I have to admit, I wasn’t big on Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas before. Don’t get me wrong, as a high school kid from UP High in the mid-2000’s, I was a fan of his, but as I grew older, politics have left me jaded. This led me to view 90% of politicians as “ trapo” — the Filipino slang for “traditional politician” where their end goal is to stay in office — which is the motivation for their ass kissing to their constituents.
And indeed, when elections came, Mayor Trenas was not immune from the usual campaign strategies where one suddenly becomes your best friend in order for them to gain our votes. I understand it is a necessary evil if you engage in the game of thrones (hehehe just had to make that reference), but it didn’t help ease my jaded views.
However, Mayor Trenas did alter my view of him when the coronapocalypse began. In a world where it is hard to “disappear” thanks to the power of the internet (everything is visible to the public eye — everything!!!) but plenty of mayors and local politicians have left their constituents wondering where the heck they are. Not Iloilo City’s mayor.
He was visible everywhere — on press conferences for traditional media (TV, radio, print) and on social media. You can see Mayor Trenas was doing everything he can to fulfill his duties as leader of the city that elected him, whether it be looking for donations to help health workers, or working on ways to feed per-day earners who are stuck in quarantine. He would often be seen looking haggard, which would imply he was hard at work prior to making a public appearance on TV and on his social media pages.
The cynic (it me, I’m the cynic) would say that this would all be for show, but the public applauding him on every medium would lead me to believe his actions are legitimately out of concern for his people. Besides, we need a little hope during these dark times, and the good Mayor’s actions have been a beacon of hope. Let’s not disregard that.
patrickkennan.com 