By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson reaffirmed his support for Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, who has filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for representative of the fourth congressional district in the 2025 elections.
Lacson, a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), made this statement when asked by the media after former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional director Lea Delfinado filed her COC for the same position.
Delfinado’s COC was accompanied by her certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) from the NPC.
Ferrer, on the other hand, is affiliated with the National Unity Party and leads the United Negros Alliance (UNegA), a local political group.
Lacson is also part of the Love Negros Team, which formed an alliance with UNegA in 2019.
He emphasized that NPC members who are allied with UNegA are expected to support Ferrer’s congressional bid.
Lacson added that the NPC’s national office “is aware of the local alliance in Negros Occidental since 2019 and supports the alliance’s stance.”
However, he noted that “not all NPC members in the 4th district are part of the alliance, so they will support Ferrer’s opponent.”
Delfinado is challenging Ferrer in the 2025 congressional race and has been officially recognized as the NPC candidate for the 4th district by Liza Cojuangco Cruz, daughter of NPC founder Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, and Claudia Cojuangco, daughter of the late lawmaker Charlie Cojuangco.
Ferrer and Lacson ran together under a coalition in 2019 and 2022, winning the vice gubernatorial and gubernatorial posts in Negros Occidental.
Lacson also expressed surprise at the COC filing of former 6th district Representative Genaro Alvarez Jr., who is running for mayor of Kabankalan City.
Alvarez and former Kabankalan City Mayor Isidro Zayco, both NPC members, are running for mayor of Kabankalan City.
Zayco is the NPC provincial chairman, while Alvarez filed his COC as an independent, resulting in a three-way race with incumbent Mayor Benjie Miranda and four other mayoral aspirants.
Lacson reaffirmed his support for Zayco in the Kabankalan mayoral race, as well as for the re-election bid of 6th district Representative Mercedes Alvarez, also an NPC member, who is being challenged by former Hinoba-an Mayor Ernesto Estrao.
Lacson appeared amused by the filing of COCs by four candidates for the gubernatorial race next year.
He is seeking re-election for a third term as governor.
Lacson’s challengers include former Victorias City Mayor Wantan Palanca, who is running under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, Ferdinand “Bongbong Gorilla” Diego, Jonathan Paul Octaviano, and Ernesto Librando.
Diego is a farmer from Candoni, Octaviano is an architect from Victorias City, and Librando is a businessman from Calatrava.
“The more, the merrier,” Lacson said when asked for his reaction to the gubernatorial race.
He said he was not surprised when Palanca filed his COC on the last day of filing on October 8.
Lacson also found it amusing that he was in Calatrava the day before the filing ended and saw Librando, only to find out that Librando had filed as one of his challengers.
He said he is leaving the decision to the Negrenses, adding, “I have served Negros Occidental well over the past six years.”
