But Jamjam doesn’t sink

“Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.”

— Mao Zedong

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE main worries of the Treñas political bandwagon in Iloilo City nowadays is that it appears it has failed to convince many political leaders and allies in the barangays to shift their allegiance to Raisa Treñas-Tiu or Raisa Treñas two months after Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas announced his breakup with former protégé, lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda.

The Treñas camp was expecting a tsunami to hit Baronda after that shock announcement of parting of ways, but what happened was a drizzle.

Based on most recent developments, there are pro-Treñas political leaders and allies, including their supporters, who are adamant to junk Baronda for Raisa.

In fact, the efforts to isolate and jettison Baronda may have backfired; the lady solon apparently continues to enjoy immense popularity among the women and young voters who have found no major reason to dump her.

This is a bad start and definitely a potential major headache for the Treñas camp.

 

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If city hall can’t halt Baronda’s surge despite the sustained carpet-bombing these past weeks, Treñas might indeed be forced to swallow his pride and face Baronda in the congressional battle, instead of risking everything by forcing his daughter to tangle versus the more popular and charismatic Baronda.

If Papa Jerry, who has an amazing string of political victory, will take the driver’s seat against Baronda, daughter Raisa will understand. She can pave the way and wait in 2028.

But if Papa Jerry really thinks daughter Raisa is ripe for the coveted congressional job despite the handwriting on the wall and they can hack the win against the “silent” Baronda, father and daughter might decide to cross the bridge together with bated breath.  

Politics has always been full of surprises and tense moments.

It’s too early to speculate and many things could happen before the serious campaign kicks off for the 2025 local election.

 

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MORE former Department of Health (DoH) secretaries and high-ranking officials have been implicated in plunder and charged with violation of anti-graft and corrupt practices act.

From now Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin to Dr. Francisco Duque III, among other health department bigwigs.

In the list of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) for the most corrupt departments and agencies, the top three were the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs.

DoH could be in the top 10 along with Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Philippine National Police (PNP).

What happened to the big names from the aforementioned departments who were implicated in graft and corruption or those who enriched themselves while in office?

  

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(Ika-004 nga Binalaybay sa serye nga tag-ilinit. Ginbalay ni Ambassador, Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr., sa Kaagahon sang ika-11 sang Mayo,2024, sa Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

 

BISAN PA NGA MABUDLAY

I

Ang mga ginaatubang nga kahimtangan kag bagay, Agud indî ka dayon magtigulang, mahapos lang kag tuman ka halay,

Atubanga lang ini nga nagayuhom kag may kalipay.

II

Bisan pa gabi tuman ka gin-ot,

Indî ka gid magbinuringot,

 Kay madasig lang sinâ ang hitsura mo maga kulurinot,

Ari ay laygay ko nga lusot,

Kabiga lang ini nga tion sang Kaham-ot,

Kay bulawanon ini nga tion kon san-o,

Tanan kita makapaindis-indis sang aton mga ilok, magpahamot-hamot!..

 

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FIRST CONTRACEPTIVE. The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by the Egyptians in 2,000 B.C. It was replaced with elephant droppings when they realized it wouldn't work.

CALORIES BURNT. The more intense the sex, the more calories are burnt: up to 10,000 calories annually. How? Having sex 3 times a week burns 7,500 calories per year. That's the equivalent of jogging 75 miles (120.675 km).

PREGNANT AFTER ORGASM. If a woman experiences an orgasm during sex, she's more likely to become pregnant, since orgasmic spasms in pelvic muscles can help move sperm up the vaginal canal to the uterus.

INFERTILE. Although it only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg, a man whose ejaculate yields less than 35 million sperm is considered infertile.

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

Nanay Julie’s pain

“Ladies and gentlemen, my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you!”

— George M. Cohan

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda can’t secure a third and final term and bows out from the congressional race to pave the way for “Tito Jerry’s” (this is how Rep. Jamjam calls Iloilo City mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas in private) daughter, Raisa Maria Lourdes or Raisa, the person who will get hurt most is Dr. Julie Baronda or “Dok Julie”, Rep. Jamjam’s mother.

Second is Councilor Urminico Baronda, Rep. Jamjam’s dad, and the rest of the fabled Baronda clan. All in the family.

Rep. Jamjam is the clan’s political gem. At 45, she’s “too young” to exit from politics (granting she will no longer seek a public office after a terse “adieu” meeting with “Tito Jerry” on March 16 where she “respected” the city mayor’s decision to field his daughter for congress in the next election).

She’s “too valuable” and “too nifty” to be elbowed away and stopped in her tracks while her appetite for legislation is at fever pitch.  

Moving out or taking a forced hiatus in the field the Barondas have learned to love most is a bitter pill to swallow particularly for Nanay Julie, who foresees her daughter becoming the next city mayor after “completing” her term third as congresswoman. 

 

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For Nanay Julie, this isn’t acceptable. The sudden change of event where daughter Jamjam is in danger of being sideswiped for a third and final term, is like a political death from a thousand cuts, so to speak. 

The “interruption” will create a huge vacuum in the majestic buildup for daughter Jamjam’s next political career. 

City hall is near and yet so far?    

Simply put, a Baronda City Hall takeover beyond “Tito Jerry’s” term as city mayor may have been embedded in the clan’s radar what with the star-studded cast all active in public service—Dr. Julie as punong barangay of Brgy. Javellana Extension in Jaro; Dr. Urminico as incumbent city councilor; and Love Baronda as erstwhile City Hall executive assistant.

Who wouldn’t—especially if the opportunity and possibility of hitting a political pay dirt in one fell swoop present themselves? 

A “student of political science” as he himself has admitted, Treñas may have read the political handwritings on the wall. 

With his clan members (including wife, Rosalie, and former city councilor Jay, and recently Raisa) also very much active and “willing, able, enthusiastic” to form a beeline to secure and retain the bailiwick, Treñas may have thought it was time he moved quickly and swiftly and to cut and cut clean.

 

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If one has to slay a dragon, he must start by first chopping off the dragon’s head. 

Eliminating Rep. Jamjam this early with the “support of 100 percent of the barangay captains” (180 barangays all) will underline Treñas’ smashing dominance of metro politics and solidify his reputation as undisputed kingmaker.

But wait a minute. Isn’t it premature to write off Rep. Jamjam and the rest of the fighting Baronda clan for that matter?  Politics, after all, is like a loaded dice and so unpredictable. Is being ditched by “Tito Jerry” constitute the final nail in the political coffin?

What if Rep. Jamjam changes her mind and decides to slug it out versus Raisa (Mrs. Raisa Maria Lourdes Treñas-Chu) in the next congressional election?

There’s a saying that only fools don’t change their minds. Ditto in politics. 

The next phases in Iloilo City’s political developments will certainly take the Ilonggo voters in the edges of their seats. 

For the meantime, Nanay Julie’s pain is real. So does with other mothers who think they are never really alone in their thoughts. That Nanay Julie has to think twice—one for herself and one for daughter, Rep. Jamjam.

Janet Fitch once said this about her daughter: “If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have to take jobs like this. She would be half a planet away, floating in a turquoise sea, dancing by moonlight to flamenco guitar. I felt my guilt like a brand.... I had seen girls clamor for new clothes and complain about what their mothers made for dinner. I was always mortified. Didn't they know they were tying their mothers to the ground? Weren't chains ashamed of their prisoners?”

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