Francis Zamora
Francisco Javier "Francis" M. Zamora (born December 5, 1977) is a Filipino politician, businessman, and basketball player. He is the incumbent mayor of the city of San Juan and has served for two terms as its vice mayor from 2010 to 2016.[2]
Francis Zamora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 19th Mayor of San Juan | |
| Assumed office June 30, 2019 | |
| Vice Mayor | José Warren P. Villa |
| Preceded by | Guia Gomez |
| Vice Mayor of San Juan | |
| In office June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Leonardo Celles |
| Succeeded by | Janella E. Estrada |
| Councilor of San Juan's 2nd District | |
| In office June 30, 2007 – June 30, 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francisco Javier M. Zamora December 5, 1977 San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Political party | PDP–Laban (2016–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Nacionalista Party (2015–2016) United Nationalist Alliance (2012–2015) |
| Spouse(s) | Keri Neri (m. 2001) |
| Relations | Ronaldo Zamora (father) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | San Juan |
| Alma mater | De La Salle University University of the Philippines New York University Harvard University[1] |
| Occupation | Politician, basketball player |
| Website | franciszamora |
Career
Sports
Zamora, 6'5 (playing as center, initially played for La Salle Green Hills) was the team captain of the De La Salle Green Archers who won two championships of UAAP Men's Basketball in 1998 and 1999 under then-head coach Franz Pumaren.[3] He graduated with an AB in psychology in 1999.[3] After his college career he played in major leagues, including the Philippine Basketball League for the teams Welcoat Paintmasters (he won two championships with them, in 1999 and 2000)[4] and Blu Detergent.[5] Zamora was the #35 draft pick in the 2001 PBA draft for the Sta. Lucia Realtors. However, he never saw action for Asia's pioneer play-for-pay league.
As a public servant, Zamora played in the UNTV Cup. He played for the Congress-LGU Legislators on UNTV Cup Season 1 in 2013, for the LGU Vanguards on Season 2 in 2014, and for the HOR Solons on Season 4.[6]
Politics
Zamora received a master's degree in Public Administration from the National College of Public Administration and Governance at the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2006, and completed a business and entrepreneurship program at New York University.[3] In 2007, Zamora started his career in politics as councilor of the 2nd district of San Juan. He is also a member of the JCI San Juan group. Three years later, he was elected Vice Mayor.[4]
After two consecutive terms as Vice Mayor, Zamora ran for the mayoralty post in the 2016 elections. He faced the incumbent mayor Guia Gomez, promising to stop the dynasty of the Ejercito-Estradas, who, in his words, had run the city's politics for 47 years.[7] However, he narrowly lost the said election to Gomez.
In 2019, Zamora ran once again for the mayoralty post under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban) against incumbent Vice Mayor Janella Ejercito, who was endorsed by the administration-backed Hugpong ng Pagbabago and her grandmother, the outgoing mayor. In the election, Zamora defeated the daughter of former mayor and senator Jinggoy Estrada by a margin of 10,247 votes, ending control of the Ejercito-Estrada clan of the city after 50 years.[8]
Personal life
He is the son of Ronaldo Zamora, a long-time congressman in San Juan who served the city for almost two decades. He married Keri Neri in 2001 and has four children.[5][9] Since 2014, Zamora is the owner of a Goldilocks Bakeshop franchise branch in the Greenhills Shopping Center.[10] His daughter, Amanda, is a model who competes as a housemate in the fifteenth season of Pinoy Big Brother in 2021.[11]
References
- "Q&A: Francis Zamora on his dad Ronny, his four kids, and being a new father to a city". ANCX. June 16, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- "Francis Zamora defeats Janella Estrada in San Juan mayoralty race". GMA News Online. May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
- "Francis Zamora: From Archer to Public Servant". The LaSallian. December 22, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Enriquez, Marge C. (July 1, 2014). "These politicos love their game". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Icamen, Pinky S. (September 20, 2015). "Leading in the game of life". Philippine Star. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- "HOR Solons eyes the semi-finals of UNTV Cup Season 4". UNTVweb.com. September 9, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
- Elemia, Camille (October 6, 2015). "Ex-Estrada ally declares bid to 'end dynasty' in San Juan". Rappler. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Talabong, Rambo (May 13, 2019). "Zamora ends Estrada clan's 50-year control over San Juan". Rappler. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- Esguerra, Tinne (June 15, 2014). "Francis Zamora: From public servant to talk show host". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- "SJ Vice Mayor opens Goldilocks". The Philippine Star. April 4, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
- Tinga, Kerry (December 23, 2020). "San Juan Mayor Zamora proud of daughter who got in 'PBB'". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved December 28, 2020.