Bitay supports Marañon;
Alvarez to go for vice guv
BY CARLA GOMEZ

Sagay Mayor Alfredo Marañon Jr., who is running for governor of Negros Occidental under the United Negros Alliance ticket, Saturday announced that Rep. Genaro Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6 th District) will be his runningmate.

Marañon made the announcement before UNA founder business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco, five of six Negros Occidental congressmen, provincial officials led by Gov. Isidro Zayco, and mayors at a gathering at Nature's Village Resort in Talisay City .

Former Negros Occidental Gov. Daniel “Bitay” Lacson Jr., who is not a member of UNA, announced prior to the gathering that he is personally supporting the gubernatorial bid of Marañon.

Why was Rep. Jose Carlos “Kako” Lacson (Neg. Occ., 3 rd District) absent from a United Negros Alliance meeting in Talisay City Saturday?

Is he running for governor under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD ticket? That was the question many were asking.

The DAILY STAR made numerous attempts to reach Lacson but he was not answering his phone.

TALISAY CITY – Business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco, Nationalist People's Coalition founder who has two nephews running for president in 2010 under different political parties, Saturday said one of them does not need the NPC and the other he wishes luck.

But Cojuangco said even if his nephews Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD and Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino of the Liberal Party are running for president, as founder of the NPC, he will support his party.

“The NPC has not put up anybody yet, we will wait. I suppose they will. I am no longer active, it's the younger ones that are deciding for the party,” Cojuangco said.