THE possibility of a no contest scenario in next year's provincial election is getting stronger. This after leaders of the two major political forces in Negros Occidental had signified no objection to the merger. Not even Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., who heads the United Negros Alliance (Unega), had expressed pessimism over the proposed coalition.
After all, this is not a new idea. During the political lordship of former Ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco in the province, there was only one political organization. They called it UNA, with the same meaning as Unega.
Under UNA, political groups from different towns and cities were organized to form a single slate, with "equity of the incumbent as the supreme rule guiding the formation of the unity ticket.
As both parties, Unega and Love Negros of Third District Congressman Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez, showed interest in the proposal, we can expect an official announcement of the merger sooner than later. Remember, they only have until mid-October or barely four months to concretize it.
Otherwise, both sides will be forced to field their respective candidates for various local positions which entails big campaign expenditures. That's what they want to avoid why unity talks are being pushed.
It's public knowledge that in the 2016 elections, Benitez and former Fourth District Congressman Jeffrey Ferrer bankrolled the local campaigns of Love Negros and Unega bets, respectively. While they have kept mum on how much they had spent, observers estimated it at hundreds of millions of pesos.
So, the coalition is the only means for Ferrer and Benitez to save their resources and limit election spending. If there's a way to arrange local tickets, they will definitely grab the opportunity. It's going to be a great help to both of them, financially speaking.
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While unity is not far-fetched in the province, it is next to impossible in Bacolod City. Not only because archrivals Mayor Evelio "Bing" Leonardia and former Mayor Monico Puentevella have not ceased fighting each other, but also because of the emerging new leaders who want to stop the cycle.
In more than two decades, Leonardia and Puentevella have lorded over local politics and they seem to continue their dominance in future elections.
But the likes of Abang Lingkod party-list Congressman Stephen Paduano and Councilor Ricardo "Cano" Tan might not have liked the idea of the Leonardia-Puentevella leadership.
That's the reason why they have been floating their respective mayoral plans.
But who will really oppose Leonardia? In the case of Puentevella, his return to politics could be much harder this time. Incumbent Congressman Greg Gasataya is said to be ready for the "bigtime" battle against the former mayor.