“The most practical kind of politics is the politics of decency.” –Theodore Roosevelt
Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III refuses to blink in the ongoing mind game against his brother-in-law, Iloilo City lone district Rep. Jerry P. Treñas, and has finally let the cat out of the bag: Joe III is running for mayor in the 2019 elections. This pits the incumbent mayor against Treñas, according to the late former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Sr., the new de facto political king of Iloilo City.
Joe III’s decision dashes all hopes of a potent Treñas-Espinosa family express train versus “the rest of the world,” the combined and throbbing political forces of Iloilo City wishing to eviscerate the “politically elite” Treñas and Espinosa clans.
But wait a minute, with the exception of divine intervention (as mentioned in a previous column), there is also an attempt to tap Rosalie Treñas as candidate for congresswoman alongside Mayor Joe III and Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon. This would mean Rep. Treñas “sacrificing” for his wife and scrapping a bid for mayor in order to preserve their political family and wrest total control of Iloilo City with two hugely politically superior clans.
If she does not run, there is no other divine intervention to salvage the irritating and frustrating falling out between the two clans, which developed without any clear and present threat from other political forces.
Rep. Treñas himself is still hoping Joe III has a change of heart and mind and runs for congress, in order to keep their formidable slate intact. However, recent developments have shown Joe III is willing to cross the Rubicon and risk “elimination” from the political landscape should he lose to Treñas in a battle for City Hall.
Joe III believes he has gained momentum, by virtue of serving as mayor since October 2018 without any hitches or obstacles (so far). In his mind, there is no heavy negative issue to be thrown his way if his fed with Treñas goes full blast.
Only Rosalie’s entry into the race will change the entire picture for the time being. As the saying goes, in every problem there is a solution./WDJ