San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora (Photo from Mayor Francis Zamora FB page)
MANILA, Philippines — San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora on Wednesday criticized Senator JV Ejercito for “putting a lot of malice” into the plan to relocate the monuments of national heroes in the city.
Zamora said the local government had secured the go-ahead from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for the transfer.
Ejercito had earlier called out the plan of the San Juan government to move the statues honoring Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and Jose Rizal to the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine. The senator said the historical images, sculpted by the late renowned artist Eduardo Castrillo, were pushed into a place away from public view.
READ: ‘This is too much:’ Ejercito blasts relocation of national heroes’ monuments in San Juan
“Obviously, he is putting a lot of malice into the transfer. Pinapalabas nila na hindi tayo nagbibigay karangalan kay Bonifacio, Jacinto, at Rizal. Ang insinuation niya ay ililipat daw sa tagong lugar. Of course not. Iyong lugar na ito na ipinaglipatan, may approval iyan ng NHCP,” Zamora told INQUIRER.net over the phone.
(He’s making it appear we’re not honoring Bonifacio, Jacinto, and Rizal. He insinuates that we transferred it to a hidden place. Of course not. We’re moving the monuments to another place with the approval of the NHCP.)
Zamora sent a copy of a letter from the NHCP dated Sept. 21, 2021, where the agency said it “interposes no objection to the proposed relocation provided it conforms with the attached NHCP Guidelines on Monuments Honoring National Heroes, Illustrious Filipinos, and other Personages for its improvement and maintenance.”
“He is making it appear that we have put the monuments in a less premium location, but if you analyze properly, where would the monuments be given more honor — inside the shrine or along the road? Because the Pinaglabanan Shrine itself is a historical site, putting them all in the shrine now allows people to view them up close,” Zamora said.
He also sent the usufruct agreement of the San Juan government and the NHCP, where details of the relocation bid were fleshed out.
Zamora argued the transfer of the historical monuments to the Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine is in line with the government’s efforts to boost tourism in the city.
He said safety concerns also prompted them to push through with the relocation, noting several vehicular accidents reported in the intersections where the Jacinto and Bonifacio images were located.
Ejercito on Tuesday elevated to the Senate plenary his concerns with the relocation of the national heroes’ monuments.
“Sa panahon na nasa proseso pa rin ng pagbangon ang ating mga kababayan mula sa hagupit ng pandemya, sana ibinuhos nalang ang salapi ng pamahalaan sa makabuluhang mga bagay kaysa pagbulabog sa mga nananahimik na monumento ng mga bayani,” the senator said.
(At a time when people are still in the process of recovering from the effects of the pandemic, the funds of government should have been spent on important things instead of using it to disrupt the peace of the monuments.)
Several lawmakers also sought to discuss the issue through a further hearing.
Zamora said he is willing to face the Senate to explain the side of the San Juan government.
“Kapag dumating ang panahon na imbitahan kami sa Senado, pagkakataon namin na mapakita iyong mga approval na hawak namin (When the time comes that the Senate invites me, it would be my chance to show all of the approvals I have on hand…In fact, it is best that the NHCP also come because all of these we have done have their approval,” he said.
This is not the first time Ejercito and Zamora went head-to-head over issues in San Juan, where the Ejercito-Estrada clan ruled for nearly five decades.
In February, Ejercito called out the San Juan government for owing at least 20 retired City Hall workers terminal pay totaling P40 million.
READ: San Juan owes retired workers P40 million in terminal pay – Ejercito
Zamora later responded to Ejericto’s allegations which, he said, were “politically motivated and preposterous.”
READ: Zamora claps back at Ejercito for ‘politically motivated’ accusation
In 2019, Zamora–son of former San Juan Representative Ronaldo Zamora–defeated Janella Ejercito Estrada in the San Juan mayoral race, marking the end of the decades-long grip of the clan over the city.
READ: PH political dynasties tighten grip on power