BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Eighty five percent of local officials and solons in Negros Occidental are supporting the tandem of presidential bet Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, according to Vice-Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer.
The Marcos-Sara Uniteam will kick off their campaign for the May 2022 national elections at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan today.
Ferrer, who is attending the BBM-Sara tandem proclamation rally, claimed earlier that 25 of 31 mayors in Negros Occidental, excluding Bacolod City, had committed to back the BBM-Sara tandem during the visit of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio in the province in December last year.
Former Representative-turned Bacolod City mayoral aspirant Alfredo Benitez yesterday confirmed that he is supporting the BBM-Sara tandem. Twenty-two others also reported to have signed a manifesto supporting Marcos and Duterte-Carpio.
“My personal choice is mine alone. I have never and will never impose upon my local party mates and on others as well,” Benitez stressed.
At the start, we have always agreed that we will not support one common national candidate, he explained.
Each is free to support his/her national candidate because we respect each other’s choices, Benitez further stressed.
“I and my team ASENSO remain committed to effecting a vision of CHANGE for A Better Bacolod,” he said.
Benitez is the son of the late Jolly Benitez, who served as the deputy minister of Human Settlement under the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, while the wife of Ferrer, Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer, is the granddaughter of the late former Ambassador Roberto Benedicto, a known crony of the dictator.
More than a month after their declaration of support to the BBM-Sara tandem, Ferrer said the number of tandem supporters has increased, citing also the support of solons from the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th districts of the Negros Occidental.
He also said negotiations is now underway to get the support of the 1st district of Negros Occidental, while the 2nd district has yet to declare support for the BBM-Sara tandem.
Incumbent Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Rep. Gerardo Valmayor (1st district, Negros Occ), Rep. Genaro Alvarez (6th district, Negros Occ) and Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya are affiliated with the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
But Ferrer said that he and Gov. Lacson agreed to respect the decisions of the mayors in terms of their choices for the national candidates.
He also claimed that Rep. Gasataya will likely to support the BBM-Sara tandem. But he added that they will wait for his official declaration.
While all the presidential candidates are good, Ferrer however said that one of them is better, apparently referring to Marcos Jr.
Ferrer also admitted that he was being lashed out in the social media for his support to the tandem.
While he respects them, the vice governor called on his detractors to respect also his decision.
Asked on his reaction on vote of then Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon to disqualify Marcos, Ferrer said he believes that it will not have any effect on the candidacy of Marcos.
While he respects the pronouncement of Guanzon, Ferrer said he believes that it will be the people who will decide.
He expects the arrival of BBM-Sara Unity Team in the province by the third week of this month.*
