Treñas’ big risk

“Living with fear stops us taking risks, and if you don’t go out on the branch, you’re never going to get the best fruit.”

—Sarah Parish

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

ILOILO City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas has made a big political risk when he asked Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio to resign as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary for attending a rally and reportedly laughing while her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, insulted President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The city mayor was aware that if Mrs. Duterte-Carpio would run and win for president in 2028, he would again be “outside the kulambo” politically (original translation is someone who had been ordered by his wife not to sleep beside her on the bed because he has offended her on something).

But the Ilonggo city leader didn’t give a hoot. He probably believed the Marcoses would reign supreme politically beyond 2028 and his public admonishment of the vice president was a worthy political investment.

Treñas, who was joined by Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez in the call for Mrs. Duterte-Carpio’s resignation, also probably thought it was improper for the vice president to ride on two horses at the same time, so to speak, thus it’s time to cut and cut clean.

 

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Treñas has been known to be confrontational and frank with personalities and issues he tackled as city mayor. He minced no words when defending his stand on various controversies including offending high-ranking appointed government officials he didn’t like.   

If she couldn’t defend the president who was being maligned, the vice president has no business to continue being part of the cabinet, the city mayor must be thinking.

Treñas lamented: “Full loyalty to the president is a must for a cabinet secretary. Attendance at rallies where the president is maligned is against simple decorum. Resignation is the clear recourse in such cases.”

He and Benitez were actually reechoing the wrath of First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos who had earlier released a more forceful rebuke of the 45-year-old Duterte-Carpio in an interview with Manila broadcaster Anthony Taberna.

The first lady had bewailed: “I was always kind to her. I feel betrayed. My husband has always been protective; we ran on the same ticket. Laughing at a rally where your president is disparaged is just wrong. Even Leni Robredo never behaved in such a manner.”

 

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HAPPINESS DRINK. A study involving more than 1,000 Japanese people age 70 or over found that those who drank at least four cups of green tea a day enjoyed better moods than those drinking a cup or less. The uplifting ingredient is theanine, the researchers believe.

ROAD TO FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Balance diet. Green tea. Vitamin D and fish oil. Good sleep. Laugh regularly (it is “the best medicine”). Control the temper (avoid getting mad, if necessary). Smile a lot. Daily exercise (walking is best and most natural).

THE SUN IS OUR SKIN’S NO. 1 ENEMY. We should always make sun protection a priority. Let us use a sunscreen formulated for our skin along with our moisturizer. Much of the evidence of aging; rough skin, wrinkles, age spots, etc. are really the result of too much sun.

ALARM CLOCK. Let us create precious time for ourselves by setting the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier than usual. Begin rituals for ourselves that will become as important to us as breathing. If we really don’t think that we have enough time during the day, let’s take it from the minutes wasted on phone calls, shopping, or mindless TV surfing.

ROAD TO FOUNTAIN OF MAYHEM. Eat a lot. Smoke a lot. Drink liquor excessively. Always display a frown face (better an ugly face than a caliginous face). Don’t exercise. Think negatively. Sleep at past midnight and wake up early. Interpret the Bible literally (this can lead to a serious neurosis).

ROAD TO FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. Balance diet. Green tea. Vitamin D and fish oil. Good sleep. Laugh regularly (it is “the best medicine”). Control the temper (avoid getting mad). Smile a lot. Daily exercise (walking is the best and most natural).

MULTIPLE PARTNERS. Sixty seven percent of women don’t want a partner who has already had lots of partners. (Petra)

EXISTENCE OF GOD. What facts will prove the existence of God? Theist’s proof: It is stated in the Bible. Atheist’s reply: Not all statements in the Bible are true. Theist’s proof: It experiences God in a vision. Atheist’s reply: Mere hallucinations, doesn’t prove anything.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

When will Treñas and Joe III forgive each other?

“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.”
—Alan Paton

By Alex P. Vidal

THE two successive election defeats incurred by former Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III in 2019 and 2022 were a bitter pill to swallow for a highly regarded public servant with a sterling track record.
If he can’t bounce back soon or in the next election, Espinosa, an honest and intelligent man, will be a big loss for Iloilo City politics.
The last thing he needs to put a final nail on his political coffin is a third straight setback in local positions.
Espinosa’s latest defeat to reelectionist Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda could have been avoided if he and his brother-in-law, Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas, weren’t anymore at loggerheads.
As long as Treñas is still active in politics and they remain at odds, Espinosa, who has no more power and with a limited clout now, is doomed.
The back-to-back setbacks could put an exclamation point on his political career—unless he and Treñas will finally kiss and make up, let bygones be bygones and agree to rebuild their splintered family and political forces before they turn 80.
But after two contentious elections, the relationship between Espinosa and Treñas appeared to have further sunk deeper in the ocean instead of making some headway.
It is said that Philippine elections sometimes could permanently cripple relationships. In the case of Espinosa and Treñas, time didn’t heal their wounds?
When will they forgive each other?

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It’s now crystal clear that since their feud erupted in the 2019 election, Treñas still hasn’t forgiven Espinosa, or vice versa, because they ran under two rival political parties in the May 9, 2022 election and cavorted with different candidates for city mayor and House of Representatives instead of supporting each other.
After soundly beating Espinosa for mayor in May 2019, Treñas, who trounced radioman Salvador “Jun” Capulot for mayor in May 2022, backed Baronda’s releection bid for congressman against Espinosa, who supported Capulot.
But even if the two brothers-in-law decided to bury their hatchet for the sake of family unity before the May 9, 2022 election, it wouldn’t follow that Treñas will discard second-termer Baronda for Espinosa.
Treñas’ political commitment with Baronda doesn’t end with the reinstatement of his relationship with Espinosa.
Baronda’s position shouldn’t be part of any package deal by any wheeler-dealer.
Both gentlemen can always break bread together again anytime and rekindle their sweet moments without sacrificing Baronda, or interrupting the lady’s joyride in congress.

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The newly elected neophyte politicians don’t need to be reminded like kindergarten pupils on what to do especially if they are in the legislature—local and national.
Whatever they do or plan to do now that they have been elected, is their call.
We won’t babysit or pamper those who are incompetent and inept.
Some of them were elected because of their notoriety and popularity, but it’s part of the game and there is nothing we can do about it now; we can’t deny this fact and reality.
The obligation of the voters is to elect their chosen candidates in a free election and watch while they serve in their capacity as public servants. It’s up to the elected officials whether they will bungle or shine.
Good luck.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

Treñas didn’t do a Tom Cruise

“Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”

—Aristotle

By Alex P. Vidal

UNLIKE Hollywood actor Tom Cruise who erupted at crew members on the set of Mission: Impossible 7 over a breach of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) protocols, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas didn’t berate city officials who neglected the physical distancing rule during the distribution of financial aid at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand on December 15.

Treñas actually couldn’t crack the whip on the erring city officials because he was also present when the supposed protocol violations happened.

Cruise’s outburst occurred in an apparent effort to prevent further disruptions to a film whose production has already been delayed by the pandemic.

“We are creating thousands of jobs,” Cruise, 58, the star of the film, can be heard saying in a leaked audio clip littered with expletives. “I don’t ever want to see it again! Ever! And if you don’t do it, you’re fired!”

Cruise, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV in real life, had been speaking to members of the Mission: Impossible 7 crew about a breach in COVID-19 protocols on the set in London.

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The actor, one of the highest-paid in the world, apparently became enraged after spotting two crew members standing together at a computer screen in violation of an on-set rule requiring people to stand about two meters apart, it was reported.

Sources did not indicate when the recording of Cruise had been made. Reuters has reported that the film-makers for Mission: Impossible 7 the latest installment in the 24-year-old series – arrived in London this month.

Treñas reportedly admitted he was part of the city officials who may have violated the social distancing guidelines in the ceremony but insisted “it was unintentional.”

