‘Death by a thousand cuts’ from Lujan’s scathing flurries vs Treñas

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

—Winston Churchill

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

I WAS probably right all along when I wrote months ago that Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas may have committed one of the biggest blunders in his political saga when he decided to treat Iloilo Capitol factotum and historian Nereo Cajilig Lujan as “enemy.”

This came after the impatient Treñas, 67, identified Lujan, 54, as one of the most vocal critics of City Hall’s demolition of an art deco façade at the Iloilo City Central Market built in 1938, an event that sparked uprisings and protests from heritage conservationists.

One thing led to another and Treñas eventually filed cyber-libel case against Lujan, a long-time journalist and former House of Representatives compeer.

More determined than frightened, Lujan hit back by filing a case against the city mayor in the Office of the Ombudsman for unlawful destruction of the art Deco façade in “violation” of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) fiat.

Treñas insisted Lujan’s criticism may have been uncalled for being a fellow government worker. Lujan, however, argued he was within his rights as a taxpayer and historian to boot to express his sentiments on the subject matter imminently loaded with public interest.

 

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I was actually stunned by the way Treñas reacted to Lujan’s juggernaut. Normally, a public official of the city mayor’s stature would have shrugged off Lujan’s criticism instead of turning it into conflagration.

Being pissed off is part of the game; being “inconvenienced” is healthy because it can only mean one thing: you’re effective and doing your job as public servant. By listening to criticism without losing control of your emotion is a primary hallmark of good leaders.

Criticism from the press and political adversaries have been part and parcel of the regular functions of any public official—elected and appointed.

No imperfect public official has been yanked out from office immediately or censured by higher authorities based on criticism from the press or taxpayers like Lujan, who isn’t politician.

Lujan’s initial barrage of unfavorable comments prior to their major bickering were like trial balloons; they weren’t meant to cause harm like latex, metallic and mylar balloons.

 

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But Treñas treated Lujan’s harmless social media verbiage like Edicts of Ashoka, thus the trial balloons methodically transformed into blimps and zeppelins, dirigibles that are hard to torpedo even by a City Hall radar-guided electromagnetic lasers.

There’s one fundamental caveat that Treñas may have failed to take into consideration: Lujan, a dyed-in-the-wool social democrat (Socdem), is no pushover. Perhaps, the city mayor or his subalterns overlooked the fact it’s risky and dangerous to pick or sustain a firefight with a sharpshooter.

Lujan is no ordinary warrior. Like a pugilist, he packs wallop in both fists: he can write (he is the only Ilonggo writer whose article was published in the Reader’s Digest), analyze, execute a game plan with aplomb, and plot a strategy that will make Carl von Clausewitz and Scipio Africanus melt in their boots. The guy knows how to wiggle out from a protracted battle royale and make his enemies look like ninny doofuses.

Those who follow his adroitly and pedantically written “MY TWO CENTS” and “SOMETHING PERSONAL” daily cannonades in the social media against the Treñas administration’s sins of commission and omission will, perhaps, agree they constitute a lethal strike tantamount to a “death by a thousand cuts” for the subject or subjects of his scathing flurries.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anything is possible for Treñas except underestimating Baronda

“That's something I've struggled with my entire life—people underestimating me.”

—Jurnee Smollett-Bell

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF Ilonggos will think Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas isn’t getting younger anymore and has been dealing with type 2 diabetes aside from his sinus surgery last month, some of them have good reason to surmise there could be some semblance of truth to scuttlebutt he might consider running for congress instead of reelection.

Some of them have enough leverage to theorize Treñas may still be wishing to continue holding an elective office but not necessarily in City Hall.

But, so as not to disabuse their suspicious minds, the most logical thing to do in the absence of admission and confirmation from the city mayor himself, is to wait until October 1-8, 2024, the only dates given by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for all aspirants to file their certificates of candidacy (Coc).

Type 2 diabetes, by the way, occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose level, or the body is unable to use the insulin that is produced.

