Born and raised in San Juan City, Francis Zamora III was exposed early on to local politics. His father, Ronaldo “Ronnie” Zamora, congressman of the lone district of San Juan, was first elected as a Parliament member of the Interim Batasaan Pambansa in 1978.
At the age of six, the younger Zamora was already helping in his dad’s electoral campaign. Yet, despite early exposure to the colorful and controversial world of politics, he was not inclined to join public service.
Instead, the former captain of the Green Archers spent most of his early years honing his basketball skills, playing for La Salle Greenhills, both in elementary and high school. He later joined De La Salle Green Archers and became its team captain from 1998 and 1999, when the team started its back-to-back championships in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.
Just like many young basketball players, Zamora dreamt of turning pro and making a mark in the premier professional league in the country, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
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PHOTO: Artu Nepomuceno
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Not In The Cards
In 2001, Zamora joined the annual PBA draft. He was picked by Sta. Lucia Realtors but was not signed into a contract by the PBA team.
Despite failing to secure a spot on any of the PBA teams, the six-foot-five player decided to continue playing basketball in a less prestigious league, the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). He played for the Montana team under the helm of coach Leo Isaac, whom Zamora says gave him the biggest break in his basketball career.
While playing for the team, Zamora received a phone call from then coach of Purefoods, asking if he could join the PBA team. It was his chance to fulfill his dream of playing for the professional league, but out of respect and loyalty to his coach, he refused the offer.
But as fate would have it, Isaac was replaced as head coach of Montana two weeks later. This prompted Zamora to ask Purefoods if the offer was still available, but the team had already signed up a different player. “I guess the PBA wasn’t for me,” he says. Zamora retired from basketball a year later.
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Venturing In Politics
After his retirement from basketball, Zamora spent a few months completing a Business Management and Entrepreneurship program at New York University. He didn’t see himself as a full-time entrepreneur, but his investments in several restaurants prompted him to take a formal program in business.
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In 2004, a year after returning from New York, Zamora once again helped his dad campaign for a seat in Congress. It was during this campaign that he realized that he wanted to be in public service, particularly in an elected position. “It dawned upon me that this was something that I wanted to do. I actually made a decision to run for councilor in 2007,” he recalls.
The elder Zamora was rather hesitant to let his only son enter politics, but the younger Zamora had already made up his mind. “I guess since I was exposed to it my whole life, seeing my father and seeing the people of San Juan since 1978, it was but natural to have an inclination for this,” he says.
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To prepare himself for public office and to convince his father, Zamora took up his Masters for Public Administration from the National College of Public Administration and Governance at the University of the Philippines. He completed the post-graduate degree in three semesters. At the same time, he worked at his father’s congressional office, handling the socio-civic programs of the district.
“I didn’t want anyone to say that just because I was the son of congressman Zamora that’s why I’m running,” he says. Zamora wasn’t the type to venture into anything that he did not prepare for anyway, he explains.
Finally, in 2007, his father gave his blessing for him to seek an elected post in the city. He ran for councilor and stayed in the post for one term. In 2010, he sought the vice mayoralty post with Guia Gomez, the mother of former mayor and senator JV Ejercito and partner of former President Joseph Estrada. He secured the post for two consecutive terms.
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PHOTO: Artu Nepomuceno
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A Bitter Falling Out
For five years, Zamora describes his relationship with the outgoing mayor Gomez as good and professional. “Up to 2015, we would have lunch together in the office. She would delegate some of her jobs to me, which I happily did,” he shares.
He says there was a commitment from both of them to support each other from 2010 to 2019, and that later, Gomez would help him secure the top post in San Juan. But all these changed a year before the 2016 elections.
It is no secret that there are two factions in the Estrada and Ejercito clan. Two of the former President’s sons, Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito, have a long-standing feud. But both factions united in a family meeting, which was also attended by San Juan barangay captains and councilors. Word reached Zamora that the patriarch of the Estrada family was able to convince the two camps to work together to ensure the mayoralty post would remain within the family.
