• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More than two months before the campaign period officially begins, Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, a congressional candidate for the Negros Occidental 3rd district, has called on his fellow candidates to take a more responsible approach in campaigning for the May 12 elections.
In a post on his social media account, the mayor said he will not be putting up his own tarps outside of the official campaign period, and even then, only in designated common poster areas. 2.
Benitez further said that he will not be paying for any celebrity or influencer for endorsements, stressing that “our work and plans should speak for themselves.”
He also urged his fellow candidates in Negros Occidental, especially in the 3rd district, to avoid putting tarps on trees.
“Let’s show we care about the environment while we campaign,” the mayor said.
After the 2022 elections, Benitez also said that he will ask a garments company to repurpose his tarps into reusable bags, so they would not go to waste.
These small efforts matter, and I believe we can all do better this time. Let’s campaign responsibly, he also said.
If he wins the elections, Benitez will replace his uncle, former Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, who resigned from his post after being designated as director general of TESDA. That is a post the latter also took over from his elder sibling, Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, the incumbent mayor of highly urbanized Bacolod City, and the father of Javi.
Mayor Albee Benitez is eyeing a return to the House of Representatives, this time as a representative of the Lone District of Bacolod City.*
