Even if his father, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, is not supporting his reelection bid, Senator JV Ejercito on Tuesday said he still holds him in high respect.
“I have the highest respect for my father who has given me so much in life,” Ejercito said.
He said that his high regard to the elder Estrada was the reason why he had tried to maintain the good name of the former president in the past two decades as a public servant.
“I was raised by my father to have the capability to think for myself. I hope that one day when we talk, he will understand me,” he said.
The elder Estrada had said that he would support the senatorial run of Senator Jinggoy Estrada, his son with Dr. Loi Estrada, and other candidates such as former senators Bong Revilla, Juan Ponce Enrile, incumbent senators Grace Poe and Nancy Binay and former Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos, who will be gunning for a Senate seat for the first time.
But Ejercito said that whatever criticisms would be hurled against him, Mayor Estrada would remain as his father and he would remain his son.
“We should not waste our time on these kind of intrigues,” said Ejercito, Estrada’s son with San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez, a former actress.
Ejercito added that “we should focus on helping Filipino families to achieve a good life. That is what I wanted to talk about—education, health, housing and jobs.
Meanwhile, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, president of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, has expressed confidence that neophyte Senator Manny Pacquiao’s “influence” will lead the ruling political party to the victory in the 2019 mid-term elections.
Pimentel confirmed that the boxing champion-turned-politician will be the PDP-Laban’s national campaign manager, replacing party vice chairman and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
“Well known and respected, organized, has an extensive network, influential, etc. all the right reasons to tap him are there,” he said of Pacquiao, a first-termer senator who won in the 2016 national polls.
PDP-Laban’s senatorial slate include Pimentel, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, former Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino, and Maguindanao 2nd District Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu.