By MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City – Mayor Raisa Treñas assured Iloilo City District Engineering Office’s (ICDEO) District Engineer Roy Pacanan that he has nothing to fear from City Hall if his record is clean, as she ordered a review of past persona non grata declarations against him.
“If Engineer Pacanan has done nothing wrong, then he has no reason to be uneasy about coming to City Hall. Public service requires openness and accountability,” Treñas stressed.
The mayor confirmed she has asked for documents to determine who authored the declaration and whether the proper procedures were followed.
“We are reviewing this matter carefully. I want to know exactly how the declaration came about and who authored it. This is about fairness and transparency,” she added.
Her statement came after Pacanan publicly said he was willing to visit City Hall to face city officials and prove that he has nothing to conceal.
Treñas welcomed the gesture but underscored that all issues raised must be addressed through the correct channels.
Pacanan had previously been declared persona non grata twice by the city government — once through an executive order by then Mayor Jerry Treñas, and another through a resolution of the 11th Iloilo City Council. Both were linked to controversies surrounding delayed and problematic infrastructure projects in the city.
Mayor Treñas said the review forms part of her administration’s commitment to accountability while ensuring due process.
“Our people deserve projects that are delivered properly, on time, and without compromise. We will always stand for accountability, but accountability must also be based on due process,” she said.
The city government is expected to issue clarifications once the review is completed.
A fresh strain has emerged between the Iloilo City Council and the ICDEO after Pacanan refused to attend a legislative inquiry into possible links between waterway projects and the city’s recent flooding woes.
Councilors bristled at Pacanan’s absence from Aug. 11’s quad-committee hearing, with threats emerging to deny future project permits and even possibly brand him persona non grata second time — a sanction the city government had slapped on him once before.
“He is one of the most important resource persons in this investigation,” said Councilor Romel Duron, chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Ecology and lead convenor of the inquiry. “If he refuses to face the council and explain, then what are we left with? We cannot just keep extending invitations and get no cooperation. If this continues, there’s a real possibility that, in the coming days, we will move to deny permits for their future works and even declare him persona non grata again.”
The inquiry — jointly conducted by the committees on Environmental Protection and Ecology, Public Works, Public Safety, and Disaster Relief — seeks to determine whether Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) projects in rivers, creeks, and other waterways worsened flooding.
Duron underscored that the council’s mandate is beyond question.
“The authority to call resource persons to legislative inquiries is clear. He should not be questioning our power to do this, especially when it concerns the welfare of the people,” he said. “This is about accountability, not politics.”
Councilor Rex Marcus Sarabia was blunt: “Let’s be clear — he is an appointed official. That doesn’t place him above the law, nor above public accountability. The council represents the people of Iloilo City. Refusing to appear before us is not just defiance toward the council, it is defiance toward the people we serve.”
Pacanan had already set the stage for confrontation in an Aug. 8, 2025 letter, rejecting the council’s jurisdiction and arguing that local legislative bodies lack constitutional authority to conduct investigations in aid of legislation.
He also blasted the resolution convening the hearing, accusing it of prejudging DPWH as responsible for the floods.
The district engineer defended his office’s work, insisting that projects — including those at Buntatala Creek — had nothing to do with recent inundations.
He blamed “decades-old geographic conditions” and “unregulated development” for the problem and accused some councilors and barangay officials of political maneuvering and spreading “factually erroneous” claims. He said the matter had been elevated to the DPWH Central Office.
Despite the snub, the council plans to issue another invitation to ICDEO for a follow-up hearing. But Duron warned the clock is ticking.
“We will give them a chance to appear, but this is not a game. If they think they can keep dodging the council and the public, they are mistaken,” he said. “We have measures, and we will use them if necessary.”/PN
