• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The United Negros Alliance (UNeGA) is expected to announce soon its official line-up of candidates for various elected positions in Negros Occidental for the May 2025 midterm elections.
Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, who is the UNegA president, said on Monday (Aug. 12) that they will hold a general assembly next week.
Negros Occidental Second District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III serves as the UNegA chairman, with Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. as the secretary- general.
Ferrer said that they will officially announce and present their candidates for the vice gubernatorial position down to the mayor and vice mayoralty posts.
Except for the second and fourth congressional districts, the UNegA has no candidates in the rest of the six districts.
The party “will not interfere in some other districts,” Ferrer said.
Earlier, Ferrer announced his intention to run for the fourth district congressional post since the district’s incumbent Board Member Jose Benito Alonso will be fielded to the vice gubernatorial race as revealed earlier by Abang Lingkod partylist Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano.
UNegA has coalesced with Love Negros headed by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson since 2019.
Alonso is expected to be the running mate of Lacson, who also announced his plans to seek reelection for a third and last term.
During the general assembly, Ferrer said that they will try to resolve the case of Moises Padilla, where both UNegA members, incumbent Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia Yulo and Vice Mayor Ian Villaflor are expected to run against each other in the mayoralty race.
Asked if they will support former mayor Isidro Zayco should he decide to run as mayor of Kabankalan City under the UNegA and Love Negros coalition, Ferrer said that he cannot comment on it yet.
There are reports that Sixth District Board Member Valentino Miguel Alonso, also a member of UNegA, may run for mayor of Kabankalan City against the incumbent Mayor Benjie Miranda. | GB
