By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said his former election rival and ex-city mayor, Jose “Joe” Espinosa III, has expressed his commitment to support the election plans of his children in the 2025 midterm elections.
According to the mayor, he met with his brother-in-law Espinosa at a birthday party and asked him to “help the nephews,” to which Espinosa agreed.
Treñas’s daughter and executive assistant, Raisa Treñas-Chu, will run for Congress in the midterm elections, while his son, Miguel Treñas, will seek reelection to the City Council.
Espinosa and Treñas’ children were seen together at a local coffee shop earlier this July. Treñas, reacting to the photos circulating online, said he was surprised but acknowledged that his children are close to the former mayor.
Following this incident Treñas said he is willing to mend ties with Espinosa, saying “it is about time to bury the hatchet after so many years.
Meanwhile, the city mayor said his recent interaction with Espinosa was a good one, as they discussed various topics.
While Espinosa verbally committed to supporting Treñas children, the city mayor mentioned that his brother-in-law has “vouched” for any of his plans in the upcoming elections but there was no discussion of supporting him.
Treñas, who is currently in his second term as city mayor, has not yet disclosed his plans for the midterm elections.
The most public statement he has made so far was during a June press conference, where he said he was “very tempted” to return to his former position as the city’s lone district representative in the House of Representatives.
When asked about circulating rumors that Espinosa might run against Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, the city mayor said Espinosa did not mention anything about it during their meeting.
“I haven’t heard any information that he will run in the midterm elections but of course, the option to run is always available to anyone,” he said.
“I am not really sure if he will run in this election but then again the decision is still up to him. It is a decision that he is going to make for himself,” he furthered.
