Baronda Open to Reconcile With Treñas Camp – In Person

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne Baronda on Friday, June 6, welcomed mayor-elect Raisa Treñas’ call for reconciliation between their camps but emphasized that it should happen face-to-face, not through social media.

“The laurels of reconciliation must not be offered through social media,” Baronda said in a statement.

“It must be physical, actual, face-to-face. We are ready anytime, anywhere. If not, that’s just for optics.”

In a radio interview, the lawmaker said she had not received direct communication about reconciliation and only learned of the mayor-elect’s pronouncement through news on social media.

“We should be mature enough, because at the end of the day, you and the people know me,” she said.

“What is important to us is the interest of the people. The elections are just one day, but the offer must come from the heart.”

She added that the move for reconciliation should come from the Treñas side, recalling her political exclusion in March 2024.

“Camaraderie is what is important,” Baronda said.

“If we go back to history, who pushed me to the side? I have been standing for the people’s causes, not my own. I’m just here anytime, especially with Team Sulong Gugma and the Baronda sisters.”

“We’re not meddling. We don’t have bitterness in our hearts.”

Baronda also said reconciliation should reflect the Marcos Jr. administration’s “Bagong Pilipinas” governance theme.

“Everything’s there in ‘Bagong Pilipinas.’ It’s complete—food security, water issues, education, jobs, economic viability, health concerns, housing, and more.”

“Follow President Marcos Jr., support and help the poor, solve the problems.”

Treñas responded to Baronda’s statement on Friday evening, expressing openness to meeting in person to reconcile.

“Our message of unity was never meant to be for show. It came from the heart, as a sincere step toward healing and moving forward from the divisions we’ve seen in Iloilo City politics,” the mayor-elect said in her statement.

“If meeting face-to-face is what’s needed, I am open to that. I believe in setting aside personal pride so we can put the people of Iloilo City first. True unity is not about where or how it begins, it’s about what we do next, together, for the good of our beloved city,” she added.

The fallout between the Baronda and Treñas camps began in March 2024 when outgoing Mayor Jerry Treñas endorsed his daughter, Raisa, to run for the city’s congressional seat held by Baronda.

Baronda, then on her second term, was widely expected to seek a third and final term in Congress.

A day before the endorsement, Baronda’s sister, Lady Julie Grace, was removed as executive assistant to the mayor, and their father, City Councilor Urminico Baronda III, was stripped of his committee chairmanships.

Raisa Treñas later opted to run for mayor and won, succeeding her father.

On the other side, the Baronda sisters also won their bids for representative and vice mayor, respectively.