Serious contenders take on dynasties in San Juan, Pasig

MANILA, Philippines — On the surface, the cities of Pasig and San Juan appear to have little in common.

One is the smallest city in Metro Manila while the other is the eighth biggest nationwide. Yet voters in both areas are confronted today with the stark choice between dynasties that have dominated for decades and challengers who have promised to upend the political establishment.

In Pasig, first-term Councilor Vico Sotto, 29, is running against Mayor Robert Eusebio, whose family has ruled in an unbroken line since 1992.

In San Juan, Francis Zamora is battling Vice Mayor Janella Ejercito Estrada, whose clan’s hold on the mayoralty has spanned five decades.

No matter whom they pick, voters in both cities are poised to deliver a verdict that will ricochet across Metro Manila.

The defeat of the entrenched families could spawn identical challenges in other areas. But the flip side could also embolden those same families to tighten their grip on power.

At the final rallies of their campaigns, both challengers laid claim to victory.

“I can smell the dawn of change,” Sotto told thousands of supporters at Plaza Rizal, Pasig, on Thursday.

Zamora exuded a similar confidence at his miting de avance in FilOil Flying V Center, San Juan, which was filled to capacity on Saturday night.

“We’ve seen that together, we can change this city,” he said. “Our dreams are within reach.”

Pasig and San Juan have 440,856 and 82,977 registered voters, respectively.

Electoral success

While Sotto and Zamora have styled themselves as city hall outsiders, both have enjoyed electoral success in the past that has led them to be seen as serious contenders.

Sotto, who is running under Aksyon Demokratiko, the party of the late Sen. Raul Roco, topped the councilor race in his district when he first ran for office in 2016.

Zamora, of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, has been a mainstay in San Juan politics for years. His father, Ronaldo Zamora, is a nine-term representative in Congress.

In a fiery speech, the elder Zamora drew sustained applause when he declared of the Ejercito-Estrada family: “Their time is up.”

His son is also a former councilor and vice mayor who narrowly lost his first bid for mayor against incumbent Guia Gomez three years ago.

“We’ve learned from the pain of 2016,” Zamora told the Inquirer at the sidelines of his miting de avance. “And we were better prepared for this fight, so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Onstage, he brought up anew his 1,000-vote loss to Gomez, telling a sea of supporters that he had waited “three long years” for today’s election to come. “I’m thankful, because not everyone is given a second chance,” he said. “I can see, smell and feel our victory.”

Asked for his message to Estrada, Zamora said with a grin: “Good luck.”

Two nights before, a jubilant crowd of Sotto supporters had gathered on a small public square in Pasig that was just down the street from city hall. In between speeches, they punctuated the evening air with chants of “Iba Naman (Time for someone else),” the two-word slogan that has defined Sotto’s campaign.

“This fight is not about Vico Sotto,” he said. “This fight is not about one family or one group. This is a fight for the rights of each and every Pasigueño.”

Defiant tone

The typically timid Sotto struck a defiant tone, perhaps a result of mounting frustration in the run-up to the rally. His camp was denied a permit to hold the event at Plaza Rizal due to traffic concerns, but he encouraged supporters to show up anyway.

An eclectic mix of personalities took to the stage to express support for Sotto, including Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago, his parents and show biz icons Vic Sotto and Connie Reyes, and his uncle, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

“Other politicians will promise you the sky,” the candidate said. “My only promise is this — when I am in city hall, not even one peso in illegal funds or kickbacks will go into my pocket. I challenge my opponent to promise the same.”