‘TIT-FOR-TAT’: Treñas-Chu, Baronda trade jabs on projects’ disclosure

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

What began as a call for transparency in infrastructure projects escalated into a war of words between Iloilo City’s top officials as questions over incomplete and delayed flood control works continue to loom.

Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu demanded that lone district Rep. Julienne “JamJam” Baronda and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 release a complete list of projects implemented in Iloilo City from 2019 to the present, saying “the people deserve to know.”

“It must be emphasized that it is the congressional representative (Baronda) who requests, identifies, and sponsors projects for the lone district of Iloilo City,” Treñas-Chu said.

She added that Baronda must be held responsible for identifying and accounting for every project implemented by the Iloilo City District Engineering Office.

“I can firmly speak on this matter with personal knowledge and experience as I have served as Chief of Staff for my father, who was a member of Congress and sat as a member of the Commission on Appointments back then,” she said.

Baronda countered that she has consistently advocated transparency and accountability but argued that it is the DPWH that holds official records of city projects.

“I suggest that DPWH release any and all records about the infrastructure projects in the lone district of Iloilo City, as it is the entity that keeps the records of these projects,” Baronda said.

She then challenged Treñas-Chu to disclose records of all projects, including goods, infrastructure, and permits, undertaken during the long tenure of her father, Jerry Treñas, as both congressman and mayor.

Jerry Treñas served as the city’s lone district representative from 2010 to 2019 and as mayor from 1992 to 2001, 2001 to 2010, and 2019 to 2025.

“He has spent a quarter of a century in power, yet miserably failed in solving the flooding problems of the city. We, Ilonggos, also want to know,” Baronda said.

MAYOR PRESSES EXPLANATION

Treñas-Chu responded by accusing Baronda of diverting the issue away from what she called the more pressing concern: the status of projects under the congresswoman’s term that remain incomplete, unusable, built along waterways, or suspected to be ghost projects.

She stressed that these concerns are not mere allegations but findings currently under investigation in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

She also cited President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who, during a visit to Iloilo City, described some projects as delayed and poorly built.

“The demand of the people now is simple – account for the billions of pesos poured into projects during your term as congresswoman,” Treñas-Chu said.

She drew a contrast between the projects under Baronda and those initiated during her father’s administration, pointing to what she described as the city government’s stronger record of transparency under Jerry Treñas.

Treñas-Chu maintained that instead of shifting blame or revisiting past administrations, Baronda should address whether her projects have brought tangible benefits to Iloilo City.

“The Ilonggos deserve clarity, not excuses,” she said.