• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Board Member Andrew Montelibano has expressed hope that Love Negros and United Negros Alliance (UNEGA) can remain united heading into the 2028 elections.
In an interview on Wednesday, Aug. 26, Montelibano said that he wants to avoid a political clash among leaders who have maintained close personal relationships.
A member of Love Negros, he remains hopeful that the two political groups can preserve the good relationship they have built over the years and work toward a unified slate.
His statement comes amid the emergence of the names of Second District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, the chairman of UNEGA, and Third District Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez as the possible contenders for the gubernatorial post.
Montelibano said he would prefer that Marañon and Benitez continue working together in public service rather than become involved in a political contest against each other.
“I am hoping the clash will not push through since they are all my friends,” Montelibano, who is now in his last term as provincial board member, added.
The UNEGA-Love Negros coalition started in 2019 through the efforts of the late Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr. and now Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
They fielded then vice governor Eugenio Jose Lacson as governor and former congressman Jeffrey Ferrer as vice governor, a tandem that was carried on during the 2022 elections.
Lacson ran for his third and final term still under a unified slate in 2025 while Ferrer made a comeback as congressman of the Fourth District.
Montelibano said divisions can be painful, especially when political disagreements affect relationships among relatives and longtime friends.
“I hope it will not happen now,” he added. “At the end of the day, we will all be together after the elections”.
Montelibano said he believes that maintaining unity between the two political groups would be favorable for Negros Occidental and could help sustain the cooperation that has characterized their alliance. | GPB
