Gerochi has to wait until 2010, says Treñas
If Mayor Jerry Treñas is to be asked, lawyer Romeo Gerochi should wait until 2010 for him to become a viable contender for the mayoralty race in the city of Iloilo.
"The field is open for him in 2010 without facing me," Treñas who is running for his last term this May polls said.
Gerochi earlier was reported to have said that he will throw his hat in the mayoralty race once Treñas is meted the dismissal or suspension by the Ombudsman relative to the anomalous housing project in Pavia, Iloilo.
Gerochi recently called on the Ombudsman Visayas to make public their resolution regarding the graft cases filed against Treñas, former Mayor Mansueto Malabor and several other government officials pertaining to the said housing project.
Gerochi sees an easy way to victory should the Ombudsman hand out its verdict on the case before the coming elections.
There are four cases pending before the Ombudsman Visayas in relation to the multi-million housing project in Pavia which became a white elephant. The cases were docketed as OMB-V-C-03-0715-K filed by former Councilor and now Representative Raul Gonzalez Jr. against Malabor, OMB-V-C-03-0716-K (Gonzalez,et al versus Trenas, et al, (OMB-V-A-03-0661-K (Gonzalez, et al versus Treñas et al and OMB-V-C-03-0781-L (Gerochi versus Treñas, et al. Of the four cases, Gerochi acted as complainant.
Meanwhile, Treñas said his "conscience is clear" as he has done nothing wrong in the housing controversy. He said the bond flotation scheme and contract was approved during the time of Malabor. The project was implemented during the Mayor Treñas' time.
The controversy and lapses on the implementation of the project came out during Trenas' first term of office. It was subcontractor Rudy Gonzales who spilled the beans on the use of substandard materials in the housing project site. Gonzalez squealed after Alex Trinidad, a Manila based contractor, failed to pay him.
The subcontractor's revelation prompted the Sangguniang Panglungsod to conduct an investigation in aid of legislation. The results of the probe was then furnished to the Ombudsman Visayas. It was used as basis for the Ombudsman's investigation.
At first, the controversy centered only on the use of substandard materials until it reached into the acquiring of the bond flotation scheme, awarding of the contract and implementation of the project. Of the P130 million loan, it was said that P5 million went to the group that lobbied for the approval of the loan.