ILOILO City – The city government’s pullout of his three trusted staff took Cong. Jerry Treñas by surprise. He was not informed about it in advance and only learned about it on the day Mayor Jose Espinosa III issued the recall order, according to the congressman.
Treñas, however, appeared unfazed and obliquely criticized the city mayor.
“Basi amo na ang pag-ulikid (So this is how the city government cares),” said Treñas, referencing Espinosa’s “Pag-ulikid Sang Syudad” community outreach program that he indirectly slammed last week as hypocritical.
According to Treñas, Cherry Jover-Ampig, Rudina Blas and Snow Paredes were facilitating his office’s programs and services (Uswag scholarship, hospitalization, livelihood) but he assured residents that these would continue unhampered.
“Their support to the office and the services we offer was invaluable. I thank them for their assistance to the people of Iloilo City,” said Treñas.
Espinosa ordered the three city government employees to return to their mother units in a memo issued on May 18. Ampig is an assistant department head II (City Civil Registrar’s Office), Blas a day care worker (City Social Welfare and Development Office) and Paredes an administrative assistant I (City Tourism and Development Office).
Treñas said the three enjoyed his trust and confidence for years. He had known Ampig since 1992 and Paredes since 1998 when he was a city councilor. Blas had been working with him since 2001 when he was mayor.
The three were assigned to the congressman’s office by then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog in 2010. Treñas said he asked for the three because they were reliable.
“People will forget what we have done and what we have said but they will never forget what we made them feel,” according to Treñas.
In his memorandum order dated May 18, Espinosa cited “the exigency of service” in pulling out Ampig, Paredes and Blas from Treñas’ office. City Administrator Hernando Galvez, on the other hand, said the services of the three employees in their mother units were essential and their absence adversely affected the functions of their units.
For Councilor Plaridel Nava, a critic of Treñas, the pull out of the three was long overdue.
“Gasweldo sa imo city hall, didto ka imo sa congressional office. Unfair man na ‘ya sa city government nga i-detail ka to imo,” said Nava.
Recalling Ampig, Paredes and Blas to their mother units was “the right thing to do,” he stressed.
The three employees were mum regarding their recall and reported to city hall yesterday. But not for long. According to City Social Welfare and Development Office head Gene Garingalao, Blas applied for three days of “filial leave” and got five days of “forced leave.”
Ampig, according to the staff of the City Registrar’s Office, applied to take a leave of absence until the end of May and Paredes, too, asked permission to take a leave./PN
