Girlie Javier Ejercito (born Girlie Yulatic Javier,[1] April 2, 1969 – November 3, 2024), known professionally as Maita Sanchez, was a Filipino politician and actress. She served as the mayor of Pagsanjan, Laguna, for nine years, from 2010 until 2019.[2][3][4]
Career
Javier-Ejercito was involved in the entertainment industry before switching to politics. She had an acting career under the name Maita Sanchez.[5] Her political career began with her election as mayor of Pagsanjan, a position she held for nine years until 2019.[5][6]
In the 2010 elections, she successfully ran for mayor of Pagsanjan, Laguna, succeeding her term-limited husband E. R. Ejercito, who successfully ran for governor of Laguna. She entered the political scene as part of a broader trend of celebrities seeking local and national government positions.[7][8]
In 2013, Javier-Ejercito faced scrutiny from the COMELEC regarding her campaign expenditures during her bid for a second term as mayor of Pagsanjan. The campaign spending limit for mayoralty candidates in Pagsanjan, based on its voting population of 22,584, was set at ₱67,752 (equivalent to ₱85,053 in 2021). Her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) revealed that she spent a total of ₱80,160.31 (equivalent to ₱100,630 in 2021) during her campaign, exceeding the legal spending cap by ₱12,408.31 (equivalent to ₱15,577 in 2021).[9]
Following her term as mayor, she was elected vice mayor of Pagsanjan in May 2019.[6] In the May 2022 elections, she announced her candidacy for mayor of Pagsanjan once again and subsequently lost.[6][10][5] According to her husband, E. R. Ejercito, she was supposed to run for vice mayor of Pagsanjan in 2025, but did not file her candidacy while hospitalized due to endometrial cancer.[11]
Personal life
Javier-Ejercito was the wife of former Laguna Governor, E. R. Ejercito.[3][4] She experienced multiple miscarriages.[12] They have eight children: Emilio Ramon IV (Eric), John Paul (Jet), Jorge Antonio Genaro (Jerico), Maria Guadalupe (Jhulia), Maria Angelica Victoria (died in 2004), an unnamed child (died in 2010), Juan Diego (Diego), and Maria Gabriela (Gabby).[13][14] Three of their children also entered politics: Jerico unsuccessfully ran for vice governor of Laguna in 2022; Jhulia is a candidate for the Laguna Provincial Board from the 4th district in 2025; and Jet is running for councilor in Pagsanjan in 2025.[11]
Illness and death
In 2015, Javier-Ejercito was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer, which doctors at St. Luke's Medical Center – Quezon City attributed it primarily to stress, as she had no family history of cancer. According to her husband, E. R. Ejercito, her condition may have been triggered by stress after he was unseated as Laguna governor in 2014 due to alleged overspending during the campaign for the 2013 midterm elections. She underwent treatment in 2017 and was declared cancer-free. However, she was later diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer in 2023, which Ejercito believed was exacerbated by the stress caused by her unsuccessful 2022 run for Pagsanjan mayor. She was confined multiple times since then, with her final confinement beginning in July 2024.[11]
