NAPM-Iloilo head: Treñas’s congressional bid doesn’t change political scenario
Atty. Dan Cartagena, who filed a written opposition against the redistricting of Iloilo City which caused the local administration party to disintegrate into a three-way split, does not see a change in the political scenario in Iloilo City as a result of Mayor Jerry Treñas’s declaration that he will run for congressman.
“It does not change the political scenario in a strict sense,” Cartagena said, adding the move of Mayor Treñas merely created a third faction in the erstwhile local administration leaders. Cartagena referred to the group of former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr., the group of Vice Jed Mabilog and recently the group of Mayor Treñas. The three officials ran under the same party, the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, in the 2007 election.
“They have been together for 8-9 years ... they took the same positions in the 2007 national election... they took the same position with regard to cha-cha... they supported PGMA vs impeachment despite allegations of corruption... they took the same position with regard to the redistricting of Iloilo City,” Cartagena noted.
He added, “No one from among them (Mabilog and Treñas) has said in the past that what Gonzalez did was wrong. They sang the same tune.”
“This is not a war of issues and principle... pa gwapo-gwapo sila,” Cartagena added.
The vocal lawyer also observed that no one among the three (Mabilog, Treñas and Gonzalez) is really for change.
“There are no issues, it’s a matter of their own desire to be mayor or congressman,” he said.
On Treñas’s declaration to run for congressman of the Lone District of Iloilo City, Cartagena said that the challenger must prove that he is better than the incumbent.
“For Jerry (Treñas) to say that the city needs better representation in Congress, he should show to the people that he is better based on his performance when he was city councilor until he became city mayor for nine years,” Cartagena stressed.
Meanwhile, Cartagena clarified that the Noynoy Aquino for President Movement (NAPM)-Iloilo under his leadership does not support any mayoralty or congressional candidate in next year’s election.
