BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Ten months before the start of the filing of certificates of candidacy in October for the 2022 synchronized elections, the political alignment appears to be shaping up at the provincial level, as Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer announced yesterday that he will support the re-election bid of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
The declaration was made by Ferrer, who ran in tandem with Lacson in the 2019 elections, in the wake of reports that the governor will have an opponent in next year’s election.
If ever someone will run against Lacson, Ferrer stressed that he or she “will not come from the United Negros Alliance.”
When asked for his reaction on Monday, Lacson said he cannot choose his opponent, adding that anybody has the right to run for an elective position.
Ferrer said that UNegA, of which he is the president, will support Lacson. “I will continue to support the leadership of the governor, and will run as his vice governor in 2022,” he added.
Lacson recently administered the oath-taking of newly-elected UNegA leaders, now headed by Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon III.
Board Member Andrew Montelibano, on the other hand, debunked reports that he is considering running for mayor of Murcia.
Montelibano, who served as Murcia mayor for nine years, said he is happy serving the province.
But he also stressed that he cannot stop anybody who will challenge the incumbent mayor, Gerry Rojas, who had served as vice mayor of Murcia when Montelibano was the chief executive. Once there is a clamor, it is high time for the administration to step back, one step behind, to see what is going on, Montelibano added.*
