ILOILO CITY – Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace Baronda gave Mayor Raisa Treñas a performance rating of eight out of ten following the latter’s first State of the City Address (SOCA), commending her early gains but pressing for bolder measures on tax relief and traffic congestion, two issues that continue to hound local residents and businesses.
“I gave her an eight because I was hoping that the mayor would consider the appeal of the business sector to increase the discount granted for real property tax payments,” Baronda said, referring to calls from business groups for a higher discount on real property tax (RPT) payments.
While Treñas, in her SOCA, thanked the City Council for approving her request to extend the 40 percent RPT discount until 2028, Baronda said more could be done to ease the tax burden, which has long been a source of concern among property owners.
She also lamented the absence of clear solutions to Iloilo City’s worsening traffic situation, noting that while the mayor cited a partnership with the Swedish government for a Metro Iloilo Integrated Public Transport System feasibility study, the public is still waiting for concrete results.
“I join Mayor Raisa Treñas in her call for good governance. From the very beginning, I have been advocating for good governance and I support the mayor’s programs that promote it. But good governance must be for all Ilonggos. If it is only for a select few, then it is just a political slogan. If we do not listen to the people and their needs, it becomes a phrase that only serves selfish interests,” Baronda said.
The vice mayor then outlined key questions that, she said, the city government must confront:
* What concrete solutions can the city offer to ease the burden of high RPT rates, since the 40% discount may not be enough?
* What are the plans to improve traffic enforcement, which has been worsening?
* Why has City Hall not approved the staff appointments of her and Councilor Sheen Mabilog under CESPEDIC, when good governance should ensure that even opposition councilors have staff to perform their duties?
* Will the city investigate all questionable projects, including those implemented by the city itself, and hold corrupt officials accountable — not just those involved in nationally funded ones?
Baronda stressed that her support for Treñas remains firm as long as the mayor’s initiatives genuinely benefit ordinary Ilonggos. “That is not even a question,” she said. “If it is for the betterment of the daily lives of ordinary Ilonggos, then Mayor Raisa and I are together in that goal. If good governance is truly her mission, then we share the same mission. But good governance cannot be selective. If it is selective, it’s not governance at all — it’s just politics.”
Despite her critiques, Baronda congratulated the mayor and expressed optimism that Treñas would sustain the city’s development agenda./PN
