Jerry Treñas’ video

“We have two lives, and the second one begins when we realize we only have one."

—Confucius

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE aren’t worried that Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas apparently lost weight in a recent 35-second video he posted on Meta (formerly Facebook) days ago.

For somebody who has been undergoing chemotherapy and reportedly recovering from pancreatic cancer diagnosis, it’s normal.

Health authorities say cancer itself can cause elevated metabolism and inflammation, thus a patient undergoing chemotherapy can lose weight largely due to side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even loss of appetite, not to mention changes in taste.

We worry after noticing in the video Treñas’ uncanny mannerism of repeatedly gripping the kneecap of his left leg while speaking.

Some quick-thinking therapists could suggest it is often a subconscious response to knee instability, discomfort, or a feeling that the joint might "give out".

It frequently happens during moments of prolonged sitting, acute pain, or heightened anxiety in video contexts.

Many physical therapists tell us if the kneecap (patella) is not gliding smoothly in its groove, it can create a grinding, clicking, or unstable feeling.

Gripping provides artificial compression and stability.

 

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The father of incumbent Mayor Raisa Maria Lourdes Sarabia Treñas-Chu seemed okay despite tackling several illnesses these past years except for his rather drab and hoarse voice.

Ebullient and smiling, the 69-year-old former law professor in the years before the 1986 EDSA Revolution or before he became a full-time politician, belted, “Ti, kamusta na kamo? Ako nahidlaw na gid sa inyo. Kamo nahidlaw man kamo sa’kon? Ah kamusta na mga kabataan ta? Magpakaboot kamo. Ang inyo nga aah deretso subong nga mag tuon gid kamo para nga mag ayo ang inyo mga grados. Ang akon pangabay nga magpakaboot mga kabataan ta kag magbinuligay kita para sa aton ciudad.”

(How are you everyone? I miss you all. Do you also miss me? How are the children doing? I implore you to be kind and to study hard so that your grades will improve. My only request is for our children to be kind and let us help one another for our city.)

Treñas’ attire in the video (wearing suspenders or the pair of straps over the shoulders to hold up pants and the Foster Grant McKay Multifocus-type reading glasses) reminded us of the late CNN broadcast legend Larry King when he declared, “I thought I was just going to bite the bullet. I didn't want to live this way.”

Winston Churchill once said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Long live and more power, Mayor Jerry Treñas.

 

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We now understand why so many private lawyers were in mad scramble and wanted to volunteer as prosecutors in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Since the trial is being watched (“live” telecast or replay) by millions of Filipinos all over the world, the appearance of any law practitioner can be equivalent to instant shot at fame and fortune.

FAME. Whether the vice president will be ousted after the impeachment trial, lawyers from both the prosecution and defense panels are thrusted into the limelight and will become instant celebrities.

Look at how the social and mainstream media glamorized the lawyers from both sides who clashed in the first three hearings.

FORTUNE. After the impeachment trial, those flamboyant lawyers will be in demand when they go back to their private practice, and the law firms where they belong definitely will attract attention from well-healed litigants.

Some of them might even get juicy offers to join the government and land in lucrative portfolios and corporate offices.  

Or attract instant offers to join the leading political parties and get elected in 2028.

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