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“President Estrada issued a statement, 'Hindi dapat mawala and San Juan sa Estrada.’ He was already making sure that I would never get the mayor [post]. Pinagbati niya yung dalawang factions. 'Yun yung sinasabi kong the impossible happened,” says Zamora.
Zamora recalls feeling hurt by the news. The Zamoras and the Estradas had been political allies for decades, after all. The elder Zamora was even appointed executive secretary by Joseph Estrada in 1998.
The former vice mayor insists he had no plans of running against Gomez in the 2016 elections. But for him and his father, the writing on the wall couldn’t be any clearer: The Estradas no longer considered the Zamoras as allies but rather saw them as political rivals. This prompted the Zamoras to gun for the mayoralty post in 2016. He says, “We were both hurt by what happened because why were they planning to field Janna (Ejercito) for congressman if he was considered as a friend?”
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Bomber jacket by CH Carolina Herrera.
Winning The Top Post
It was a bitter defeat in 2016, Zamora says, having only lost by some 1,200 votes. The Zamoras no longer had the support of the Estradas and had to run their campaign for the first time in many decades (the Estradas always had the task of mounting the campaign in the past).
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The elder Zamora was able to secure the lone congressional seat, but the son failed to get elected as a mayor in 2016. “Our biggest mistake is that we were not able to protect our votes, protect our support base, and we were not able to convert our support base,” he recalls.
In 2019, Zamora ran again for mayor against the incumbent vice mayor Janella Estrada, one of Jinggoy’s daughters. The Zamoras were successful this time as the father secured his last term as San Juan city’s congressman, while his son won the mayoralty post by more than 10,000 votes, ending the Estradas' 50-year hold on San Juan.
PHOTO: Artu Nepomuceno
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Taking Over The City
Two weeks before his first day as mayor, Zamora, 41, was busy preparing to take over the city, attending countless meetings and taking and making phone calls one after another to ensure a proper transition of power.
As soon as Zamora arrived at a coffee house in San Juan, an elderly couple approached him, asking for a few minutes of his time to address some of their concerns. The incoming mayor eagerly obliged. He explains that he’s happy to interact with constituents all the time anyway, which is why he chose to run for the executive post of his city rather than take over his father’s congressional post.
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The mayor campaigned on the promise of a better San Juan. This means better social and welfare services for the city, Zamora stresses. One of his priority projects is to provide better health services by improving the San Juan Medical Center, which, to his dismay, remains in category one, the lowest rank for a hospital.
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There’s a relocation site for informal settlers in the pipeline, too. Father and son are already in talks with the National Housing Authority for a 20-story building that will be the city’s relocation site. “San Juan can be the first one to do that high-rise relocation,” Zamora proudly shares.
Zamora says he is confident he can achieve all these plans, all thanks to the fact that his father is also the congressman. “Having the congressman as my father and ally will make it easier to fulfill these promises,” he adds.
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Fatherhood may also affect some of his decisions, particularly in the suspension of classes during stormy days, an often controversial task for Metro Manila mayors. He vows to suspend classes early on to avoid having fellow parents like him worry about the safety of their children.
The father of four knows that being a mayor is a lot of work. He might need to cut back on his thrice-a-week gym sessions but will make sure to spend long weekends and holiday breaks with his family. Zamora says he has always taken pride in having a happy family and home life since 2001. “It’s a matter of balancing and making them (the children) understand that I have responsibilities to the city. My constituents understand that when it's a break, I fulfill my responsibilities as a father,” he says.
Zamora has always insisted that his family will not become a political dynasty in the city. He also isn’t closing his doors to higher office should he finish three terms as mayor in 2028. But for now, his main focus is to fulfill his campaign promise to his constituents. “Nine years is enough time to change the lives of our constituents,” he reflects. “To hasten the progress of the city.”
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In this story: Produced by Clifford Olanday • Photographs by Artu Nepomuceno • Styling by Paolo Chua • Interview by Cherrie Regalado • Grooming by Joan Teotico using NARS Cosmetics • Hair by Mary Jane Agaton of Creations by Lourd Ramos Salon • Shot on location at Refinery, Greenhills
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