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ILOILO CITY — Mayor Jerry Treñas accused Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda of violating their unity pact after her party, Team Sulong Gugma, allegedly endorsed a rival mayoral candidate for the 2025 elections.
Treñas, in a statement on Monday, April 14, alleged that Baronda's camp has been endorsing businessman Roland Magahin — who is running against Treñas' daughter, Raisa Treñas-Chu.
"I have personally seen tarpaulins confirming this, and aside from these materials, Mr. Magahin was also seen and heard being interviewed by partymates of Team Sulong Gugma," Treñas said in a statement on Monday, April 14.
Treñas' camp, Team Uswag, claimed Magahin was seen appearing in campaign materials linked to Team Sulong Gugma.
Digital posters and social media posts also showed Magahin flashing the signature finger heart gesture of Baronda's team, which were also among the proof of endorsement cited by Trenas' camp.
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"This is a blatant violation of the agreement we made, an agreement reached together with Speaker Martin Romualdez and our higher authorities in the national leadership," he added.
The mayor said he will file a formal complaint with Romualdez after the elections.
In September 2024, Raisa confirmed that confidential meetings were arranged by Romualdez between the two camps ahead of the filing of certificates of candidacy in October.
Romualdez, acting as a broker between the rival parties, reportedly convened the meetings to support a broader national strategy for alliance-building.
On Oct. 8, 2024, during the last day of the filing, the two parties issued a joint statement declaring that they "have decided to come together once again for the greater good of our beloved city."
They then agreed to leave the mayoralty and congressional posts uncontested.
"Our differences are small in comparison to the shared vision we have for our city's future. We believe that through unity, we can lead this city to greater heights and ensure a better tomorrow for all," the statement read.
Denials from both camps
Magahin, in an interview with RMN Iloilo on Monday, denied receiving any endorsement from Team Sulong Gugma or Baronda.
Despite this, Magahin declared his support for the slate of Baronda, citing his freedom as an independent candidate.
Magahin further revealed that Treñas' camp allegedly approached him four times to convince him to withdraw from the race — an offer he said he rejected.
Treñas, however, dismissed the claim, saying they never made such an offer.
Meanwhile, lawyer John Mallare, Team Sulong Gugma's official spokesman, slammed the city mayor's accusations, saying, "Sowing a lie during Holy Week is beyond saddening."
Mallare stressed that Magahin's denial of an endorsement stands as a clear and undeniable refutation of the "baseless accusations and outright lies being spread by the other party."
He described Treñas' accusations as a "continuing political spectacle based on deception."
