NEGROS Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., who leads the United Negros Alliance (Unega) and Third District Representative Alfredo Benitez, who heads rival Love Negros, will meet on Friday to talk about the upcoming 2019 national and local elections.
"Maybe we would know major political developments in the province on Saturday after the said meeting of the two political leaders in the province," the source privy to the negotiations told SunStar Bacolod on Wednesday, August 15.
The source however declined to comment on the possible merger of the two major political groups in the province.
Benitez, along with Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, was recently authorized by Love Negros to be their representative in the planned merger.
Reports have it that the Benitez-Marañon possible tandem for the top two highest positions in the province is in the making, with Benitez to run for governor and Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon III, son of the governor, to be his running mate.
Unconfirmed reports also claimed that an alliance between Lacson and former Fourth District representative Jeffrey Ferrer is looming for 2019, with Lacson to run for governor and Ferrer as his running mate.
Ferrer lost to Lacson in the 2016 elections.
Lacson and Ferrer have not confirmed such reports.
Lacson on Wednesday said they will soon decide in Love Negros who will be their standard bearer in the province for 2019 as he has been saying that he is waiting for Benitez's official announcement about his political plans in 2019.
He said that the soonest for them to make the declaration would be in September this year as the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy will be on October this year.