Iloilo City mayor seeks to join ‘Mayors for Good Governance’

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu has formally expressed her intent to join the Mayors for Good Governance, a coalition of reform-oriented local leaders advocating for transparency and accountability in public service.

“Last week we already sent a letter to join Mayors for Good Governance,” Treñas-Chu said in an interview Monday, Aug. 25.

“I am very happy because when we opened up about what was happening in the city, it was the members of the coalition who supported us.”

She said the decision aligns with her administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity in governance, noting that their values mirror those of the coalition.

The Mayors for Good Governance, or M4GG, was organized by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

The group has been vocal in demanding full disclosure of programs of work, detailed unit price analyses, bills of quantities, feasibility studies and the names of contractors and officials behind the PHP350-billion flood control projects currently under investigation by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Treñas-Chu said Iloilo City’s membership in the coalition would also foster the exchange of best practices among local governments and strengthen her administration’s resolve to manage resources responsibly and implement programs efficiently.

As of 9:30 p.m. on the same day, three Iloilo mayors had signed the M4GG manifesto, making them members from 2023 to 2025: Ian Kenneth Alfeche of Alimodian, Bongbong Tupas of Barotac Viejo and Jon Aying of Sara.

The coalition has consistently called for transparency and accountability in public spending and has maintained that officials who misuse government funds must not only be removed from office but also prosecuted and jailed.