• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez clarified Thursday night that no decision has been made on whether he will seek the gubernatorial post in the 2028 elections.
Benitez said that discussions among leaders of the province’s political coalition are still ongoing.
He said that he remains open to sitting down with Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and other coalition leaders to chart the political direction of the group ahead of the 2028 national and local polls.
The United Negros Alliance (UNEGA) and Love Negros have maintained a coalition for nearly nine years.
Lacson, now serving his third and final term as governor, has been pushing for the coalition to field a single ticket for governor and vice governor in 2028.
Benitez’s name has been floated as a possible candidate for governor, along with Second District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, as talks continue over who may succeed Lacson.
While acknowledging that the coalition’s decision would carry significant weight, Benitez stressed that his final political choice would ultimately remain his own.
“At the end of the day, all my decisions are mine,” he said.
He also said that the people of Negros Occidental would ultimately decide who would become the province’s next governor.
For now, however, Benitez said he is not yet thinking about a gubernatorial bid and remains focused on his current mandate as congressman.
“Let’s focus on work first,” he told members of the local media.
Benitez said that public service should not merely be measured by the number of months or years an official has spent in office, but by what they are able to accomplish and deliver in fulfillment of their commitments to the people.
Marañon, UNEGA chairman, is the son of the late Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., while Benitez is the son of Deputy Speaker Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, a key figure in the Love Negros political group.
As speculation over the 2028 gubernatorial race continues, Benitez said his priority remains clear: to focus on his work and public service. | GPB