It may not be a life-threatening situation for Treñas, who claimed last week he was in top shape and “ready to fight in 2025” (meaning ready to seek another elective office in the midterm elections). So there’s no cause for alarm, at least not yet.

 

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The job of city mayor is more strenuous and physically and mentally toilsome compared to the job of congressman—a representative who isn’t bound by law to report everyday in the House of Representatives at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.

We all know Treñas has been pushing for his executive assistant and daughter, Raisa or Mrs. Raisa Treñas-Chu, to run for the city’s lone congressional district against his estranged political ally, incumbent Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda.

These past months, or almost the entire 2024, Treñas has been consolidating his political forces—both the wherewithal and organization—and accelerated the armada for a possible all-out assault against Baronda to ensure the daughter’s plain sailing victory when the goings get tough.

And that’s only the Plan B. We all know Plan A was over. Plan A had been uncorked as early as March when Treñas, Raisa, and Uswag Partylist Rep. Jojo Ang faced the reporters to announce Raisa’s plan to run for congress but without a declaration of war yet versus Baronda.

 

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At that time, Treñas wanted to send a curt message he was supporting Raisa in place of Baronda, who supposedly had agreed to give way to the Treñas daughter after a terse but brief hello-and-goodbye meeting between Treñas and Baronda.

Alas, as soon as the Raisa-New-Political-Kid-In-Town hysteric spread like prairie fire, Baronda wasted no time and let the cat out of the bag: she never agreed to say “no mas, no mas” (no more).

In fact, her campaign said, Baronda was pushing through with her reelection bid in 2025 and was willing to pursue her political Shangri-La even without her hitherto patron Treñas.

This made the situation complicated for Treñas, who had to double the gas in order for the rocket launcher that will prop up daughter Raisa’s public acceptability and awareness level go up fast and out of harm’s way.

 

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But there’s a caveat. The surveys these past months commissioned by different parties have been very difficult to bear for the city mayor and daughter to boot.

It appeared Baronda would let Raisa eat a considerable amount of dust if the elections were held yesterday or even anytime soon.

A seasoned politician, Treñas is someone we know since time immemorial who believes in surveys or the tacit political handwritings on the wall.

Having suffered some of the most painful political setbacks in the past, the city mayor is not a denial king when it comes to authentic and credible pre-election synopsis and overview.

If he fears or suspects that Raisa may be away by a mile or two from the winning column, will a father risk the future of a politically promising daughter?

If a father believes or thinks he and no one else can “rescue” the situation and avert a potential catastrophe for the entire political clan, will he not make a drastic but potentially suicidal move to put his own body away from the well-secured phalanx and risk going down but saving his own daughter’s interest?

To make the long story short, if Treñas decides to apply a Solomonic solution to a very critical puzzle, he should be prepared to lose against Baronda once he opted to file his CoC for congressman but secured the City Hall if Raisa filed her CoC for city mayor and won.

There is also a chance he could dethrone Baronda as a congressional candidate and Raisa completing the “grand slam” by taking by storm the City Hall unmolested.

Anything is always possible except underestimating “silent” Baronda.      

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

 

We missed other Iloilo solons in House quad-committee hearings

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”

—Calvin Coolidge

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

MORE neophyte lawmakers in the House of Representatives are gaining national prominence and attention because of their impressive performances in various committee investigations conducted these past weeks, including the ongoing high-strung quad-committee hearings.

Public interest on these House committee hubbubs has skyrocketed and reached the level of “viral” madness as a result of the considerable chunks of media mileage poured into them.

The House quad-committee hearings weren’t only star-studded, they were also pointblank, compact, laden with melodrama, suspense, comedy, mediocrity, scandal, and breathtaking elements of surprise.

The quad-committee hearings, with all its patina, luster and publicity, were rich sources of positive exposure, name recall and adulation for the solons from their constituents monitoring the event if they were outstanding in their participation and during the Q and A. 

