore and when they both lost in the Senate — when they abandoned their leaders, dying, getting sick, who did they approach? It was me.)
According to Zamora, most of his councilors, department heads, and barangay captains are Estrada appointees, but he was “able to work with them” with ease.
“I know how to work with people. There’s no truth to namumulitika, pag supporter nila ay kinakawawa — anong proof nila?,” he added, emphasizing that being vindictive is different from being accountable.
(I know how to work with people. There’s no truth that I am politicking, and to the allegation that I oppress their supporters — what proof do they have?)
On unpaid terminal pay
Ejercito, in a separate forum on Thursday, likewise claimed that to date, some retired San Juan City workers have yet to receive their terminal pay.
Zamora, however, stressed that the city government – under his leadership – has released millions of local funds to pay qualified residents.
“Now, there are some that we really cannot [pay] terminal leaves yet because of pending investigation or those with uncompiled requirements, there’s clearance — so there’s a process that they have to go through for us to release the terminal leave,” Zamora explained.
But the mayor maintained that he was unaware of what Ejercito was talking about when the senator said that “11 out of 30” have yet to receive their terminal pay.
Despite this, Zamora has committed to immediately release the terminal pay of those 11 should they be cleared without any issues.
“If I get to see the names of the 11, I’ll be in a better position to know if indeed meron bang pending investigation, meron bang clearance na dapat tapusin, then pag wala namang nakikitang problema I would gladly release the terminal leave,” he noted.
(If I get to see the names of the 1, I’ll be in a better position to know if there is a pending investigation, if there is a clearance that must be completed, and then if there is no visible problem, I would gladly release the terminal leave.)
Zamora ended the 50-year grip of the Estrada clan over San Juan when he was elected city mayor in 2019.