Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he is not endorsing any candidate for councilor during the Team Asenso convention on Sunday, September 15.
Six candidates are vying for two slots in the Asenso Bacolod councilors slate for the 2025 polls.
About 27,208 Asenso Bacolod leaders will vote for the two in the party convention to be held simultaneously in the 61 baragays of Bacolod.
“The decision to choose the right candidate to join the line up of Asenso Bacolod, I leave to the wisdom of our Asenso leaders and I trust their decision to choose candidates who they believe will help bring about continuous change for the welfare of Bacolod,” Benitez said on Thursday, Sept. 12.
He also said to ensure the integrity of the results of the Asenso Convention he will strictly enforce the rule of neutrality among all barangays captains.
Failure to comply with this policy will result in the nullification of the results of that barangay, if it is proven that the barangay captain was biased or did something wrong, he added.
Included in the official list of candidates for the two slots are former Bacolod councilor Homer Bais, Vista Alegre Barangay Captain Jose Maria Leandro Norberto De Leon, Brgy 26 Captain Jhun Marby Orola, Brgy 40 Captain Elmer Villanueva, Brgy 36 Captain Teodoro Yulo and businessman Rico Ferdinand Villafuerte who ran as independent in the past.
There are twelve city council seats and councilors Cindy Rojas and Renecito Novero are on their third and last terms, leaving two vacancies to be filled.
The ten other councilors who are running for reelection under the Asenso Bacolod ticket are Jude Thaddeus Sayson, Israel Salanga, Em Ang, Al Victor Espino, Vladimir Gonzalez, Jason Villarosa, Claudio Jesus Puentevella, Simplicia Z. Distrito, Celia Flor and Psyche Marie Sy.*