Gomez, however, clarified that her support for Roxas was not binding on her former partner and clan patriarch, ex-President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, and their son, Sen. JV Ejercito.
The mayor announced her endorsement of the Liberal Party’s standard-bearer before hundreds of city government employees and residents during the weekly flag-raising ceremony at the City Hall grounds.
“It was a difficult decision,” Gomez later told reporters, explaining that the family was split on which presidential candidate to support. “But for me, I think deep in my heart, the entire city of San Juan and even Mar Roxas know where my heart belongs to.”
“We will try to get together (but) I cannot promise anything. They have their own minds,” she said.
Leading opposition presidential candidate Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) is one of Estrada’s closest friends and political allies.
Another presidential aspirant, Sen. Grace Poe, is the daughter of the late action star Fernando Poe Jr., Estrada’s bosom buddy, and a personal friend of Ejercito who had openly expressed support for her.
While he has kept his cards close to his chest, Estrada earlier described Roxas as the “most qualified” for the Malacañang seat.
Detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the former President’s eldest son who is being held at Camp Crame over the P10-billion pork barrel scam, has said he would support whoever his father would endorse.
Gomez, a former actress, described Roxas as a “constant friend of San Juan” who showed his “genuine concern” in times of disasters when he was still the interior secretary. “I will never forget his deep concern for our constituents in the city,” she added.
In a Facebook post Monday, JV Ejercito emphasized that he was “still inclined to support” Poe’s candidacy, whom he considers his sister. But he added that he was also considering the candidacies of Binay and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, “a friend outside politics.”
JV Ejercito, who is Gomez’s son by the former President, said that he “understands” and “respects” his mother’s decision to support Roxas.
As head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Roxas had prioritized the relocation of residents living along the waterways and other “danger zones” in San Juan.
Roxas expressed his elation over Gomez’s endorsement. “This will have a big impact because Mayor Guia is a symbol of an outstanding mayor in our country, a symbol of a woman leader and a symbol of those who truly care for the masses.”
According to Roxas, Gomez’s declaration of support was not about his political ambition, but a commitment to the continuation of “daang matuwid” (straight path), President Aquino’s centerpiece reform agenda.
Gomez is running for her third and final term as mayor. She will be running alongside Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s daughter Janella, who’s running for vice mayor, and Estrada’s niece Jana Ejercito, who’s vying for the city’s lone congressional seat.
In June last year, Gomez expressed her support for Poe. “She’s family. She’s very close to us. We know her, her capabilities, abilities, how sincere she is,” she then said.
Asked Monday why she went for Roxas, Gomez said Poe was too young for the presidency. “I wish she first ran for Vice President,” she said.
But for Vice Mayor Francis Zamora, who is contesting Gomez in the coming elections, the Ejercito-Estrada clan’s seeming decision to support different candidates is some sort of an “insurance” for the next administration’s political favors.