Erap: Let people decide on dynasties

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Joseph Estrada urged yesterday the critics of so-called political dynasties to allow the people to decide.

Estrada said voters judge a candidate not by name, but by the performance of his or her parents or siblings who have served the government.

“The people are the final judge. The father is a performer. As long as they are doing their job and they will do their job well and they are not using guns, goons and gold or the so-called three Gs, then let the people decide,” Estrada said when asked to react on the anti-political dynasty measure.

Estrada, who is running for mayor of Manila, is the father of Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, whose eldest daughter Janella, 22, is running for councilor of San Juan.

Aside from Jinggoy and Janella, the other Ejercito-Estrada clan members who have joined him in the political arena include his son San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito-Estrada who is running for senator under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), and JV’s mother Guia Gomez who is running for a second term as mayor of San Juan.

San Juan Councilor Jana Ejercito, who is a daughter of Estrada’s brother movie director and producer Jesse Ejercito, is running as congresswoman of San Juan.

Estrada’s nephew ER Ejercito, son of Estrada’s late brother George Estregan, is a re-electionist governor of Laguna, while his wife Maita is running for mayor of Pagsanjan, Laguna.

ER’s brother Gary Estrada is running as provincial board member of Quezon while his brother Gerald is also running for provincial board member of Laguna.

“Surname alone does not assure victory. The son of Mayor (Rodito) Ibuna, the one I replaced as mayor, ran but lost in the elections in San Juan. Meaning those who belong to a political clan are not assured of winning unless their parents, siblings or relatives have done a good job in their elective positions,” the former president said.

Estrada had served as mayor of San Juan for 17 years before he became a senator, vice president and president, winning by an overwhelming margin against his closest rival, then Speaker Jose de Venecia, in the 1998 presidential elections. – Sandy Araneta