ILOILO City – Neither Cong. Jerry Treñas nor then vice mayor Jose Espinosa III bothered to reach out to then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog when the latter was being unfairly maligned by President Rodrigo Duterte as involved in illegal drugs, according to former city first lady Maria Victoria Mabilog. Because of this, she said, the Mabilogs won’t be supporting any of these two candidates for city mayor in the May 13, 2019 midterm elections.
“Categorically and under our current circumstances, we have not and will not be endorsing any candidate for mayor in the City of Iloilo. We will continue to pray that the good people of Iloilo City will once again seek in prayer for an enlightened decision on who is best to lead our beloved city,” the former city first lady posted on Facebook yesterday.
According to Mabilog, several friends tried to get their endorsements either for Treñas or Espinosa.
“Both are good friends of Jed but I have my personal take on the two of them. Jed Patrick E. Mabilog may disagree with me, as he usually does anyway, but I’ll have to say my piece,” according to Mrs. Mabilog.
Treñas and Espinosa, she said, knew that her husband was being wrongly accused by President Duterte.
“As someone who is not too adept on the nuances of politics, I was aghast and personally offended by their silence and inability to come to his aid,” wrote the former first lady.
A friend explained to her that Treñas and Espinosa also feared that the President might turn his ire on them, hence their silence.
“That’s a reasonable fear. I was okay with that. But this was not what I was not okay with: neither one of them bothered to reach out and personally assured Jed that they were one with him in this fight and would work and pray with him so that truth and justice would prevail,” according to Mrs. Mabilog.
Furthermore, she added, Treñas and Espinosa’s “deafening silence and nonchalant attitude” when Duterte planned to reassign Chief Inspector Jovy Espenido to Iloilo City were “painful, offensive and disgusting.”
The mayors of Ozamiz City (Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog) and Albuera, Leyte (Rolando Espinosa Sr.) linked to the illegal drug trade were killed in separate police operations where Espenido was chief of police.
“Their silence and apparent lack of empathy speak volumes about their character, particularly the advancement of their own personal interests. This was how I felt through my heart,” Mrs. Mabilog posted on Facebook.
The Mabilogs left the country in August last year days after Duterte announced he was reassigning Espenido to Iloilo City. They were believed to be in Canada now.
Espenido’s transfer, on the other hand, did not push through due to eligibility issues.
Mrs. Mabilog said she was leaving it to the voters to determine who between Treñas and Espinosa could best serve the city.
“With or without our endorsement, one candidate will win, anyway. In the next three years, Iloilo City will survive well under Jerry or Joe. The city and the people are resilient and are least concerned with the power play at the Mayor’s Office inside the City Hall,” she stressed.
Mrs. Mabilog said the more important issue was how the legislative branch could be a major partner in ensuring good governance.
Thus, Mabilog said, she was endorsing Councilor R Leone Gerochi for vice mayor.
According to her, Gerochi had “the intellectual acuity, the moral strength, integrity, honesty, determination, fortitude, independence, love for his city, professionalism, and dedication to his vocation that none of his opponents have, or at best, have very little.”
“I dream that one day, in the future, the likes of him will take up bigger leadership roles in the city,” according to the former city first lady./PN
