‘USWAG FALLOUT’: Raisa mum, Jerry denies active role in Uswag Ilonggo Party-list

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas‑Chu has remained silent amid controversy surrounding Uswag Ilonggo Party‑list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr., while her father and predecessor, former City Mayor Jerry Treñas, has distanced himself from the party‑list he helped establish.

Treñas‑Chu, known for scrutinizing alleged irregularities in local flood control projects, has not issued a statement in response to requests—via her spokesperson—on whether she would seek a fraud audit by the Commission on Audit or request a list of Ang‑facilitated projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

As of press time, no response had been received from the mayor.

Among the projects linked to Ang include the New Iloilo City District Jail Building Phase I in Brgy. Buntatala, Leganes, Iloilo, which began in June 2024 on a 2.5‑hectare property transferred from Leganes to the Iloilo City government.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reports that Phase I, valued at PHP 72 million and contracted to J.E. Tico Construction Co., Inc., is 68 percent complete.

Phase II, worth PHP 154 million and handled by Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor and Development Corp.—owned by the Discaya family—is currently 45 percent complete.

Ang also facilitated a PHP 20 million Multi‑Purpose Building project at the University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo City campus, which began in September 2024 and is 74.5 percent complete, with contract expiration set in March 2025.

Treñas‑Chu served as Uswag Ilonggo’s second nominee in 2022; for the 2025 elections, Ang retained first nominee status with former Aklan Mayor Maria Lourdes Miraflores named second.

In 2025, endorsements for Ang came from former Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Treñas‑Chu, former Senate President Franklin Drilon, and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., yet Uswag Ilonggo secured just one congressional seat in both election cycles.

Jerry Treñas, who founded Uswag Ilonggo in 2020, clarified that he has no operational role in the party‑list.

He said the party was founded to bolster regional representation, with its name derived from his former mayoral slogan, “Uswag Iloilo,” used during his 2001–2010 term.

“Because of the clamor of my fellow Ilonggos for additional representation in Congress, I, together with like‑minded Ilonggo leaders, decided to form the Uswag Ilonggo Party‑list two elections ago,” he said.

He added that although he founded the group, he never held any official position nor signed any Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance for its candidates.

Treñas emphasized that the party is now managed by Ang, who “has already denied the allegations against him and will answer them in due time.”

In a separate statement, he voiced support for ongoing House and Senate investigations into the matter.

Contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya have accused Ang of soliciting 10 to 25 percent kickbacks on flood control projects dating from 2022, a claim Ang has categorically denied, calling it surprising and baseless.

He reaffirmed his commitment to public service with integrity and criticized the investigations as being misused for political gain or distraction.