‘Batchoy of Progress’: A New Recipe or a Father’s Legacy?

Iloilo City is in a fascinating juncture, a place of palpable momentum and high expectation. With the inauguration of its first-ever elected female mayor, Raisa Treñas-Chu, the city is being served a new, yet familiar, political dish.

The incoming mayor herself has laid out the ingredients for what could be called a “Batchoy of Progress” – a rich developmental stew combining peace and order, infrastructure, human development, and environmental sustainability and more.

The core question for Ilonggos, however, is whether this is a genuinely new recipe or the time-tested formula of her father, outgoing Mayor Jerry Treñas, simply garnished with a few new spices.

The foundational broth of this developmental batchoy is undeniably her father’s. The Treñas legacy has simmered for years, yielding tangible and impressive results. Under the previous administration, Iloilo City’s economy became the fastest-growing in Western Visayas, posting a remarkable 10.5% GDP growth in 2023, with its value surging to P160.28 billion, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). This economic vitality is largely driven by a booming services sector, which now accounts for 87.7% of the city’s GDP.

This growth wasn’t accidental. It was the result of a deliberate, infrastructure-heavy recipe. Landmark projects like the new legislative building, a centralized business one-stop-shop, the ongoing redevelopment of major public markets, and the establishment of the Uswag Molecular Laboratory formed the hearty meat of the city’s progress. The city’s competitiveness soared, ranking 5th among all highly urbanized cities in the 2024 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index and, critically, number one in government efficiency. This is the strong, flavorful base that Mayor Treñas-Chu inherits – a city already on a rising trajectory.

Now, the new chef enters the kitchen. Mayor Treñas-Chu has vowed not only to continue these large-scale projects – citing the Iloilo City Hospital and the Iloilo City Sports Center as immediate priorities – but also to introduce her own blend of ingredients. Her proposed additions focus heavily on the “softer” side of development: the tRAIbaho Livelihood Program, a Raise Mental Health Program, the Iloilo Sports Academy, and the Uswag Negosyo Academy.

These “new spices” signal a potential shift in nuance and emphasis. While her father built the physical city, her focus appears aimed at fortifying its human capital. This is both a logical and necessary evolution. A premier economic hub cannot run on concrete and steel alone; it requires a healthy, educated, and resilient populace. Her pledge to innovate in health, education, and social protection is a direct acknowledgment that the city’s most valuable asset is its people. This represents a move from a hardware-focused approach to a more holistic, software-centric model of governance.

However, an incisive but fair analysis must acknowledge the challenges simmering beneath the surface. While the city’s GDP grew, so did its inflation, hitting the second-highest rate among the country’s highly urbanized cities in late 2024, partly driven by a controversial real property tax hike. Furthermore, the 2024 competitiveness rankings from the Department of Trade and Industry, while strong overall, showed a significant drop in economic dynamism – from 4th to 7th place nationally – revealing vulnerabilities in areas like cost of living and employment generation.

This is where the new mayor’s recipe will be truly tested. Will her focus on social programs and livelihood be robust enough to counter these economic pressures? Can she ensure that the benefits of a booming service industry and rising property values do not leave the urban poor behind – a long-standing challenge for a city with significant informal settler communities?

The continuity from one Treñas to another provides stability, a clear advantage in long-term planning and investor confidence. The frameworks for major projects are in place, ready for swift implementation. Yet, this seamless transition also invites skepticism about new perspectives and the potential for political stagnation.

Ultimately, Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu’s task is not to discard her father’s successful recipe but to enhance it. The challenge is to prove that her administration is more than a legacy sequel – that it is a thoughtful evolution. She must skillfully blend the proven, hearty ingredients of infrastructure and economic dynamism with the nuanced, vital spices of social equity and human development.

If she succeeds, Iloilo City’s “Batchoy of Progress” will not only be rich and flavorful but will nourish every Ilonggo.