Zamora denies unfair treatment, politicking in San Juan after JV’s tirades

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora on Friday denied Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito’s allegations that the former was inflicting vengeance on the city’s residents who were supportive of the rival Ejercito Estrada clan.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Zamora denied depriving any San Juan workers of employment benefits, regardless of their tenure or supposed loyalty.

Ejercito recently claimed that San Juan has yet to release the terminal leave pay of around 20 retired city government employees, many of whom supposedly worked under the Ejercito Estrada family.

He has also claimed that cash aid from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was allegedly taken from beneficiaries and given to the mayor and select local officials. The senator has called out Zamora to supposedly leave ordinary San Juan folk out of their political bickering.

However, Zamora denied providing any preferential treatment.

“When I became mayor in 2019, all of the city hall employees were appointed by them (Ejercito Estrada family members) because they were in position [as mayor of San Juan] for 50 years, from 1969 until 2019. Barangay captains, department heads, most of them are Estrada department heads, Estrada councilors… but we work well together. Niyakap ko sila (I embraced them),” Zamora said.

Zamora belied Ejercito’s claim that the retiring city government employees’ relations with the latter’s family was a factor in the non-release of the terminal leave pay.

Ejercito, a former mayor of the city, said these employees raised their concerns to his office. Most of them supposedly served during his term as mayor, as well as the mayoral stints of his father, former President Joseph Estrada; mother, Guia Gomez; and half-brother, Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Senator JV had said there was “no other way” to describe the employees’ plight but “political vendetta.” 

Not ‘on a whim’

However, Zamora said the identities of these employees awaiting their terminal leave pay remained “unclear.”

“But the process is, the terminal leave [pay] will not be released if there is still an ongoing investigation [on the person involved], there is a pending case or a pending clearance, unpaid loans. In those situations, the terminal leave pay won’t be released,” Zamora said.

He added, “It is a matter of accountability and not based on a whim. But if I see the list of these individuals and we are able to verify that there is no issue on accountability, we can release the terminal pay.”

In an earlier statement, Zamora said that, “The allegation that the non-release of the benefits is politically motivated is preposterous.”

Zamora said in the phone interview that, “If I am vindictive as he claims, and that I am terrorizing the people, how come we all won the positions [last elections] and we were able to break a 50-year dynasty in 2019?”

He added that when four members of the Ejercito Estrada clan lost their respective 2019 bids for elective posts, namely JV, Jinggoy, Janella, and former President Joseph Estrada, the new mayor-elect supposedly did not refuse assistance to any of their supporters. — VDV, GMA Integrated News