MANILA, Philippines – The three Zamora siblings officially filed their certificates of candidacy for the 2025 midterm elections on Tuesday, October 8.
San Juan City Mayor Francis is seeking reelection, while his sister Bel, incumbent congresswoman of the city’s lone district, is also running for another term. Their father, Ronald, once held the same congressional seat Bel now occupies.
Meanwhile, in Taguig, the youngest of the siblings, Pammy, is also seeking reelection as the congresswoman for the 2nd District.
Despite their simultaneous roles in government, Pammy insisted she is not part of a political dynasty. “I want to make it clear that I am not part of any dynasty because I am the only one in Taguig,” she said in Filipino.
She said that they are working on different branches of government with Francis working in the executive.
However, both Pammy and Bel are colleagues in the House of Representatives under the 19th Congress. In fact, they serve on at least five of the same committees, including dangerous drugs, public accounts, public order and safety, rules, and women and children.
Pammy and Bel both stressed that it is the public who decides their leaders.
“My stand on that is it’s up to the people. If they think we’ve done a good job, they can choose us,” Pammy said.
“I leave it to the constituents if they want to vote for us in the next election, we are not forcing them,” Bel said.
While Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution prohibits political dynasties, the specific definition and enforcement of this provision is still unclear as Congress, often composed of members from political dynasties, has yet to pass an anti-dynasty law.
When asked if she would support such legislation, Bel, a lawyer, did not give a direct answer but stressed the need to clarify vague provisions in the law and the Constitution.
Meawhile, their brother Francis emphasized how important it is that a district representative and mayor are working together. He said that it allows them to have better alignment of national and local funds.
Ejercito-backed challengers
Once again, the Estrada family’s political party, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), is challenging the Zamoras in San Juan.
For the mayoral race, Francis, a professional basketball player, will fight against another basketball legend Philip Cezar, who used to be San Juan’s vice mayor. Cezar, running under PMP, is known for his moniker “Tapal King.”
Cezar’s councilor slate includes Vic Reyes, Chesco Velasco, Anton Santiago, and Triccia Dacer for District 1, with Magic Villasper running for District 2.
Meanwhile, Zamora’s pick for councilor in the first district are Ryan Llanos Dee, Boyet Aquino, Ervic Vijandre, James Yap, Renren Ritualo, and Dennis Pardinez.
For second district, Zamora’s choice are Franco Tañada-Yam, Kit Peralta, Macky Mathay, Bea de Guzman, Totoy Bernardo, and Don Allado.
Bel Zamora is also up against a familiar opponent: former councilor and PMP bet Jana Ejercito. In the 2022 elections, Jana ran against Bel but lost, securing 27,133 votes (35.48%) to Bel’s 49,334 (64.52%).
Should she win this time, Ejercito said she wants to provide “checks and balance” in the city dominated by Zamora-allied officials.
A cousin of senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito, Jana comes from the Estrada political dynasty, which controlled San Juan until 2019 when Francis won over Janella Ejercito Estrada in the mayoral race. Jana is the grand niece of former Philippine president Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
Both Zamora and the PMP slate filed during the last few hours of the last day of the filing of certificates of candidacy. – with reports from Pierre dela Cruz/Rappler.com
Pierre dela Cruz is a Rappler intern from the University of Santo Tomas. He is a fourth-year student taking up Bachelor of Arts in Communication.