Organizers sought mayor’s name use in Dinagyang sports events

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

A City Hall official clarified that the inclusion of Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu’s name in several Dinagyang 2026 sports events was requested by private organizers, following mixed reactions to a viral post promoting the activities.

Executive Assistant for Youth and Sports Rudiver Jungco Sr., who shared the events’ promotional materials on his Facebook page on Tuesday, said organizers often seek permission to use the mayor’s name to attract more participants and lend legitimacy to their events, particularly those involving athletes from outside Iloilo.

“If they see that it’s from the mayor, that would mean it is legit. That would signify it, and they would have more participants,” he told Daily Guardian.

Netizens on Tuesday night criticized the mayor after noticing that 14 out of 22 sporting events were explicitly named after her.

The activities are scheduled for January 2026 as part of the Dinagyang Festival celebration.

The post drew mixed reactions online, with some branding the move as “epal” or political self-promotion, while others defended it as a standard practice to acknowledge local leadership.

Jungco said the materials, posted ahead of the festival’s 100-day countdown, were meant solely to promote the upcoming sports events and were not approved by the mayor.

“The mayor really didn’t know about it. Even in previous Dinagyang festivals, during the terms of past mayors, their names were also used because private organizers would request to include the mayor’s name,” he said.

Jungco presented two letters of intent from event organizers: one from New Horizon Concepts Unlimited Inc. seeking to hold the “Mayor Treñas Dinagyang Half Marathon 2026” on January 11, and another from Straw Hat Resto Bar proposing the “2nd Raisa Treñas Dinagyang Cup 10-Ball Billiard Tournament” from January 19 to 23.

He said the viral post has since been deleted and that updated official promotional materials will instead be released by the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. and the city government through their verified social media pages.

Jungco added that he would consult the organizers to determine whether they are willing to remove the mayor’s name from the events.

He also clarified that no public funds are involved in the privately organized activities and that the city government’s role is limited to logistical assistance.

“My office did not expect that this would be the reaction. We do not have an intention [to malign the festival], even our mayor is not aware,” Jungco said.