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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Visayas devider Ex-Iloilo City mayor, daughter disown Uswag Ilonggo party-list

Ex-Iloilo City mayor, daughter disown Uswag Ilonggo party-list

Published Sep 11, 2025 07:46 am
FORMER Mayor Jerry Treñas (center) and incumbent Mayor Raisa Treñas (left) with Rep. James 'Jojo' Ang Jr. of Uswag Ilonggo party-list. (Jerry Treñas Facebook page)
FORMER Mayor Jerry Treñas (center) and incumbent Mayor Raisa Treñas (left) with Rep. James 'Jojo' Ang Jr. of Uswag Ilonggo party-list. (Jerry Treñas Facebook page)
Former Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and his daughter, neophyte Mayor Raisa Treñas, have disowned Uswag Ilonggo party-list following the alleged involvement of Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. in flood control kickbacks.
Jerry was the first to issue a statement that distanced himself from Uswag Ilonggo, which he founded during the pandemic.
As a party-list, Uswag Ilonggo was named after Jerry’s slogan when he was city mayor from 2001 to 2010 and when he returned as mayor in 2019 after serving nine years as congressman.
“I, together with like‑minded Ilonggo leaders, decided to form Uswag Ilonggo party‑list two elections ago. However, I was no longer active in its affairs as I was busy serving the people of Iloilo City,” said Jerry in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
But Jerry has been identified as the leader of “Team Uswag” for the May 2025 elections, when he decided not to run for a third term and had his daughter Raisa replaced him as city mayor.
Raisa was Uswag Ilonggo’s second nominee during the May 2022 elections. However, she did not win a congressional seat and only Ang did.
“I acknowledge that I was once listed as a second nominee of Uswag Ilonggo in 2022. I joined the National Unity Party (NUP), and I ran under NUP for my 2025 mayoral candidacy,” said Raisa in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 10.
Jerry and Raisa said that while Ang has denied the allegations, they support ongoing investigations by the Senate and House.
Ilonggos are shocked by the statements of both the former mayor and his daughter. They considered their actions as ''hugas kamay'' (washing the hands), a Tagalog idiomatic phrase on refusing to take responsibility over wrongdoings.
Uswag Ilonggo Secretary General Jeric Jucaban expressed sadness that the party-list is being dragged into the flood control controversy.
Jucaban claimed the party-list was his idea and he broached it to Jerry.
According to Jucaban, Uswag Ilonggo was formed as an alternate plan in case then Senate President Franklin Drilon, a native of Iloilo City, would run as congressman.
The party-list was also meant not to displace incumbent Rep. Julienne “Jam Jam” Baronda as the city only had one congressional district. 
But that did not materialize as Drilon opted to retire from politics and Ang was chosen to run as first nominee of Uswag Ilonggo in the May 2022 elections. 
Ang is the nephew of the owners of International Builders Corp. (IBC), the biggest contractor in Western Visayas.
IBC was the winning contractor that undertook projects facilitated by Drilon during the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
A recent report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) found IBC to be among the Top 10 contractors of the Aquino administration when it was awarded P11.49 billion in contracts by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Before Ang was elected as Uswag Ilonggo congressman in 2022, he was a known IBC representative who dealt with many local officials in Iloilo and the rest of Western Visayas.

Related Tags

Uswag Ilonggo Rep. Jojo Ang Iloilo City Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas Flood control Bribery
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