JV Ejercito: I have mixed feelings on my victory

San Juan Mayor-elect Joseph Victor Ejercito considers his triumph in the recent local elections as a "symbolic victory" as he called on his opponents to concede defeat.

Ejercito said he is happy of his victory but sad because his father, jailed former President Joseph Estrada, and his brother three-termer San Juan Mayor Jinggoy Estrada, are behind bars.

"I’m happy I won but you have to understand that I am sad in the way that they are treating my father and brother," Ejercito told reporters.

Ejercito said he won over his rivals despite the Arroyo administration doing everything to stop his victory and the rest of the local Pwersa ng Masa (PnM) candidates.

Comelec results showed the PnM candidates sweeping their opponents. Ejercito garnered 27,079 votes, congressional bet Ronaldo Zamora 21,955 and vice-mayoralty candidate Leonardo Celles 14,321 votes.

The People Power Coalition and Liberal Party petitioned the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to declare a failure of elections in the municipality, citing massive fraud.

In a signed manifesto, the PPC-LP claimed the PnM camp resorted to massive cheating at the height of a power failure at the Pinaglabanan Elementary School last May 14.

The other day, some 11 "hidden" envelopes containing 2,500 votes were found inside the local treasurer’s office of the municipal hall and the PnM was blamed.

But Ejercito stressed that they no longer have access to the municipality citing the detention of the younger Estrada, the relief of the police chief and the local Comelec officer.

Ejercito pointed out that he has no reason to cheat since the people of San Juan, which was ruled by his father for almost two decades, were fully supporting his candidacy.

According to him, he was not even able to campaign for two weeks after the May 1 bloody march to Malacañang because of reports that he and a number of other PnM candidates were being hunted.

The incoming San Juan mayor dedicated his victory to his father and he vowed to continue his pro-poor programs. He said the former president called him up and congratulated him for winning the mayoralty race.