Mayor Raisa Trenas-Chu of Iloilo City, Philippines, is the first elected woman mayor of the city. At the beginning of her administration, end of June 2025, Mayor Raisa mentioned her promise to improve public health, education, and social services. Looking at her contributions back before she was announced city leader, people hope that her administration will set the standard of paths a city leader should create before going to the top position.
Prior to winning, Raisa had carved her path in public service. She started by volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic and led the Uswag Community Kitchen, a project that provided meals to communities affected by the global health crisis. Raisa led and mobilised more than 200 Uswag Community Kitchens and Uswag Kitchen Patrol to serve meals to thousands of Ilonggo families every day.
Raisa also introduced the RISE-A-FARM (Resilient, Integrated, Sustainable Environment) programme to combat hunger and promote agricultural development in the city. “Rise-A-Farm has helped a lot. … Our harvest will be available for our community at a low price,” farmer Richard Marciano said in Hiligaynon.
Raisa also took pride in her significant contributions to the national and international recognitions of Iloilo City, such as being designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy; Galing Pook Award for I-Bike Lane; two-time Galing Pook finalist for the Iloilo City Sports Academy, as well as other Galing Pook-Walang Gutom Award 2024 finalist for the Rise-A-Farm anti-hunger initiatives.
“Beyond the pride and honour of receiving these recognitions, we always focus on the underlying purpose of our programmes and projects. Our goal is to uplift the lives of our people and drive the development of our city,” Raisa emphasised. Mayor Raisa has shown her dedication to public services even before her leadership role. She has created a foundation that all Ilonggo people can rely on for the betterment of Ilonggo City.
Sources:
https://tribune.net.ph/2025/01/08/raisa-tre%C3%B1as-on-establishing-her-brand-of-public-service
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/iloilo/raisa-tre%C3%B1as-chu-sworn-in-as-iloilo-citys-first-woman-mayor
https://www.panaynews.net/strong-start-clear-vision-trenas-opens-term-with-action-and-commitment-to-inclusive-leadership/
Photos:
Wikipedia
https://aksyonradyoiloilo.com.ph/2024/04/02/breaking-raisa-trenas-chu-nagsumpa-bilang-miyembro-sang-partido-federal-ng-pilipinas-iloilo-gov-defensor-jr/#google_vignette
