San Juan mayor named TOYM awardee

San Juan City Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito will again step inside Malacañang today if he decides to personally receive The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award by the Philippine Jaycees that will be handed by President Arroyo.

Ejercito, together with six others awardees, were presented to media last Friday at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City.

“This (TOYM) award is really something … this is a prestigious award being given to individual,” Ejercito said in an interview. He was recognized because of his outstanding performance for government service.

Under Ejercito’s leadership, San Juan achieved the lowest poverty incidence of 2.92 percent and achieved a 200 percent of its revenue in merely four years.

The Commission on Audit also recognized San Juan as the best fiscally managed municipality in the whole country and emerged as the most progressive municipality in 2006. Ejercito also enhanced his health campaigns for his constituents and established an affordable city college and provided on-site housing to the poor families of San Juan.

When asked if he will go to Malacañang and receive the award since Mrs. Arroyo will be the one to give it to the awardees, he said he “will think about it.”

Ejercito admitted that his father, former President Joseph Estrada, advised him to go but he said he is still having second thoughts.

“I know I deserve the award…same thing like what my father told me…But when I think of what this administration did to us, to my family especially my father, it is really very hard and painful on my part,” he stressed.

Ejercito was referring to the incident wherein his father was thrown out of power in 2001 and jailed while being tried for plunder. Estrada was convicted last Sept. 12, but accepted a presidential pardon six weeks later.

“If ever I will not personally receive the award… the people will understand. For me it (his father’s ouster and imprisonment) is really very traumatic and can’t easily be forgotten,” he said.

The other TOYM awardees are Kara David of GMA-7 for broadcast journalism; Air Force Capt. Giemel Espino, military service; Anthony Rolando Golez Jr., disaster management; Dennis Mendiola, business leadership; Rev. Father Fernando Suarez, religious service; and Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco, community service.

TOYM seeks to give recognition to young Filipino men and women between 18 to 40 years of age, who gives selfless dedication to their profession or vocation that resulted in significant contributions to the welfare of their countrymen, as well as to the advancement of their fields of endeavor.