ILOILO City – Social Welfare secretary Erwin Tulfo dared Mayor Jerry Treñas to declare him persona non grata instead of his department’s director in Western Visayas.
Tulfo was responding to Treñas’ statement that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional director could be declared persona non grata for failing to coordinate with the city government for Saturday’s chaotic distribution of financial aid to students.
“Eh kung plano niya pong i-persona non grata ‘yung tao ko po, ‘wag naman po dahil sumusunod lang ang tao sa instruction ko. Please tell Mayor Treñas na si Secretary Tulfo po ang i-persona non grata niya…I will take the bullet because instruction ko po ‘yun,” Tulfo said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Treñas could not be reached for a rejoinder yesterday afternoon.
On Saturday, thousands Iloilo city and province students or their parents or guardians trooped to the Iloilo Sports Complex hoping to avail themselves of the DSWD cash assistance.
“This activity was not well-thought-of. If students get harmed I will be filing criminal and administrative charges against all those responsible for this stupid planning and execution,” Treñas said over the weekend.
During Monday morning’s press conference, the city mayor did not say if he would make good on the persona non grata declaration.
But he clarified that he had nothing against the department’s payout to students in crisis situations.
“Para sa akon ka daku gid ina nga bulig para sa mga kabataan. Ang akon lang concern, tani hatagan man nila dignidad ang mga kabataan. Indi man daw parehas na bala nga ihaboy mo ang kwarta sa babaw tapos ipadaumog mo da sa tanan. Ano dignidad sang kabataan da?” said Treñas.
The mayor also pointed out that he did not know who the regional director of DSWD-6 is now after the previous one was made an assistant secretary of the department last month.
The officer-in-charge of DSWD Region 6 is Delia Bagolgol.
Treñas wondered by DSWD did not want to involve the local government in a massive undertaking that entailed much logistics.
“Waay ko gapangakig. Ngaa mangakig ko? Ila man na ya. Mangkuton ta kamu, ngaa nga kon magdalagan ni sila senador gakadto man na sila sa akon. Gakadto man na sila sa mga LGUs, gapangayo bulig. Gakadto man na sila sa mga kapitan ta, gapakitluoy. Ngaa subong kay may ayuda sila nga ihatag, mahambal sila kapitan to gapili. Ang mayor gapili. Ti ano na man? Ti kun magdalagan sila indi na sila magkadto sa akon eh. Yu*ip*t#,” according to Treñas.
If DSWD does not want to involve LGUs in the activity, he suggested that the department tap the schools./PN
