BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson declared his intention yesterday to seek re-election in the synchronized national and local elections next year.
Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer had earlier said he will also seek re-election, in tandem with Lacson.
The Lacson-Ferrer tandem during the 2019 elections was a result of the Love Negros–United Negros Alliance (UNegA) coalition in the provincial level.
UNegA secretary general Salvador Escalante, who is the mayor of Cadiz City, said Tuesday that 13 mayors of Negros Occidental are members of UNegA, with Himamaylan City Mayor Raymund Tongson added to the list.
The remaining 18 mayors, excluding Bacolod City, are members of Love Negros.
Lacson said “it does not really matter now because we have a coalition. The challenge is to get the coalition together and continued to work.”
Escalante agreed to the assessment of Lacson that the coalition is still holding.
Lacson, who earlier administered the oath-taking of newly-elected UNegA officials, now headed by Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon III, said they are aiming to extend the coalition from the provincial level down to local government units.
Escalante earlier said that Marañon is making a comeback as representative of the 2nd district of Negros Occidental, since incumbent Rep. Leo Rafael Cueva is about to end his term.
There were unconfirmed reports that Vice Mayor Narwin Javelosa, who is also about to end his term, is eyeing the Sagay mayorship, with Cueva also seeking the same position, Escalante said. The three are all UNegA members.*
