“Activity in politics also produces eager competition and sharp rivalry.” –John George Nicolay
At this stage of their alleged rift, there is still a chance to save the relationship between Iloilo City lone district Rep. Jerry P. Treñas and Iloilo City Mayor Jose ‘Joe III’ Espinosa III but it will need “divine intervention.”
This was how a high-ranking City Hall executive assessed the situation, who recently confirmed to me “the feud between the two is real.”
“It’s not [the] drama their critics have been trying to spread and what they wanted the people to believe,” they asserted. “In fact, some members of their families are already affected [by the alleged cold war], some of them went as far as unfriending each other [on] Facebook.”
Treñas’ wife, Rosalie, is the sister of Espinosa’s wife, Gina; both of the affluent Sarabia clan. They have also reportedly tried avoiding each other at some public gatherings as “to not piss off their husbands.”
Neither Rosalie nor Gina have confirmed they, too, are not on speaking terms.
“Sang nag ligad nga PBA game, wala sila nga duwa (Joe III and Treñas) nagsapakanay (They snubbed each other during the recent PBA game),” disclosed a former city councilor, who was recently in New York City for the 120th Philippine Independence Day parade.
He added: “Sadtong una OK pa sila sang nag hambal si Jerry nga ma retire na sia sa politika. Pitik sentas kibot kami mapadalagan sia kuno meyor. Pati si Joe kibot man eh. Kibot kami tanan (At first, they were still OK when Jerry announced he would retire from politics. But, all of a sudden, he announced he would run for mayor. We were all shocked, including Joe).”
It was later revealed, the mass resignation of City Hall executive assistants Melchor Tan, Abel Alejano, Boyet Rico, Irene Ong, Mitch Antiqueña, and Roy Firmeza in March this year triggered the snafu.
They were reportedly Treñas supporters who were asked by Mayor Joe III’s right hand, Executive Assistant Jojo Castro, to tender their resignation if they could not prioritize their City Hall tasks over “other concerns” outside City Hall.
Among the purported “other concerns” was their attendance at meetings called by Treñas, which took place during office hours.
The “sacked” executive assistants reportedly brought the matter to media and prompted the rancor between Treñas and his bilas (brother-in-law) when the issue became known to the public.
Their supporters and some “independent” family members reportedly wanted to patch up the feud in order for Joe III and Treñas to join together on one ticket for the May 14, 2019 elections.
Treñas has announced he would run for mayor under PDP-Laban and his running mate would be Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon.
The slot for congressman remains open but if Joe III decides to run for mayor, Team Treñas will reportedly tap former National Youth Commission Executive Director Nielex ‘Lex’ Tupas.
If “divine intervention” beckons and the Treñas-Joe III fracas is resolved, Joe III might run for congressman alongside Treñas and Ganzon.
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If things go from bad to worse and the two political Goliaths decide to paddle their canoes on separate rivers, mayoral candidate Joe III might reportedly take in “graduating” City Councilor Joshua Alim or former Councilor Julienne ‘Jamjam’ Baronda as candidate for the House of Representatives.
“Time is not yet running out, anything can still happen between now and [by] the deadline for filing of certificate of candidacy [for the 2019 elections],” the high-ranking City Hall executive pointed out. “We are still hoping that Congressman Jerry and Mayor Joe III will finally set aside their animosity, with the help of their families and close friends, and sit down to discuss the future of Iloilo City.”
“With their combined resources, organizations, and political party, they are strong and unbeatable,” they added. “If they fight, they have everything to lose and nothing to gain.”/WDJ