No early compromise has been reached on the choice of who will run for governor of Negros Occidental under the United Negros Alliance in 2013, and the decision will be made at a crucial meeting of top leaders of the province at the Edsa Shangri-La in Manila at 11 a.m. today.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. has announced that he is seeking re-election, but Alvarez who was his partner in the 2010 polls has said he is the choice of the Nationalist People’s Coalition for the post.

“I am not aware that a compromise has been reached, if there was a compromise there would be no need for the meeting,” the vice governor said.

Kabankalan Mayor Isidro Zayco, Nationalist People Coalition Negros chairman, said expected at the meeting are Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, the six congressmen of Negros Occidental, the governor, vice governor and himself.

Zayco also said he had no idea that any compromise had been reached prior to the meeting.

A DAILY STAR source who asked not to be identified said if only the six congressmen vote for the choice for governor it could come down to a tie, but they are really not certain how Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) will go.

Marañon appears to have the votes of his son Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District), Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) and Rep. Alejandro Mirasol (Neg. Occ., 5th District), the source said.

And it appears that Alvarez has the votes of Rep. Julio Ledesma IV (Neg. Occ., 1st District), his daughter Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. occ., 6th District) and Benitez, the source added.

But no one is really absolutely sure how Benitez, chairman of the Liberal Party in Negros, will go, the source said.

Asked if Cojuangco would could break a tie, the source said he usually acts a moderator at such meetings.

It is also not certain if the losing party in today’s meeting will abide with the decision reached, or go ahead and challenge the “chosen one” in 2013.*CPG

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