Among the Iloilo solons, however, only Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin and Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Danniel Abellar Manuel, and, initially Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda, have been seen and monitored in the mainstream and the social media chipping in the yeoman’s tasks necessary to add spark and brimstone into the proceedings.

It should have been their golden chance to be known nationwide and to show to all and sundry their mettle and prowess in public service, but where were the other Iloilo solons?

 

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LIKE most Filipinos, many Ilonggos have been waiting on tenterhooks for the male accused or male wanted persons to be presented next in the media after their arrest now that the all-female Pogo triumvirate composed of Alice Guo, Sheila Guo, Cassandra Li Ong has fallen after fleeing from the Philippines more than a month ago.

And people want to see next the police mugshots of Apollo Quiboloy, Arnulfo Teves, Gerard Bantag, among other testosterone fugitives.

The alleged crimes—ties in Chinese crime rings—of the three lady detainees are peanuts compared to the crimes allegedly committed by the pastor, the ousted congressman, and the ousted New Bilibid Prison boss.

At first, authorities looked like heroes when they were able to recover the three ladies with the help of their counterparts in Indonesia and other countries amid the “selfie” imbroglio.

But, as news about Alice the Wonderland and her two cohorts simmered down, it dawned upon the people that it didn’t look good for the Philippine authorities to have expedited the arrest of the three ladies while nothing has happened in their quest to nab Quiboloy, Teves (he is now in Timor-Leste and is expected to be extradited soon), and Bantag.

 

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I received the following email from New York Governor Kathy Hochul who also sent it to other New Yorkers:

Alex, Millions of New York kids are heading back to school this week. As the school year begins, I wanted to take a moment to talk to our young people — and their teachers and parents, too — about the year ahead.

To all the students: Make the most of this year. Work hard, make incredible memories, and know that your teachers, your loved ones, and yes, even your governor, are here to support you every step of the way.

To all the teachers: Thank you for all you do to support our young people. I was inspired to enter government thanks to my eighth-grade teacher, and I firmly believe that teachers have the power to make a difference in their students’ lives!

And to all the parents: Amidst the hustle and bustle of the start of the year, take a moment to reflect on this moment. As a mom to adult children, I know that they grow up too fast.

I know a thing or two about being a kid in New York and being a mom in New York. Watch our “Ask the Gov” lightning round to hear about some of my favorite school memories — and to hear some advice as the school year begins.

Back-to-school also means new backpacks and supplies. Those costs add up for parents. And we’re giving them relief. This summer, parents across New York started getting checks in the mail to help pay for school supplies and other expenses.

I got to join a family during their back-to-school shopping to see how our supplemental Empire Child Credit is helping them.

As governor, I want to make sure we’re taking action to give students the best year possible — and that means making sure kids are supported inside and outside the classroom. On top of historic investments to support schools and help kids learn to read, we’re supporting students’ mental health by standing up to the addictive algorithms and technologies that distract our kids and hurt their mental wellbeing.

Whether you’re sending kids off to school, you’re heading back to the classroom yourself, or you’re simply invested in making sure the next generation is supported as they navigate the world, know that we’re going to keep working hard to make sure our students have the tools they need to succeed. Ever Upward, Gov. Kathy Hochul

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

Treñas ‘ready to fight’ against whom?

“We shall heal our wounds, collect our dead and continue fighting.” — Mao Zedong

By Alex P. Vidal

 

ILOILO City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas recently told the Iloilo City Hall press, “There’s nothing to worry about. I am ready to fight”—his pre-election shibboleth after successfully undergoing a sinus surgery last month.

“Ready to fight” could be a figure of speech, or was it the city mayor’s own way of saying “ready to continue serving the people of Iloilo City,” and not to literally wage enmity against anyone or any political adversary?

But since the report by Daily Guardian’s Rjay Zuriaga Castor said Treñas “has assured the public that his health is stable and should not be a cause for concern as he prepares for the upcoming 2025 elections,” the “fight” could be related to the midterm elections where he has been pencilled to run for reelection.

