Bacolod City – Members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) who are affiliated with Love Negros and United Negros Alliance (UNegA), are expected to support the congressional bid of Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer for the 4th district of Negros Occidental, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson disclosed recently.
Lacson said that the national office of the NPC “knows about the local alliance in Negros Occidental since 2019. They appreciate and support the stand of the alliance.”
“Not all NPC members in the 4th district are members of the alliance so they will support the opponent,” the governor said.
Engr. Lea Delfinado is challenging Ferrer in the 4th district congressional race in the elections next year. She was issued with Certificate of Acceptance and Nomination as the official congressional candidate of NPC in the district, by Liza Cojuangco Cruz, daughter of the late Ambassador Eduardo ‘Danding’ Cojuangco, founder of the NPC, and Claudia Cojuangco, daughter of the late Congressman Charlie Cojuangco.
That prompted Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo and Vice Mayor Ramon Torres to resign from NPC and join the National Unity Party of Ferrer. Both officials have been members of the NPC for more than two decades.
Ferrer, the president of UNegA, and Lacson, who represents Love Negros, ran in tandem under a coalition in 2019 and 2022, as vice governor and governor, respectively, of Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, Lacson, also a member of NPC, admitted that he was surprised by the COC filing of former Representative Genaro Alvarez Jr, as mayor of Kabankalan City.
Alvarez and former Mayor Isidro Zayco are both running for mayor of Kabankalan City. Along with Lacson, they are NPC members.
Zayco is the NPC provincial chairman.
Alvarez, however, filed his COC as an independent candidate, resulting in both of them challenging incumbent Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda.
Lacson said he will be supporting Zayco, the NPC provincial chairman, in the mayoral race, and he also is for the reelection of Rep. Mercedes Alvarez. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star)