Former Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON
TACLOBAN CITY – Former senator Jinggoy Estrada will just be too glad to help his half-brother, Senator JV Ejercito, on his reelection bid.
Estrada said he was aware that his younger brother needed his help to clinch a reelection bid in next year’s midterm elections – apparently referring to survey results that Ejercito was out of the Magic 12.
“Nakikita ko naman na alam ko mayroon siyang problema at ako naman, handang tumulong sa kanya. Siyempre, kahit papano, kadugo ko yan at iisa ang tatay namin (I can see and I know that he has a problem and I am ready to help him. After all, we are blood-related and we have the same father,” Estrada, a candidate for senator who is out on bail on plunder charges.
Results of the survey by Pulse Asia conducted on Sept. 1 to 7 showed that Estrada was in the 6th to 10th place while Ejercito’s ranking was from 11th to 17th.
“Ako’y natutuwa na kahit papano ay naniniwala pa rin ang taong-bayan sa inyong lingkod (I am happy that the people still believe in me),” he said, adding that the recent survey results were “very encouraging.”
Estrada was in the city for the launching of the alliance among the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, headed by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, party-list group Tingog Sinirangan and Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.
Former Leyte congressman Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, LCMD national president, is the founder of the Eastern Visayas-based party-list group.
Martin is running to reclaim his old seat in Congress that is occupied by his wife, Rep. Yedda Romualdez of Leyte’s 1st district.
Yedda, on the other hand, is the first nominee of Tingog Sinirangan.
Ejercito was supposed to join the launching last Wednesday but he didn’t show up.
Mayor Duterte said both Ejercito and Estrada seemed to be avoiding each other and be together in the same event.
She said former president and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada had asked her to support the candidacies of his two sons.
“I just said yes, daddy, naki-daddy na lang ako (I call him daddy),” she said./lb