Treñas mum on fielding of brgy, SK bets against Gonzalez supporters
With barely four months before the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, the camp of outgoing Iloilo City mayor and congressman-elect Jerry Treñas is reportedly now scouting for candidates who will run against barangay heads identified with former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Raul Gonzalez Sr. and his son, outgoing Rep. Raul Gonzalez Sr.
During the May 10 elections, the elder Gonzalez ran for mayor while his son, for congressman, but both lost to outgoing vice mayor Jed Mabilog and Treñas, respectively.
When reached for comment, Treñas refused to comment.
“Bal-an ta lang ina. Wala pa man. (We’ll know about it. Nothing is final.) Let’s see”, he quipped.
The Barangay and SK elections are set on October 25.
‘COURTESY CALL’
Meanwhile, 24 out of 42 punong barangays in Jaro District led by Association of Barangay Vice President Love Joy Hosenilla of Buntatala met with Treñas in a “courtesy call” at his office weeks after he won.
These barangay heads are identified as supporters of the Gonzalezes.
Hosenilla said that during their visit, Treñas told them that he will look for candidates who will challenge them in the coming elections.
“Natural lang ina kay nangin athag kami sa pagsuporta sa pihak nga party (It’s just natural because we clearly supported the other party)”, Hosenilla told The News Today yesterday.
But he clarified that they are not “sailing between two rivers,” adding that the courtesy call was intended to show their support to Treñas’s programs as the newly-elected congressman.
“It is not because we are in the Gonzalez wing, we will no longer cooperate with them. Definitely, we are here to support him,” he said.
Hosenilla also said that as barangay leaders, they are doing their job well and it is still the people who will judge them when election comes.
It may be recalled that almost half of the 180 punong barangays in Iloilo City supported the Gonzalezes in the last elections.
