• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez yesterday clarified that contrary to claims, he is not endorsing anyone for councilor, with the Asenso Bacolod convention coming up on September 15, in Bacolod City.
The six applicants vying for two available seats as candidates for councilor in the 2025 polls, as part of the Asenso Bacolod party of Benitez are former Councilor Homer Bais, Jose Ma. Leandro Norberto de Leon, Rico Ferdinand Villafuerte, Elmer Villanueva, and Teodoro Yulo.
I am leaving it to the leaders of the party to choose who they will choose to carry on with our advocacy and progress of Bacolod, Benitez said.
During the Asenso Bacolod convention, the incumbent councilors who will seek reelection, and the aspirants for the city council aspirants under Asenso Bacolod, are expected to be revealed.
Benitez earlier said that the top three elected positions for Bacolod, including congressman, mayor, and vice mayor, will soon be announced.
Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, regional director of the Commission on Elections in Negros Island Region, yesterday said that the filing of certificate of candidacy for the 2025 midterm elections will push through, from October 1 to 8.
The Comelec had earlier said that the 1st Parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will proceed as scheduled on May 12, 2025, but the filing of certificates of candidacy for representatives of parliamentary districts will no longer be on October 1 to 8, but November 4 to 9, following the decision of the Supreme Court declaring the province of Sulu as not part of the BARMM.
On the other hand, Comelec chairman George Garcia is arriving on September 14 in Negros Occidental, to attend the Voters Education and Registration Fair, to be held at the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City.
Castillano said that there will also be a demonstration of the new automated vote counting machines that will be used during the 2025 midterm elections.*