Treñas accuses Nabitasan dad of keeping relief goods
City Mayor Jerry Treñas yesterday accused Nabitasan Barangay Captain Noriel Arsolo of keeping the relief goods intended for the fire victims in his barangay.
For the said reason, Trenas said, they directly give the relief goods to the City Social Welfare and Development and the teachers for distribution. The command post for the relief goods is at the Nabitasan Elementary School.
Treñas also cited Arsolo’s act as the primary reason why his four children Raisa, Miguel, Jerry Jr. and Paolo opted to go directly to the school principal to distribute their goods composed of used clothes.
His children complained that they were harassed by a man who was later identified as PO1 Ronnie Refugio, a security detail of Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez Sr., during their relief distribution effort.
Arsolo, in a radio interview, denied Treñas’s accusation saying the goods donated by the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) are kept at the barangay hall for future distribution to the fire victims.
Arsolo is an ally of the Gonzalez and a critic of Treñas.
Arsolo said the goods are just placed at the barangay hall for “safekeeping” as he intends to distribute the goods in a simultaneous manner. The relief goods composed of sardines and noodles are yet to be packed for distribution.
He further justified that the relief effort in barangay Nabitasan will at least reach for a month because of the gravity of the damage caused by the fire.
Arsolo likewise criticized the relief efforts initiated by the mayor and Vice Mayor Jed Mabilog. He viewed Treñas and Mabilog’s action as “politicking.” They should not be the ones to distribute the goods to the affected families, he said.
He added that the two officials want to take the limelight and personally hand the relief goods to the fire victims. They should leave the distribution to the City Social Welfare and Development Office, Arsolo stressed.
The fire victims accept donations from private individuals and organizations whose main purpose is to help the fire victims and not because of politics, said Arsolo
When asked for his reaction over last Monday night’s incident involving Treñas’s children, Arsolo said all those who want to give assistance to the fire victims should inform him. Arsolo asserted that being the Punong Barangay, he knows who the fire victims are and who are not.