There has been no confirmed prospective candidate or candidates planning to run for city mayor against Treñas, thus Ilonggos might wonder who he is preparing to “fight” against.

The grapevine said Treñas, who, according to reports, has been battling with type 2 diabetes (a condition that happens because of a problem in the way the body regulates and uses sugar as a fuel. That sugar also is called glucose), “could also end up running for congressman in the metropolis’ lone district.” Nobody can tell.

 

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All indications reportedly showed these past months Treñas wanted his daughter, Raisa Treñas-Chu, to challenge incumbent Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda in the congressional election on May 12, 2025.

The scuttlebutt, however, has it that because Mrs. Treñas-Chu or “Raisa” has been reportedly falling by the wayside in surveys, Treñas father and daughter “might switch” (father for congressman, daughter for mayor) positions to run when they file their certificates of candidacy (CoC) scheduled on October 1-8, 2024.

There has been no confirmation yet about the purported plan to switch. It may be true or may not be true.

If true, was Treñas trying to telegraph his punches toward the lady solon by that “ready to fight” battlecry?

Law 3 in Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power says, “Conceal Your Intentions: Always hide your true intentions. Create a smokescreen. If you keep people off-balance and in the dark, they can’t counter your efforts.”

 

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Let me share a story about the two old gentlemen who meet in the rain one night at Covent Garden.

Professor Higgins is a scientist of phonetics, and Colonel Pickering is a linguist of Indian dialects.

The first bets the other that he can, with his knowledge of phonetics, convince high London society that, in a matter of months, he will be able to transform the cockney speaking Covent Garden flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, into a woman as poised and well-spoken as a duchess.

The next morning, the girl appears at his laboratory on Wimpole Street to ask for speech lessons, offering to pay a shilling, so that she may speak properly enough to work in a flower shop.

Higgins makes merciless fun of her, but is seduced by the idea of working his magic on her. Pickering goads him on by agreeing to cover the costs of the experiment if Higgins can pass Eliza off as a duchess at an ambassador's garden party. The challenge is taken, and Higgins starts by having his housekeeper bathe Eliza and give her new clothes.

Then Eliza's father Alfred Doolittle comes to demand the return of his daughter, though his real intention is to hit Higgins up for some money. The professor, amused by Doolittle's unusual rhetoric, gives him five pounds. On his way out, the dustman fails to recognize the now clean, pretty flower girl as his daughter.

For a number of months, Higgins trains Eliza to speak properly. Two trials for Eliza follow. The first occurs at Higgins' mother's home, where Eliza is introduced to the Eynsford Hills, a trio of mother, daughter, and son. The son Freddy is very attracted to her, and further taken with what he thinks is her affected "small talk" when she slips into cockney.

Mrs. Higgins worries that the experiment will lead to problems once it is ended, but Higgins and Pickering are too absorbed in their game to take heed. A second trial, which takes place some months later at an ambassador's party (and which is not actually staged), is a resounding success.

The wager is definitely won, but Higgins and Pickering are now bored with the project, which causes Eliza to be hurt. She throws Higgins' slippers at him in a rage because she does not know what is to become of her, thereby bewildering him. He suggests she marry somebody. She returns him the hired jewelry, and he accuses her of ingratitude.

The following morning, Higgins rushes to his mother, in a panic because Eliza has run away. On his tail is Eliza's father, now unhappily rich from the trust of a deceased millionaire who took to heart Higgins' recommendation that Doolittle was England's "most original moralist."

Mrs. Higgins, who has been hiding Eliza upstairs all along, chides the two of them for playing with the girl's affections. When she enters, Eliza thanks Pickering for always treating her like a lady, but threatens Higgins that she will go work with his rival phonetician, Nepommuck.

The outraged Higgins cannot help but start to admire her. As Eliza leaves for her father's wedding, Higgins shouts out a few errands for her to run, assuming that she will return to him at Wimpole Street. Eliza, who has a lovelorn sweetheart in Freddy, and the wherewithal to pass as a duchess, never makes it clear whether she will or not.

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