The violations were spotted after the photo was posted on Facebook showing Treñas and the aldermen disregarding the one-meter physical distancing measure.

The mayor reportedly claimed “they sometimes forgot” about the protocol but explained he has been consistently reminding the public about it.

He agreed that physical distancing and other health protocols should always be properly observed “at all times” while there is a pandemic.

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Treñas and other city officials graced the distribution of financial assistance by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to 600 city residents.

He refused to call the event as mass gathering but vowed the incident won’t happen again.

If all of them were in the set of Cruise’ film, they would probably earn a mouthful of unprintable from the celebrated actor from Syracuse, New York.

The leaked audio was reportedly of Cruise addressing about 50 staff members at a Warner Bros film-production complex in Leavesden, north west of London.

The actor wore a mask on the set and had been personally enforcing COVID-19 rules, an effort to prevent further delays in shooting, it was learned.

Cruise told the crew in the leaked clip that the production was the “gold standard” for Hollywood and that he had been speaking with studios, producers and insurance companies who were all “looking at us and using us to make their movies.”

He said he would not accept any apologies for what had happened on the set, an apparent reference to the breach in COVID-19 protocol. “You can tell it to the people that are losing their homes because our industry is shut down,” Cruise said, adding an expletive. “It’s not going to put food on their table or pay for their college education.”

New York Times reported that the sixth film in the series, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, was released in 2018 and took in $791 million in global ticket sales.

It was also filmed in Europe, among other places, and its production was delayed after Cruise reportedly broke his ankle while performing a stunt in which he slams into the side of a building.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

 

Will Sara Duterte back Joe III vs Jerry?

“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” –Groucho Marx

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY — If we stretch our imaginations, the only way for Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III to face Rep. Jerry Treñas for mayor in the 2019 elections is for Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) founder, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, to endorse his candidacy and for House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s PDP-Laban to officially back acolyte Treñas.
HNP is currently slowly inching its way to forge a tie-up with various satellite political parties first in Mindanao, and now in the Visayas, in a hope to grow and expand in time for the next congressional elections.
PDP-Laban, of course, is not happy about the new kid in town and is, in fact, getting increasingly pissed off and insecure especially that it is being spearheaded by the most powerful and influential daughter in the Philippines today, who is rumored to be the next candidate for president.

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HNP and PDP-Laban are still currently “distinct and separate” from one another in as far as legitimacy and recognition by the Comelec are concerned, although they both can sleep in the same presidential bedroom together albeit in two separate beds.
Still on infant stage, HNP is obscured by its regional-level status, while PDP-Laban is a behemoth party with strongholds and incumbent elected officials all over the archipelago.
It’s a common knowledge that Inday Sara and Alvarez are not on speaking terms after the latter had branded Inday Sara’s group as “the new opposition.”
Joe III and Treñas are both PDP-Laban stalwarts and have also allegedly quarreled (of course we didn’t believe this).
The most likely scenario in the event the Joe III-Treñas alleged spat was authentic and they are hellbent to dispute the top city hall post in 2019, is for HNP and PDP-Laban to pick between the two “magbilas” (their wives are sisters).
Inday Sara might go for the “underdog” and fellow incumbent local chief executive, while Alvarez might choose a colleague in congress he thinks will be a “sure winner” for mayor.
This is, of course, a wishful thinking and, as we mentioned earlier, can only be possible if we stretch our curious imaginations.

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We still strongly believe that Mayor Joe III and Rep. Treñas will swap positions and are only trying to confuse their rivals who still continue to read between the lines and mutely observe the Joe III-Treñas “civil war” from afar.
By keeping the cards closer to their sleeves, Joe III and Treñas increase the chance for their opponents to face a grim prospect of kicking off their campaign offensive against a windmill like Sancho Panza in Don Quixote.
In fact, Joe III confirmed to city hall reporters recently that he would be running for an elective post in 2019.
The fact that he did not reveal which position he intends to aspire for in 2019 is a clear indication that he (or they) really plans to further draw a jigsaw puzzle in the minds of his (or their) political rivals.

