‘EARLY EDITION’: Iloilo City pols tease 2028 lineups two years out

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Less than two years before the 2028 elections, Iloilo City’s ruling political camps are starting to mold their lineups and firm up their bets.

Team Uswag, led by Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu, has teased its preliminary slate for the next elections.

At the same time, former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said he remains open to joining the Team Sulong-Gugma slate of term-limited lone district Rep. Julienne Baronda.

Team Uswag and Team Sulong-Gugma are the two dominant political coalitions in Iloilo City, both of which fielded full slates in the 2025 midterm polls.

Reports indicated that under the proposed Team Uswag lineup, Councilor Miguel Treñas is being considered for congressman, Treñas-Chu is expected to seek reelection, and Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna is being eyed for vice mayor.

Treñas-Chu is currently serving her first term as mayor, while her brother Miguel is in his second term as city councilor.

Among those being floated for City Council seats are former councilors and current executive assistants Jay Treñas, Ely Estante, and Dr. Candice Magdalene Tupas.

Also on the list are Lapuz Association of Barangay Captains President Arnel Asturias and lawyer Shiela Olid, who ran for city councilor in 2025 but lost.

Jay Treñas currently serves as executive assistant to the mayor.

Estante handles market and slaughterhouse concerns, while Tupas oversees health and wellness tourism initiatives.

Estante and Tupas were appointed executive assistants months after their terms as councilors ended in June 2025.

Other names mentioned as possible candidates include Gerald Ganzon, son of former Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon; Sol Zaldivar; and lawyer Kesha Pesina-Tupas, who ran under the Baronda slate in the 2025 midterm elections.

The initial lineup was presented during a gathering attended by Treñas-Chu, former mayor Jerry Treñas, and barangay officials on Thursday, May 14.

Cabaluna later confirmed in a radio interview that he would run for a higher post in the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, Mabilog said Friday that his political options remain open, particularly with Baronda’s group, citing the support she extended to him and his family during his years in self-imposed exile in the United States.

“[Baronda] did everything not only for me but also for my family. She did not stop. Every day she was there,” he said.

“My family and I will always be there with you for you, just tell me, willing to give up everything to join you and whatever you want. That is why my options are open,” he added.

Mabilog served as campaign manager of the Sulong-Gugma slate of the Baronda sisters during the 2025 elections.

Mabilog, who served as Iloilo City mayor from 2010 to 2019, left the Philippines in 2017 after being linked by former President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal drug trade, allegations he repeatedly denied.

He returned to the country in September 2024 after years in the United States and later reemerged in local politics during the 2025 midterm elections.