Closure order on funeral home stays-Treņas
Iloilo City -- City Mayor Jerry Treņas admitted he has given the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes Inc. (GAFHI) a go signal to open purposely for the wake of former Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. treasurer Ric Padios.
Treņas's statement Monday confirmed earlier reports that it was him who gave the go signal for the reopening of the padlocked funeral parlor. However, he was quick to clarify that GAFHI was only opened to render services for the wake of Padios and the closure order has not been lifted.
The mayor who arrived last Sunday from his official trip to Europe did not elaborate more on the case of the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes Inc.
Last month, the Alta Tierra Homeowners Inc. contested the reopening of the funeral parlor by filing a complaint with the City Legal Office. The residents claimed the funeral parlor continued operations even after Padios was laid to rest.
Florencio Yap, president of the homeowners association, cited the Supreme Court final decision on G.R. No. 157118 (The Iloilo City Zoning of Adjustment Appeals, et.al. vs. Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes Inc. dated December 8, 2003) which became the basis for the issuance of Executive Order No. 08, Series of 2004 by Mayor Treņas ordering the closure of the Gegato-Abecia Funeral Homes Inc.
The order was served on March 9, 2004 by City Legal Officer Edgar Gil. Earlier, Gil said he will conduct a probe on the reopening of the funeral parlor as he could not ascertain the report that it was the chief executive who approved it.