He was popular actor who had decided to dip his hands into local politics. But most people don’t know that Gary Ejercito Estrada is also a passionate sportsman and athlete.
member of the country’s baseball team that saw action in previous
SEA Games. PHOTOS BY DANNY SIMON
Like most of the members of his influential family, Estrada entered politics after his relatively short stint as an actor.
Now a member of Quezon Province’s District Board, Estrada’s passion for sports began while he was still an actor, as he played several sports, including lawn tennis, motocross, and softball.
Not many people know that he also suited up for the Philippine baseball team in past Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games before invading the world of politics, specifically in his home province in Quezon.
As a local politician, Estrada was well loved by his constituents in the province, particularly in his bailiwicks in San Antonio, Tiaong, Sariyaya, Candelaria Dolores and Lucena City.
In return, Estrada tries to do his best to improve the lives of his provincemates, with special attention to the young kids who dream of excelling in their chosen fields.
On his second term as a Provincial Board Member, Estrada, an accounting graduate from the Far Eastern University in Manila, is slowly reaping the fruits of the project that he has started as a neophyte politician—the ‘Pangkalahatang Sports sa Quezon, where he discovered a gold mine of young, talented athletes who would someday bring honor and pride not only to the province but also for the entire country.
who supports Estrada’s baseball clinics in Quezon.
He also established his own version of a ‘Field of Dreams,’ a diamond field he helped build in San Antonio, where young baseball/softball players can showcase their skills and where they can start their dream of becoming a world—class baseball player in the not-so-distant future.
“Being a former national player and still playing the sport, I know Filipinos can excel in baseball. This is why I’m maintaining a tam, the Quezon Nationals, who are composed mostly of my teammates in the defunct national squad.
“We are competing in tournaments in Metro Manila and in Southern Tagalog. We also plan to share our expertise to my young constituents by conducting baseball clinics and maintaining a Little League baseball’softball in my province where talents are abundant,’ said the 42-year old Estrada, who is married to Bernadette Allyson (who is part of the teleserye Forevermore in ABS-CBN) and father of three girls—Gariel,Garyana and Gianna —all football playes.
“My compatriot in Baseball Philippines, Keiji Katayama-a Japanese baseball expert with a very soft heart for Pinoy ball players along with ex nationals Ferdinand Recto,Nino Tator, Jonas Ponce, Ferdie Ramos among others, have expressed their willingness to help my project in Quezon this coming summer. I’m very thankful and I truly admire their unwavering support to my noble endeavor,” added Estrada, one of the youngest members of the provincial board, who is aiming for a higher post in Quezon politics in the near.
With a heart for public service and a passion for sports, Estrada can not miss either at bat or while chasing his many dreams for his constituents in his own “field of dreams.”
