• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
With the recent conclusion of the May 12 polls, politics in 2028 is already being discussed by politicians.
With his term is set to expire in three years, reelected Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the continued unity between Love Negros and United Negros Alliance (UNegA) will be part of the legacy he leaves behind.
“I don’t want this local alliance to just be for me. It’s an alliance we should keep for future administrations,” Lacson said.
UNegA secretary general Salvador Escalante Jr. said such a legacy was also handed down to Governor Lacson by his predecessor, the late Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr.
Escalante said, Negros Occidental is now enjoying a governorship without infighting because of that coalition, or merger, of the two big political parties in Negros Occidental.
“For the past six years there’s been really absolute cooperation between both groups,” Lacson said.
For his part, Lacson said he received full cooperation from local chief executives, “regardless of which group they belong.”
As for Negros Occidental 3rd district Congressman-elect Javier Miguel Benitez, he yesterday said that he is focusing on the work ahead.
He is the son of Bacolod Congressman-elect Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who is among the key leaders of Love Negros, which was formed during his term as congressman of the 3rd district.
“Right after 2025, others are already thinking about 2028. As for us? We’re focused on the work ahead,” the younger Benitez said.
The alliance between erstwhile political rivals started in 2019, when Lacson of Love Negros ran for governor in tandem with Congressman-elect Jeffrey Ferrer, who is the UNEGA president, as his vice governor.
Lacson had defeated Ferrer in the Negros Occidental vice gubernatorial race during the 2016 elections.
With the statement of Governor Lacson that he wants the alliance to continue in the future, Escalante said there are initial talks being floated among UNegA members, on “who’s next, and what will happen to 2028.”
He recalled that there was agreement between the two political groups that Love Negros will take care of Negros Occidental for nine years, and after, UNegA will field its own.
Escalante said they are eyeing two UNegA stalwarts, including its president, Jeffrey Ferrer, and party chairman Rep. Alfredo Marañon III.
The results of the May 12 elections in Negros Occidental indicate that there will be 14 UNegA-affiliated mayors and 13 mayors who are members of Love Negros, while the rest are not affiliated with either of the two political groups.
Congressman-elect Javi Benitez claims he never planned to be a mayor of Victorias, and never planned to run for Congressman of the 3rd District. But when people come together with one voice, leadership becomes a duty, not a personal ambition, he said.
Now it’s time to prove that we deserve the mandate we’ve been given, especially those who ran unopposed. Leadership isn’t about position, it’s about performance, the elected congressman said.
We face real and urgent challenges, such as farmers struggling with unstable prices, students needing better access to education, and families still waiting for quality healthcare. And the Negros Island Region is still a vision we must bring to life, he further said.
“2028 can wait. The people can’t,” Benitez pointed out.*
