BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – In front of journalists Mayor Jerry Treñas yesterday lost his temper over reports on the demolition of the 80-year-old Art Deco façade of the lloilo Central Market.
During a press briefing, Treñas slammed reports about an “investigation” supposedly being conducted by cultural agencies of the national government.
“There is no investigation and people are trying to bring this thing nga daw kadako gid nga bagay. There’s nothing. No formal investigation,” the mayor insisted.
He was responding to a query about the statement issued by Dr. Ivan Anthony Henares, commissioner for cultural heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and secretary general of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines, who said they were “trying to study what happened” and “we are still investigating the incident”.
Henares issued the statements during a forum titled “Communicating Heritage Conservation” on Saturday, May 18, hosted by the National Museum of the Philippines to mark International Museum Day. As a panel resource person, he was responding to the question asked of him: “What’s the liability of the Iloilo City Government for the demolition of the Iloilo Central Market?”
The full video of the Saturday forum is publicly accessible via the official Facebook page of the National Museum of the Philippines.
Henares clarified the next day, Sunday, that “What I was referring to was a discussion among government cultural agencies” and that the query being conducted was “not a formal investigation.”
In the press conference, Treñas threatened to file charges over the reports.
“You know, based on what you are saying, I can file cases against you because Commissioner Henares himself has disowned the statement that you are reporting,” said Treñas.
He cited the charges of cyber libel, the civil case for damages, and another case before the Civil Service Commission against Nereo Lujan, the Iloilo Provincial Public Information and Community Affairs Office (PICAO) head, that will be filed within this week.
“Kon gusto niyo, kinasuhay lang kita kon kinasuhay. I have always refrained from filing cases against anyone. Pero subong sobra na, kapoy na. Magpabaya lang ko, daw ako lang di kalulu-oy bala. Sige, bring it on because I am also ready to fight. I’m in a fighting mood,” the mayor said.
Late last night, hours after his morning outburst, Mayor Treñas issued an apology.
Here’s the full text of his apology:
“I would like to apologize for my outburst this morning. This was totally uncalled for. First, it was reported that the Central Market restoration is under investigation by the UNESCO. Second, Com. Ivan Henares himself said UNESCO does not investigate, and if at most, NCCA will check with NHCP on the approval made. Third, I did not threaten to file cases against any member of media. Fourth, I will be filing several cases against Nereo Lujan, a civil servant like me. Fifth, I have not filed any case or threaten to file any case against any member of media in my almost four decades of public service. Sixth, I only quoted the text to me of Com. Ivan Henares about ‘irresponsible reporting’ – his text is still in my phone. – Mayor Jerry P. Treñas”
At Saturday’s forum organized by the National Museum of the Philippines, Henares said: “What is the liability? We will find out if there is. Again, we are at a stage where we are trying to study what happened – whether there was a go-signal from the NHCP to demolish the structure. If there was no go-signal, then we will look into the Heritage Law and see what the liabilities of the city government are for issuing that demolition permit. So right now we can’t really say what the liabilities are because we are still investigating the incident. But it would seem that yun na nga. If it was a unilateral decision of the Iloilo City Government to demolish the market tower structure without clearing it with the appropriate cultural agency, then there will be some liabilities. And we are going to look into that.”
The following day, Sunday, Henares clarified, “UNESCO is not probing the demolition. I never mentioned UNESCO or UNACOM. UNESCO does not investigate heritage issues. UNESCO is not a government cultural agency. UNESCO is not a government cultural agency.”
Engr. Mavi Gustilo, chief of the Office of the Building Official (OBO) of the Iloilo City Government, said they conducted a structural assessment of the central market in August 2023 and found “visual identification of defects.”
“We saw major cracks on the structural components, that was why we recommended retrofitting, and subsequently demolition if retrofitting was not possible,” said Gustilo.
Gustilo said they then ordered Maricel Mabaquiao, chief of the Local Economic Enterprise Office, to vacate the building for being a “dangerous structure.”
She said the market developer later applied for a demolition permit and was tackled by the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council and was approved for demolition.
“Before we issued the demolition permit, it tried to save and retrofit it. But during the scrapping of the concrete structures, especially the tower, daw nagakalapupod na ang concrete. That’s where we based it. So we demolished the entire tower,” said Gustilo./PN
