Mayor disheartened by series of plant uprooting incidents

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed dismay over the series of uprooting incidents in the metro currently being maintained by the city government’s beautification program.

“Ang akon panawagan tani indi ta paggub-on ang aton mga tanum sa siyudad kay ginhawa ta lang na ka patahum sa aton siyudad,” he lamented on Monday.

Just this weekend, a “spider lily” planted under the overpass in General Luna Street, City Proper was found uprooted.

On Monday evening, the man who uprooted the plant was arrested and turned over to the authorities.

Based on a report of a local radio station, the 38-year-old suspect from Danao, City Proper was suffering from mental illness.

A day after, a job hire reported that another flowering plant was destroyed in Dungon, Jaro District.

Before this, authorities recorded several uprooting incidents in Molo and in Diversion road in Mandurriao district.

Treñas appealed to the public to not destroy the flowers and plants in the metro as a show of support to the hardworking men and women under the beautification program of the city government.

“Ang pagpatahum sa siyudad really takes a lot of effort, a lot of sacrifice sa mga nagapatahum sa aton siyudad biskan nagainit ukon nagatarithi kag nagaulan ara sila, kadako sang ila sakripisyo para nga magtahom aton siyudad. Kon magtahom ang aton siyudad, para man ni sa aton tanan amo na nagapanawagan gid ko sa tanan tinguhaan ta man tani nga kon indi man lang kita mabulig magtanom, pabay-an lang naton ang aton tanom,” he stressed.

Recently, the city government tapped 30 green guards who will oversee and protect public areas from vandals and those who try to uproot plants.

According to Mayor Jerry Treñas, he is willing to reward green guards who can capture vandals plaguing the city.

“Siling ko ang mga green guards nga makadakop sina ngitaan ta paagi nga mapasulod ta sa permanent position so it’s really up to them,” he added.

In November, the beautification program will employ 345 workers who will clean the city for more than a month.

Each of the workers will receive P365 minimum wage for 45 days of work.

Treñas said the P5.6-million budget for the workers was sourced from the remaining congressional funds he allotted when he was still congressman to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).