In My City: Francis Zamora + His Favorite San Juan Spots

(SPOT.ph) San Juan is small compared to the behemoths of Metro Manila. Occupying just around 595 hectares, the city may not compare in size to its neighbors Quezon City, Mandaluyong, and Manila—but it's a character all its own and its people know exactly why they're attached to this place.

You'll see a marked difference as you go from the wide, busy roads of Quezon City or Mandaluyong and approach the hilly, narrow streets of San Juan, the quiet greenery of Ortigas Avenue. You're familiar with the maze-like network of this heart-shaped city, and how an outsider gets by guided by its landmark establishments: the OB Montessori, the enduring Greenhills Shopping Center, the modern architectural jewel and new neighborhood hangout Corner House, the Cardinal Santos Hospital in Wilson Street, the antiques haven Jo-Liza in Abad Santos. 

It's likely you pass by this city on the daily, perhaps as a shortcut to  avoid EDSA, or perhaps your favorite hangout is somewhere here. Even better, perhaps you live in San Juan and know its ins-and-outs like the back of your hand—much like its Mayor Francis Zamora.

Mayor Francis was born in San Juan, grew up in San Juan, and is raising his own family here. Of course, he also happens to be its leader, having won the mayoralty post in 2019 and elected to a second term in 2022. If you've ever wondered what San Juan is like through the eyes of a true-blooded San Juaneño, whose eyes are on the city most hours of the day, read on because we recently got to sit down and chat with the Mayor about San Juan: what it was like when he was growing up, its history, and what it's like today. He told us about his favorite spots, too, so you can do a tour of San Juan following a Mayor Francis itinerary. 

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Growing up in San Juan City

Zamora is a full-blooded Lasallian, having grown up in that previously all-boys school along Ortigas Avenue. This means he was pretty much a Greenhills Shopping Center regular, too, ever since he was a young boy. "I've seen how Greenhills has changed from the mall I used to go to back in the '80s to what it is now," he tells us.

Greenhills is arguably the first real shopping complex in Metro Manila, opening back in the '70s with establishments like Virra Mall and Shoppesville. Older folks will remember Greenhills Theater, the bowling alley, the old Unimart. Zamora himself recalls the McDonald's of his youth, so different from what it is now, and the iconic Mister Donut, which long occupied a corner of the Shopping Center and was everyone's default meeting place for decades.

While these fast-food staples were a huge part of Greenhills history, there are two specific stores that made Zamora's childhood: Nova Fontana and Jonel's.

"I remember always dragging my dad to Nova Fontana for him to get me some toys," shares the mayor laughing. Dad, of course, is Ronaldo "Ronny" Zamora who was congressman of San Juan for many years. Nova Fontana "had all the nice toys any kid would like to buy," says Mayor Francis, and it was where he would get his G.I. Joe and He Man action figures. 

The Zamoras had a pretty regular Sunday routine when Mayor Francis was growing up: a family lunch at a Chinese restaurant usually led to visiting his grandmother. "And then eventually, on our way back to the house, I would tell my dad when we were near the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and Connecticut, that maybe we can drop by Greenhills," Francis recalls. This almost always ended up with little Francis getting a new toy from Nova Fontana. "That was my segue," Francis says, laughing.

As he got older, the boy's attention shifted to a new love: basketball, and the shoes that came with it. "Jonel's was where I bought my first Nike rubber shoes," recalls the mayor, now 46, who once pursued a career in the PBA before becoming an elected public official (he started his political career in 2007 as a councilor of San Juan). Jonel's was a shoe store in Shoppesville that was popular for selling Nikes before the brand even became the household name it is now. "During that time [the Nike craze] was because of Michael Jordan. When he won the slam dunk contest back in the '80s, the Jordans became so popular."

Young Francis used those first pair of Nikes well, likely during his many games at Johnson Park in North Greenhills where he first learned to play basketball, and where his own sons are learning to play the sport now. "I would join inter-village basketball tournaments where we competed against West Green Hills, East Green Hills, Northeast Green Hills, even Wack Wack during that time," the mayor recalls. He was in grade school when he started playing basketball in Johnson's Park; and his kids were around the same age when they started doing the same. "So it's something that I believe has been passed on to their generation, the experience of playing in Johnson's Park."

Living in San Juan now

Zamora's sons are growing up in a highly urbanized San Juan that no longer looks like the one their dad grew up in but the mayor doesn't seem concerned. "Of course, it looks more modern now, but the feel is still the same," he says.

"It's very homey. It's very inviting and accommodating," says Zamora of his city. "Look in the map of Metro Manila, San Juan is right in the middle. So if you want to travel to other cities, it's very easy. We have a commercial center. We have schools within the city and, of course, schools in our neighboring cities are very accessible, too. We have a hospital. We have churches. We have a very nice community. It's very historical. It's perfect for me. San Juan is perfect for me."

