‘DAW OTOT NGA PUTOT’: Treñas heaps insults on Sec. Teddy Boy Locsin

By Jennifer P. Rendon and Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

Not Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Sec. Teddy Boy.

Treñas did not take sitting down the comment made by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. over Iloilo City’s flip-flopping from one quarantine status to another in less than a week.

In a now-deleted Twitter post, Locsin asked, “How come Treñas can blame his constituents of carelessness, of being pasaway – that ugly word – and get away with it? Because of opposition hypocrisy.”

Locsin used as reference an article of GMA News about Iloilo City’s plan to appeal to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to downgrade its quarantine status from MECQ to GCQ.

Locsin’s tweet could have stemmed from critics claiming that the Filipino people are not pasaway, as what some would like to paint them to be.

In a television interview, Treñas was quoted to have said that the spike n Covid-19 cases in Iloilo City could be attributed to “carelessness” by some of his constituents.

When Treñas announced that he will recommend the placement of Iloilo City under MECQ, he said that “cases in the city continue to shoot up and we need your cooperation to help eliminate the virus. We need to act fast to protect the lives of the Ilonggos. Buligay lang kita kay malampasan ta guid ni.”

After Locsin’s tweet, Treñas immediately posted on his official Facebook account that he doesn’t blame anyone for the rising cases in Iloilo City.

“I take full and complete responsibility for whatever happens to Iloilo City, and I am now exploring all possible options as to what is best for my people and my city,” he said.

Further, “as a leader, I am doing my best to at least lessen the transmission.”

He said he is working with several groups to strengthen the Iloilo City’s measures to curb the spread of the virus.

To those who believe that I should’ve managed things differently, I am sorry. But I think, the situation calls for everyone’s cooperation. Let’s not resort to the blame game,” he said.

Directly addressing Locsin, he said that they took care of his constituents the best way he could.

“I have not blamed my constituents since we continue to look for ways and means to flatten the curve. I know you do not know how to work in the LGU since you have never run a city. Iloilo City is much better than what you think because here, we all work together. We know that governance is always a shared responsibility both of the governors and the governed. It is unfortunate that in the midst of a pandemic, you still claim political sides,” he said.

In Iloilo City, Treñas proudly said that they have always let the prevailing virtue of love work as one people, “and we do things together, that is why we are called the City of Love.”

He also hit Locsin “for dipping his finger on anything he thinks he is bright enough to make a nasty comment. Life is what we experience in the here and now, not your cellphone for Twitter or Facebook. We deal with real lives sir – not cellphones or laptops.”

 

‘OTOT, PUTOT’

But Treñas was not yet over the issue despite making several Facebook posts.

In an interview with Bombo Radyo Iloilo, Treñas spewed expletives and even challenged Locsin, who had his roots to Western Visayas, to a fist fight.

He then likened the Secretary to a fart and even alluded to the latter as being high on drugs.

“Sin-o ni si Locsin? Daw sin-o nga otot! Ano gid siya? Yuta ya eh! Ay sa ka linti nga tawo! Wala pulos nga sekretaryo! Daw naka-drugs na siya!”

In another radio interview, Treñas again Locsin and called the latter “putot,” alluding to the secretary’s short height.

And it did not end there. He also called Locsin a boy and urged him to grow up.

“Daw indi ko katulog sa kainit ko gid bala nga ginabatyag ko sa putot nga ini. Ako syado gid ka kalmado nga tawo pero ako ya indi ya gid mapa-untat, indi ya ko mapahug-pahog. Kilala ko ni kon sin-o ni siya. Ang kaayuhan ya lang ni masulat lang ni siya sang speech. Sorry lang Teddy Boy. Boy ka lang ya asta subong. Ako ya tawo na ko, mayor na ko. Pero ikaw ya you continue to be a Teddy boy. You’re still a boy. So, grow up!” Treñas said.

He also claimed that Locsin should apologize for insulting the Ilonggos.

“I will not go away with this until he apologized to the Ilonggo people…Aysus, kilala ko ni ang putot nga ini. Ang mga putot bala kon kis-a abi nila kon sin-o sila.”

On Monday morning, the mayor said they withheld their request as they are still observing the situation.

As of 12 noon of September 28, Iloilo City has recorded 15 partial Covid-19 cases.

On Sunday, it recorded 74 Covid-19 cases.

On Monday afternoon, Treñas issued an Executive Order imposing a total lockdown for 34 barangays from September 28, 2020 at 5:00 PM until October 1, 2020 at 4:59 PM unless a longer period is required.

Contact tracing efforts shall be made and the necessities of the barangays shall be provided amid the lockdown due to COVID-19 cases.

But in a statement Monday evening, Treñas canceled the imposition of total lockdown in 34 barangays.

“Due to the different numbers from the City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (CESU) and the City Health Office and the late release of the EO , the same is hereby cancelled and the CESU and City Health, we will work tonight to work on this. We will make the announcement tomorrow at 10 am.”