Ex-mayor Treñas to teach at WVSU law school

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Former Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas is returning to the academe as one of the instructors at the West Visayas State University College of Law, a top-performing school in the 2024 Bar Examinations.

Treñas confirmed to Daily Guardian via Viber on Sunday, Aug. 3, that he will be teaching the Local Government Code, also known as “Local Government Law,” a subject under the Political Law curriculum.

The course covers the Local Government Code and explores the nature, autonomy, powers, and funding of local government units, as well as the roles of local officials, accountability mechanisms, and public participation.

“I am preparing and studying,” he said when asked how he felt about returning to teaching.

WVSU-COL will open its classes on Monday, Aug. 4.

In 2020, Treñas also announced plans to join the inaugural WVSU-COL faculty to teach Introduction to Law, but this did not materialize due to his commitments as the then-sitting mayor.

He first taught law at the University of Iloilo from 1983 to 1986, before launching his political career as Iloilo City councilor.

He earned his AB in political science in 1978 from Ateneo de Manila University and his Bachelor of Laws with honors in 1982 from the Ateneo Law School.

He placed 11th in the 1982 Bar Examinations, with a rating of 88.325%.

Treñas’ public service career spans nearly four decades, first serving as city councilor from 1986 to 1992.

He briefly held the post of acting city mayor in 1992 and was elected mayor from 2001 to 2010.

He represented the city in Congress from 2010 to 2019 and returned as mayor from 2019 until 2025.

He did not seek reelection in the recent elections.