What to eat in San Juan, according to Mayor Francis Zamora

As a GH boy, Zamora has yet to tire of visiting his old haunts. Greenhills has certainly changed a lot through the years, with the mayor crediting the Ortigas Land Group for reinvesting billions because, he says, "they have trust and confidence in the local government units." This is clear in the many makeovers that have taken place in the area in the past years, and in the massive new mall and condominiums that have sprouted in and around the shopping center.

Three of Mayor Zamora's favorite restaurants are unsurprisingly located in Greenhills, while another one is tucked away in the more quiet residential hills of San Juan.

First up is Locavore. The Pinoy fusion restaurant now has a relatively newer branch in the also newer structures of Greenhills. Zamora's go-tos here are the Sizzling Sinigang which is sinigang-flavored tender beef short ribs served on a sizzling plate, and the ultra-rich Sugpo Con Mayonesa, garlic butter shrimp leveled up with Japanese mayo. Next up is Ebi10. This chain has quite a few branches in Metro Manila but you might spot the Mayor munching on their Spicy Tuna Sashimi and Jumbo Tempura in the Greenhills outlet. For celebrations, the mayor likes to head over to gastropub District 8 for some really good crispy pata.

Over along Araullo, you can find one of San Juan's hidden gems. Standing proud on a large corner lot is Tomo Japanese Dining, with its clean and modern interiors matching its flawless Japanese fare. "This place is really good," stresses the mayor.

Where to go in San Juan, according to Mayor Francis Zamora

While San Juan is now largely a modern, highly urbanized city, it is also home to remnants of the past. It is, for example, home to what is likely the only preserved water reservoir from Spanish times—a resource that played a major role during the revolution.

El Deposito officially opened to the public in November 2021. When Zamora first assumed the post of mayor, the reservoir suffered from poor maintenance and couldn't be accessed at all. The City Hall worked with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to have it cleaned up and turn it into the historical marker it is now. Folks can come visit the expansive underground chamber and learn more about its history, all for free. "It's one of the largest remaining Spanish artifacts," explains the mayor. "This is something we are truly very proud of. It tells a lot of the city's history and, of course, the country's history as well."

This reservoir supplied clean water not just to its immediate surroundings but the large expanse of Spanish settlements as well—which is why Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros targeted this area in August 1896. They wanted "to secure the water supply of the Spaniards," explains Zamora, "believing that once they controlled the water, they could beat the Spaniards." The Katipuneros tried to lay siege to this reservoir but failed—their valiant effort commemorated today in the Pinaglabanan Shrine above El Deposito.

"They lost in the Battle of Pinaglabanan but this eventually became a catalyst of bigger battles," says Zamora, "which led to Philippine independence on June 12, 1898."

Speaking of Pinaglabanan, the shrine doubles as a park for San Juan's people. Meanwhile, another linear park in the San Juan Elementary school that commemorates another important facet in the city's history is the El Polvorin. This tiny park marks where the Spanish once kept their armory. "The firearms, the gunpowder, they were stored there," Zamora tells SPOT.ph. "What's left now is just a bell tower that people can visit."

Small City, Big Man

"It's actually a challenge, really, to further develop our city," Zamora explains. But the tallest of the city mayors—at 6 feet and 5 inches—is not about to back out of this challenge. He's hurdled running San Juan during a pandemic, for crying out loud. Truth is, it makes sense for this small city to need such a big presence. Zamora's administration has focused on making sure people have a place to live in a city with not a lot of space. There's been a focus on creating high-rise socialized public housing, apart from providing top-notch subsidized healthcare, and even funeral and cremation assistance.

San Juan is also putting a focus on business. "We're able to run the city through the revenue that we get through business tax and real property tax. So every time businesses flourish in San Juan, there is a direct effect on how we're able to run the city," says Zamora. He says the ultimate goal is for Ortigas Avenue to be like Makati's Ayala Avenue. "We are basically a residential commercial city. What we're focusing on is to further develop that. We don't have any industries. We don't have any factories. So we really have to focus on our strengths." Right now, San Juan's property value is skyrocketing.

But don't worry, San Juan will always be San Juan. As Zamora says, "We have really to strike a balance between maintaining the feel of San Juan, the very homey feel, [but] at the same time, allowing for development."

With its tree-lined avenue, maze-like sloping streets, spaces for hidden gems, and pockets of quiet that's rare in Metro Manila, Mayor Francis can't imagine living elsewhere. "If I could rewind my life," he says. "I would prefer really to live here."

In My City is a SPOT.ph series of stories on city leaders throughout the Philippines.

Photos by Dave Graciadas.