 

Treñas’ foes try to link him to illegal drugs

“Politics have no relation to morals.”

 — Niccolo Machiavelli

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY –– Some of the possible rivals of Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas for city mayor have started to sharpen their knives now that the congressman has declared his intention to run again in 2019.

In order to stymie his candidacy, some of Treñas’ prospective opponents have begun “establishing” his supposed links with the slain drug lord, Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Sr.

The disgraced drug kingpin, who was slain together with his wife, Merriam, in Caticlan, Aklan on August 28, 2016, reportedly cemented his narcotics fiefdom when Treñas was city mayor in 2001-2010.

It did not mean, however, that William Hale “Big Bill” Thompson was in cahoots with the mobsters only because he was the mayor of Chicago when Al Capone terrorized the Windy City.

True or not, Treñas can’t remain silent on the issue.

Sooner or later, he will be forced to answer the accusation lock, stock, and barrel, especially when the election campaign officially starts.

He can afford shrug off the issue today and consider it as a mere “mosquito bite” since it is not yet certain whether he is really running for city mayor or just trying to bluff certain characters.

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It was the issue on illegal drugs that prematurely put an exclamation point to the city hall stint of dismissed Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, although many of his supporters maintain until today he was innocent and only a victim of political vendetta.

We have been warned always that if we ignore the danger signs, they could spell our ignominy when we least expect it.

Mabilog, confident of his innocence, and his supporters could not believe that a mere “mosquito bite” would turn into a poisonous wound inflicted by a deadly Python when no less than the misinformed Presiden Duterte swallowed the canard hook, line, and sinker.

A lie repeated several times becomes the truth, according to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.

But even the truth in politics, more often than not, can’t save any politician from the pit of destruction.

And the rest is history.

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Even without a resolution from the Iloilo Provincial Board calling for a speedy investigation of the murder of STL operator Samuel Aguilar, the Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) must pursue all angles and run after the perpetrators.

It doesn’t matter whether the victim was a VIP or an ordinary person. Murder is murder; a crime has been committed in broad daylight when unidentified gun men ambushed Aguilar’s vehicle in Barangay Buyuan, Tigbauan, Iloilo on March 13, 2018.

If a prominent personality can be killed despite the presence of his bodyguards, there is no guarantee that an ordinary victim who walks alone or rides in any vehicle won’t be waylaid and shot fatally by any criminal.

Aguilar was not the first “big name” in the gambling business killed in Iloilo.

Five years ago, Jimmy Punzalan, a retired Philippine Constabulary sergeant and believed to be also engaged in numbers game, was also murdered in cold blood by unknown assailants while resting in his restaurant in Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

Punzalan’s killing was never solved.

Let’s hope the twin murders were not connected.

 

 

Treñas, Joe III feuding? Tell it to the marines

“In a false quarrel there is no true valor.”

–William Shakespeare

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY — I won’t gamble my fifteen cents to swallow hook, line and sinker the suspicions–or rumors– that Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas and Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III are at loggerheads and heading to Splitsville.

But I won’t be surprised also if they will take advantage of the flap and use the puzzle to confuse their enemies.

If the basis of suspicions or rumors was the “irrevocable” resignations of the six so-called “Treñas Musketeers” composed of Melchor Tan, Jose Rico, Maria Irene Ong, Hector Alejano, Mitch Antiqueña, and Rudiver Jungco Sr. as Joe III’s advisers, we have more reason not to fret over the present political relationship of the congressman and the city mayor.

Joe III could not have sacked the six, who were reportedly meeting with Treñas outside city hall when Joe III called them for a meeting.

A case of a bad timing or the city mayor decided to abruptly call for a meeting when he learned the six were outside the barracks?

And he only wanted to show them who’s the boss when he tasked executive assistant Jojo Castro to “chide” the six and refrain from “paddling their canoe in two rivers.”

Whether there is a tampuhan between Joe III and the six, the tampuhan does not translate into a full-blown political conflict.

