The “word war” continues in San Juan City as Mayor Guia Gomez takes her turn to hit back at Vice Mayor Francis Zamora and dares him to reveal his political plans.
on Monday, taking potshots at Vice Mayor Francis Zamora. LINO SANTOS
“It would have been better if you said it to me straight that you wanted to be mayor,” an emotional Gomez addressed her “open letter” to the young Zamora in Filipino on Monday, a few days after the vice mayor accused the mayor of trying to perpetuate the Ejercito-Estrada dynasty in San Juan.
Gomez, during her “State of the City Address” in the new city hall yesterday denied that her clan “unceremoniously dumped” the Zamoras. Rather, it’s the other way around, Gomez said.
“Your accusations, that the Estrada family and allies are planning to unseat you as Vice Mayor, is very far from reality,” said Gomez. “Kami ba ng nagtaksil? O ako ang pinagtutulungan ninyong pagtaksilan?”
Gomez also denied the alleged secret meeting between her family and the city officials in Camp Crame in which the plan to “perpetuate the Estrada’s 46-year rule” in San Juan was allegedly hatched.
“Your alleged secret meeting at Crame that you say as ‘betrayal’ is a big lie. Your’e not even there, so whoever told you that is a liar”, Gomez said.
San Juan, even as it is the smallest city in the Metro Manila, has acquired strategic importance since its former mayor, Joseph Ejercito Estrada who became president of the republic, is patriarch of the Estrada-Ejercito clan.
Gomez claimed that Janella Ejercito will remain as councilor of the Second District and Precy Ejercito, wife of detained senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, isn’t interested in politics.
She also reminded the Zamoras that Senator JV Ejercito even argued for their inclusion in their 2013 slate, “breaking family ties”.
The mayor expressed her wish to finish her third and last term before retiring in 2019.
She said that they gave the Zamoras every opportunity to state their case so that they can maintain their alliance but neither confirmed nor denied any issues against them.
Gomez said she still hoped that the Zamoras and Estradas will resolve this matter soon.
“Friendship should be beyond politics, beyond everything. Siguro after all of this, we will remain friends. I always consider them as a friend. There are no permanent friends, only personal interest. So, I hope we still remain friends,” Gomez said.