The six congressmen of Negros Occidental are set to meet in Manila on August 29 to decide whom the United Negros Alliance will field for governor in 2013, party sources said yesterday.

Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, founder of UNA, is also expected at the meeting.

The STAR sources said they could not confirm if Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr. will be at the meeting.

Fears have been raised about a party split with Marañon having announced that he will seek reelection, and Alvarez saying he is the choice of the Nationalist People’s Coalition for governor.

The party sources also, said they were not aware of talk that if Marañon and Alvarez fail to reach a consensus on which of them will run for the top post of Negros Occidental, UNA could field a person other than them as its gubernatorial bet.

Meanwhile, Kabankalan City Mayor Isidro Zayco yesterday said UNA will choose only one gubernatorial bet for 2013.

Zayco, who admitted that he was designated incoming NPC provincial chairman, said they will try their best to prevent the break-up of UNA, which is a coalition of Negros Occidental officials who are members of various national political parties.

“Everybody is praying that UNA will remain solid,” said Zayco, who participated the meeting of members of the Provincial Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center in Kabankalan City, which was presided over by Col. Oscar Lactao, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, in Kabankalan City.

Zayco, who took his oath as a new NPC member in Metro Manila last month, with three other Negros Occidental mayors, said he is expecting his appointment as the new NPC provincial chairman to be signed and issued within a week.*CPG/ GPB

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