The Liberal Party in Bacolod City presented yesterday its slate for councilors composed of four incumbents, two former councilors and five new candidates.

LP-Bacolod district chairman emeritus Andres Hagad yesterday said they have decided to field only councilors. They also prefer that the mayor and vice mayor will not come from their party so there will be no collusion between the two branches of government, he said.

The LP-Bacolod line-up is composed of Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, El Cid Familiaran, Elmer Sy and Archie Baribar, who was not present, former councilors Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and Ana Marie Palermo, businessmen Frank Carbon, Tony Wong, mediaman Ray Carmona, Hagad, and Edwin Balajadia of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement-Negros.

Hagad said they have decided to put up a very strong slate to ensure that majority of them will win, as suggested by Familiaran. If that happens, there will be check and balance between the executive and legislative departments, regardless of who will sit as mayor, he said.

What is important is that if they win after the elections, they will regroup and work as one, Hagad said.

He said most of them will be joining forces with mayoralty candidate Monico Puentevella except for the group of Familiaran who may be supporting other candidates for mayor. They have no problem with that since Bacolod was declared a free zone, he added.

They will have two independent groups that will be campaigning simultaneously although they have an agreement with Puentevella that they will keep their separate identity as LP, Hagad said.

Familiaran said he, together with Baribar, Sy and Verdeflor will be running as independent candidates under former Vice Mayor Renecito Novero who is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition.

Baribar said he has not yet decided whether to run for vice mayor or councilor. If he decides to run for vice mayor, he will be running as an independent candidate, he said.

Meanwhile, Carbon, LP city chairman, said the business sector believes it is high time that they have a voice in the City Council, when asked for his decision to join politics.

They were inspired by the Mayor of Dumaguete City who is the president of Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said, adding that they want to bring in businesses and create jobs in Bacolod.

Batapa-Sigue, chairman of the National Information Communication and Technology Confederation, said she has presented to Puentevella the programs she had not finished when her term ended, which she hopes will help promote more jobs and investments for Bacolod, she said.

Palermo said she continued to work as an advocate and volunteer for the less privileged members of society and this sector had prodded her to return to politics so she could continue her advocacies at the SP to help uplift the lives of the people.

Balajadia said that as an advocate for good government and environmental protection, he hopes to craft ordinances and programs for an effective management of the city’s coastal resources and the community and to help the fishermen, farm workers and other marginal sectors.

Carmona said P-Noy’s slogan “Walang mahirap kung walang corrupt” and “Ang matuwid na daan” has motivated him to take his oath before the President when he visited Talisay and to run under his slate. If elected, he will give priority to education and will push for the improvement of the Bacolod City College, he said.

He will also advocate good governance, transparency and accountability in governance, he added.*CGS

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