Mayor says persona non grata no excuse to skip hearing

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the persona non grata declaration against Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) officer-in-charge Roy Pacanan should not prevent him from facing the City Council.

“I am reviewing who actually issued the persona non grata against him. If he believes he is in the right and wants to clear his name, whether or not he has been declared persona non grata, he should still attend for the sake of transparency,” Treñas-Chu said in an interview on Monday, Aug. 25.

Her remarks came ahead of the quad committee hearing on Aug. 28, which will review ICDEO’s ongoing projects, including flood control and drainage initiatives.

Councilors remain divided on whether to lift the declaration to encourage Pacanan’s attendance.

Pacanan, in an Aug. 15 interview, said the label was “degrading” and “insulting.”

He added that it would only humiliate him further if he appeared before the council while the declaration remained in effect.

The declaration was first issued in 2024 by then-Mayor Jerry Treñas and later reinforced by the council, citing ICDEO’s failure to vacate a city-owned lot in Fort San Pedro and the lack of building permits for several projects.

Pacanan maintained that the issues were unfairly pinned on him, noting he only assumed office in August 2023.

He explained that relocating the ICDEO required approval and funding from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) central office, and that the permit deficiencies predated his tenure.

He also dismissed accusations of non-coordination as recycled claims, stating that documentation was available to prove otherwise.

Councilor Miguel Treñas, who authored the 2024 resolution reinforcing the declaration, expressed openness to lifting it if it would compel Pacanan to attend.

Majority Floor Leader Rex Marcus Sarabia opposed the move, describing the declaration as symbolic and legally nonbinding.

He emphasized that Pacanan has a clear mandate to cooperate with local government units and that the City Council’s review of flood projects remains essential despite a concurrent Senate inquiry.

Councilor Rudolph Ganzon proposed including in the next session’s agenda whether to lift the declaration or formally request Pacanan’s resignation, a motion supported by other councilors.

During the Aug. 11 hearing on private and public waterway projects, the council warned that another persona non grata declaration could be issued if Pacanan continued to ignore invitations.

Councilor Romel Duron said Pacanan’s repeated absences raised questions about his accountability and commitment to transparency.

Treñas-Chu also voiced full support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive requiring LGU approval for national government-funded projects, saying it addresses long-standing coordination issues with the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO).

“Here in Iloilo City, we have long raised concerns over projects carried out by ICDEO without proper coordination with the city government. While some were well-intentioned, many were poorly planned and disconnected from our city’s priorities,” Treñas-Chu said in a statement released Sunday evening, Aug. 25.

She cited traffic disruptions, duplication of existing programs, and substandard outputs as recurring problems.

The mayor referred to controversial DPWH-ICDEO projects along waterways, including slope protection, bike lanes, and access roads at Buntatala Creek, Dungon Creek, Calubihan and Desamparados Creeks, and the mouth of the Iloilo River in Mohon, Arevalo district.

On July 24, the city government issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against these projects after claiming they worsened flooding in Jaro and nearby districts, damaged properties, and allegedly caused deaths.

In her statement that day, Treñas-Chu said the ICDEO projects “worsened flooding, damaged properties, and even caused the deaths of residents,” citing the drowning of a 13-year-old child in Buntatala Creek and another in Oton.

She added that Oton Mayor Sofronio Fusin reported unusual flooding in six barangays following the Mohon Esplanade project — flooding not seen even during Typhoon Frank in 2008. Oton has since issued its own CDO.

However, no official report or study has yet confirmed a direct link between the ICDEO projects and the reported deaths.

The DPWH-ICDEO has strongly denied the allegations.

Pacanan called the city’s CDO “legally invalid,” claiming it lacked both legal and factual basis.

He described the accusations as “half-truths and lies,” stating that coordination letters and monthly reports were submitted, and argued that the creek widths had been widened, not narrowed.

On July 29, Treñas-Chu lifted the CDO as a “temporary measure” but placed the projects on hold pending an independent study to be led by engineering experts from the University of the Philippines.

The DPWH Regional Office VI (DPWH-6) also committed to inspect the projects.

Treñas-Chu said the president’s directive affirms the need for stronger LGU involvement.

“We, as local officials, are directly accountable to our people and are in the best position to determine urgent, relevant, and safe solutions,” she said.

“Our experience shows that when projects are harmonized with the city government, especially in critical areas like roads, flood control, and drainage, they become more effective and life-saving.”

She thanked the president for recognizing the indispensable role of LGUs in infrastructure planning.

President Marcos made the statement during his inspection of a slope protection road project in Kennon Road, Benguet.