UNA unification unclear

THE United Negros Alliance may not be fielding a common candidate come May 2013 elections after talks in Manila failed to resolve who among the province's top leaders will be the official candidates.
Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. said Monday he is still waiting for a call for the second round of their meeting that will be held in Metro Manila. But he said that he still do not know who will inform them about the said meeting.

"Everybody is hopeful but somebody is hopeless. We may have some topics to discuss in that meeting," Marañon said.

The governor siad he will convene the United Negros Alliance (UNA) before the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy on October 1.

"UNA, where majority of the members support me, is intact and we will field a complete slate in the province from governor, congressmen, mayors down to the municipal council members in all towns and cities in the province," Marañon declared.
When asked for comment on Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez plan to run for governor, Marañon said, " Very good. As I have said, it will be friendly fight that we will even share and campaign in one stage only."

Marañon said there is no declaration of a "free zone" in the province because UNA will field their full slate in the 2013 elections.

When asked for his running mate, Marañon said that they are still on the selection process.

"He can be from the south, north or anywhere in the province," he said.

Alvarez in a separate interview said UNA's second meeting may no longer be needed if Marañon has already made up his mind to seek reelection .
Alvarez, earlier declared his interest for the gubernatorial post because of the endorsement of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), said," I will be a candidate who will fight and will put up a good fight."

Without saying much, Alvarez added, "We will just see the results during the May 13, 2013 elections," when asked for comment on Marañon's statement that (UNA) under him will put up a complete slate in the province.

Alvarez has already confirmed that NPC is pushing to field former San Carlos City Mayor Eugenio Lacson to be his running mate.

He also bared that former governor Rafael Coscolluela will support him and businessman Monette Lacson.

Mayor Isidro Zayco of Kabankalan City, provincial chair of NPC, on the other hand, said a congressman may call the top officials in a province for the second round of meeting.

He admitted though that if no meeting occurs in September 7 or September 8, then the negotiation for a possible unification of UNA will apparently fail.

He said that he will discuss with the NPC officials and members about their plans for the 2013 elections after Marañon issued a statement that UNA will field a complete slate in the 2013 elections.

However, he said that the scenario is that all Negros congressmen aside from Third District Congressman Albee Benitez are all members of the NPC party, including Marañon himself.