ILOILO CITY – Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda urged Ilonggos to set politics aside as First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos is set to teach criminal law at the West Visayas State University (WVSU).
“It could be beneficial if we put politics aside at this time,” said Baronda in a statement Tuesday, August 9.
Some Ilonggos expressed dismay since last week when the First Lady’s name emerged as part-time faculty of the WVSU College of Law.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady’s husband, did not win in this city and Iloilo in the May 9 elections. Majority of Ilonggos voted for former Vice President Leni Robredo.
Baronda echoed the stance of Mayor Jerry Treñas here as far as the First Lady teaching law.
“An accomplished lawyer himself, his fellow Atenista is qualified to be a part-time faculty,” Baronda noted.
“It is noteworthy that she (Araneta-Marcos) went out of her way and submitted herself to the process of becoming a part-time member of the faculty as her way of giving back to the people and to the place where she traces her ancestry,” Baronda said.
Mrs. Marcos is not a total stranger in Iloilo. The paternal and maternal sides of the First Lady both have roots in Iloilo.