Mature people can easily shrug off any potential time bomb that would divide and eventually bring the house into wobbly legs.

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Both Treñas and Joe III could actually benefit from perception that they are having a cold war.

This would send mixed and confusing signals to their political rivals.

Treñas has already signified his intention to run again for mayor in 2019, while Joe III has not yet made up his mind whether to run for congressman, which is the only logical move if he will avoid a collision course with his bilas (their wives are sisters), or quit politics, which isn’t about to happen judging from Joe III’s appetite for public service since capturing city hall in October 2017 when the Ombudsman ousted Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

Could it be that Treñas and Joe III, by “acting” as Punch and Judy, were reading the Laws 6, 17, and 37 of the 48 Laws of Power?

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LAW 6 (CREATE AN AIR OF MYSTERY) says, “Never make it too clear what you are doing or about to do. Do not show all your cards. Mystery and uncertainty create anticipation – everyone will want to know what comes next. Use mystery to beguile, seduce, even frighten.”

LAW 17 (KEEP OTHERS IN SUSPENSE: CULTIVATE AN AIR OF UNPREDICTABILITY) says, “Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.”

LAW 37 (CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES) says,

“Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.”

If these “laws” or the messages they convey happen to reflect some nerve-tingling coincidences and similarities in the scenarios currently unfolding in Iloilo City’s political landscape, you be the final arbiter.

 

Treñas, Joe III shutting the political doors

“In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.”

–-George Orwell

By Alex P. Vidal

NEWARK, New Jersey — As expected, those who are for and against Iloilo City lone district Rep. Jerry P. Treñas couldn’t hide their emotions when he disclosed over the weekend his intention to run again for city mayor in 2019.

For those who admire Treñas, the announcement was like a Broadway music to their ears.

For those who hate him, especially those intending to run for city mayor but are nervous to square off with him owing to his “vast” machinery and name-recall edge, the disclosure of Treñas 2019 candidacy was like a rhythmic sound from a horror or zombie film.

In fact, the announcement of Treñas’ candidacy was already “too much to bear” for the opposition.

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The unexpected ascension to power of Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III in October 2017 was already a big blow to the opposition which was having a field day watching Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog being destroyed by President Duterte’s repeated but unfounded accusations of being a “narco politician.”

The opposition waited on tenterhooks for Mabilog to capitulate from Duterte’s demolition apparatus and deliver their own coup de grâce in time for the 2019 political derby.

The opposition believed that during election time, it’s easy to clobber the badly battered Mabilog just in case he aspired for congress.

But the picture changed abruptly when the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Mabilog and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) installed then acting city mayor Espinosa III in a full-fledged capacity.

By being given the chance and privilege to become “instant” mayor and finish Mabilog’s remaining term, Espinosa III was able to expand his wherewithal and pull ahead of his potential rivals in 2019 in the event he decides to run for mayor.

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If Espinosa III will run for congress in tandem with mayoral bet Treñas next year, it’s tantamount to shutting the door on lesser-known aspirants for the same positions.

In terms of logistics and name-recall, the incumbents always have the peripheral edge in any election.

And if they are the administration candidates, their opponents would need a stairway to heaven to mount a miracle to win.

Not to underestimate them, the opposition still parades a wealth of quality leaders the Ilonggos can be proud of like Dr. Pacita Trainidad-Gonzalez, her daughter Dr. Marigold “Gold” Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, Councilors Joshua Alim and Plaridel Nava, businessman-journalist Rommel Ynion, former councilor Rolando Dabao, and former Erap impeachment trial prosecutor Daniel Cartagena, to name only a few.

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Treñas’ candidacy will, however, bring additional agony and headache for the opposition which, for the past four consecutive elections, could not find the magic key to unlock the path to the winning column.

After absorbing defeat after defeat, the opposition continues to scramble for politically sturdy candidates who can match the ferocity of the Mabilog-Treñas-Espinosa III triumvirate.

Minus Mabilog, Treñas and Espinosa III appear to be capable of closing the gates for other aspirants.

All they need is to swap.