‘Keep his word’

City Mayor speaks on governor’s recent 

re-election declaration 

and on city’s political climate

Despite Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr.'s July 9 declaration, City Mayor Gerardo Valmayor, Jr. is still expecting him to keep his word.

"In this office, he said he will only serve one term." Valmayor's vague statement can be interpreted that he refuses to give his support to Marañon yet who has declared that he is running for re-election next year.

Last July 9, Monday, 18 of the 31 mayors of Negros Occidental went to the governor's office to persuade him to run for re-election come 2013. The governor was more than willing to comply. Quoted by the Visayan Daily Star, Marañon said that "Since the mayors want me to run, I have decided to run… With their support, how can I say no?"

Valmayor, who was not in that meeting just like Calatrava Mayor Aracelli Somosa and Escalante City Mayor Melecio Yap, insisted that the United Negros Alliance (UNA) has a standard procedure that has to be followed in choosing the gubernatorial candidate.

"Most mayors in the First District have given an endorsement to our Congressman [Julio Ledesma IV]. In UNA, normally the congressmen are asked as a group by the NPC (Nationalist People's Coalition) on the choice for governor. We're waiting for that meeting." Valmayor calmly explained.

He added that the June meeting was postponed and the group has not yet decided.

Although, the mayor did not clearly say that he is supporting Vice-Governor Genaro Alvarez, Jr. for governor, he recalled that last June, when Marañon was here for the Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP) regional camp, he clearly said that his capitol stint is only for a term.

The mayor said that he does not have any idea why the governor has recently changed his "heart." But Valmayor is sure, as Marañon was quoted in the Daily Star, that there will be a consultation with former Ambassador Eduardo Cojuanco, founder of UNA.

Yap, reportedly told Bacolod reporters that Ledesma prefers Alvarez over the governor.

Silent and still

Talking about the city's political climate, the mayor admitted that, "It is very silent in San Carlos." He added that although there are already speculations on the two would-be vacant council posts, he and party mates have not committed yet. 

Refusing to name names, he said that there are at least eight interested parties, three of them are doctors, one is an engineer, and four come from different fields.

The administration block is precisely looking for a doctor to take the post of SP Member Filped Maisog, who has left for the United States, and an engineer to replace the graduating SP Member Greg Santillan.

There's gap

On the case of Board Member Rene Gustilo's marred relationship with the governor, the mayor confirmed that there is gap between the two. However, Valmayor said he doesn't know why. He concluded that should there be another gubernatorial candidate, Gustilo might explore the option of running under that banner.