‘DAYS OF RECKONING’: Treñas unaffected by cases, warns erring employees

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

MAYOR Jerry Treñas is unmoved and unaffected by cases filed against him by several employees at the Iloilo City Hall.

In an interview on Monday, Treñas said he saw a pattern in the cases filed against him as a form of disruption of the good things that are happening in his administration.

“Halata na gid na they just want to disrupt the good things that are happening in this administration but if they feel they can disrupt, I am sorry but they have a big problem,” he told the reporters.

Treñas said that the cases will not stop him from continuing to deliver the services to the public.

“We will just continue to do what we need to do. Waay ni makaapekto sa akon serbisyo, kon gusto nila tubangay kami, may conscience is clear sila ya nagkampanya,” he said.

To date, three regular employees have filed criminal and administrative charges against the mayor and some City Hall officials.

The most recent was Rosita Camacho who accused Treñas, City Administrator Melchor Tan, Assistant Iloilo City Administrator Noel Panaguiton, Assistant Department Head II Josephine Agudo, and City Human Resource Management Office chief Leo Elevencione of grave coercion and violations of Section 3 (e) and (a) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) for grave misconduct, oppression, and/or conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Camacho alleged that she was forced to file a leave for six months after she was accused as the bag woman of former mayor Jose Espinosa III.

Treñas denied Camacho’s allegation on forced leave.

“Sin-o bi magsiling pwersa. Magsiling ka nga pwersa ginapilit ka magpwersa, sin-o nagpilit sa ila kag magpwersa?” he stressed.

According to the mayor, Camacho campaigned against him in the midterm elections despite being a regular employee.

“Si Rosita, nagkampanya siya kontra sa akon, she’s a regular employee so you know it’s just a question of accounting. Pangayuan niya ko P100 million and may text pa nga biskan P50 million lang kuno. Sooner or later she will account for what she had done,” he said.

Treñas emphasized that he is fully against the practice of electioneering and corruption in government offices.

“Akon ya, duha ka bagay and indi ko gid magpatawad insofar as electioneering is concerned. Ikaduha corruption, amo na nga ang corruption atubangon gid na nila. You are a regular employee and you are making a mockery of the civil service system. I have several witnesses. Mahulat lang sila, they will have their own day of reckoning,” he warned.

Apart from Camacho, City Health Office (CHO) chief Dr. Bernard Caspe also sued the mayor and Tan for grave misconduct, oppression, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave coercion, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for pressuring him to resign.

Another employee, Joe Mari Esteral, a regular worker of the Local Civil Registrar’s Office (LCRO), filed criminal and administrative charges against the mayor and six other City Hall employees for allegedly harassing and oppressing him through re-assignment.

Esteral filed the charges of grave coercion, grave misconduct, oppression, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and unfair discrimination against Treñas and company.