• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Incumbent Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and four others are vying for the gubernatorial position, while Rep. Alfredo Marañon III is unopposed in the second district of Negros Occidental, based on the records of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office.
The four challengers of Lacson are Ferdenand Diego, Toto Librando, Paul Octaviano, and Francis Frederick Palanca, former mayor of Victorias City, who is running under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino.
Fourth district Board Member Jose Benito Alonso, who is running for vice governor with Lacson, will be challenged by Rosemarie Dreyfus, who affiliates with the Partido Lakas ng Masa.
Vying for the first district congressional post are Julio Ledesma IV and Erie Mahinay; third district, Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez and Joel Bantigue; fourth district, Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer and Lea Delfinado; fifth district, reelectionist Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo III and Board Member Anton Occeño; and sixth district, reelectionist Rep. Mercedes Alvarez and former Hinobaan Mayor Ernesto Estrao.
Those unopposed, aside from Marañon, are board member aspirants, Don Salvador Benedicto Mayor Laurence Marxlen dela Cruz and reelectionist Board Member Araceli Somosa, first district; reelectionist Board Member Sixto Pal Guanzon and Sagay City Councilor Arthur Christopher Marañon, second district.
Each district is being allocated with two board members.
The board member aspirants in the third district are lawmaker Hope Marey Depasucat, Talisay City Councilor Rolin Meliton, Tukoy Occida, and reelectionist Board Member Andrew Montelibano.
In the fourth district, the board member aspirants are Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo, Leo Carlo Delfinado, Paula Alonso and Angelo Quitco, while in the fifth district, reelectionist Board Member Rita Gatuslao, Hope Maravilla Belarga, Kareem Feria, Patrick Montilla, Jun Jun Tongson and Hadji Trujillo.
Aside from reelectionist Jeffrey Tubola, the three other board member aspirants in the sixth district are Ralph Alvarez, Michael Legaspi, Chad Zayco and Raymund Decena Agbay.
The mayoral and vice mayoral candidates, who filed their candidacies on Oct. 8, were Matthew Louis Malacon and his father, incumbent Mayor Marvin Malacon of E.B. Magalona as well as Samuel Siote and Gab Villacin in Talisay City,
Isabela Mayor Irene Montilla and her son, Vice Mayor Juan Miguel Montilla, switched positions.
Juan Miguel filed his COC for mayor while his mother, for vice mayor.
Juan Miguel will be challenged by Migs Yulo, son of Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo, with former vice mayor JR Malabor as his running mate.
Former Vice Gov. Genaro Alvarez joined the mayoral race in Kabankalan City after filing his COC also on Tuesday.
Councilor Anejo Nicor filed his candidacy for mayor of La Castellana, with his sister, incumbent Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan as his running mate.
It will be again a rematch for incumbent Mayor Jilson Tubillara and Napoleon Delfinado in San Enrique.
In the 2022 elections, Tubillara defeated Delfinado by 10 votes. | GB
