No sign of Treñas-Mabilog bout

By Herbert Vego

WILL former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog challenge the incumbent, Jerry Treñas, in election 2025?

That is the question that hounds every Juan in Iloilo City, especially because Treñas himself has labelled Mabilog “a worthy opponent” should he run for mayor.

The rumored clash stems from the announced break-up of the mayor’s alliance with Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda, who would defend her House post against his daughter Raisa. Thus, she would have to team up with another mayoralty candidate.

My crystal ball shows otherwise: Jed would not run for any position, resulting in reconciliation, or more appropriately preservation, of the Treñas-Baronda duo.  I see no opposing pair strong enough to beat it.

Hula lang ‘yan ha?  Pero it’s not without basis.

“Moneygrado,” says a radio ad promoting a money-transfer company. When applied to the duo, they would be saving huge amounts of money by not running against each other. As far as Mabilog is concerned, his having been jobless in his seven years of self-exile in the United States is a strong indicator that he is not financially prepared.

But, of course, that does not augur well for their rah-rah men who would otherwise earn more.

On the morning he came home to celebrate his 59^th birthday (Sept. 20), Mabilog paid a visit to City Hall, where the mayor welcomed him in the presence of the local media, saying, “Former Mayor Jed is still part of our group.”

I have yet to hear Baronda say the same in the wake of rumors that she is trying to convince Mabilog to challenge the third-termer mayor.

Mabilog’s lips have remained sealed, however. His followers would have to wait until the dates for filing of certificates of candidacy from October 1 to 8, 2024.

Meanwhile a news report in the Manila Standard (Sept. 20 issue) quoted him as having “clarified he has no immediate plans to return to politics.”

His immediate concerns are, first, to clear his name from links with illegal drug lords during his time as mayor; and, second, to expose the alleged plot of former President Rodrigo Duterte to “neutralize” him if he would not link former senators Mar Roxas and Franklin Drilon to the drug trade.

He did all that before the “quad committee” at the House of Representatives on Sept. 19, 2024. There is no need to elaborate; his recorded statements were well-amplified in the streamline and online media worldwide.

He would not have come home if Duterte were still in power. But he remains security-conscious today because there are still political forces hard at work to discredit them.

The most critical of them, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, has referred to his testimony before the “quad” as a “demolition job para masira kami lahat at hihina si VP Sara,” given that Vice-President Sara Duterte aspires to run for President in 2028.

Bato had also been echoing Duterte’s reference to Iloilo as “the most shabulized city.”

Therefore, should Jed decide to run in 2025, he would certainly be stoned not just by Bato but by hostile critics who might revive the issues raised against him while serving as mayor between 2010 and 2017.

What say you, Ka Eric?

-oOo-

MORE POWER STILL SELLS THE LOWEST POWER

THE average residential electricity rate of MORE Power (Iloilo City’s distribution utility) has decreased to P12.6195/kWh for the September 18 to October 12, 2024 cycle. It remains the lowest in the region.

This is due to a reduction in the generation charge. This decrease occurred despite an increase in the transmission charge by P0.5653/kWh and the implementation of the last tranche of the staggered Wholesale Electricity Spot Market payment.

Consumers will see this new residential rate reflected in their next bills.

Niel Parcon, MORE Power’s vice president for corporate energy sourcing and regulatory affairs, said they owe the competitive rates to cost-efficient bilateral contracts with power generators.

It is worth recalling that Mayor Jerry Treñas, in his State of the City Address (SOCA) last Sept. 9, lauded MORE Power for its significant role in boosting the city economy through increased investments and business activities.

“This is also a very welcome development for every Ilonggo household, which will no longer have to worry about high electric bills,” he said.