BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – As the political waters here get murkier by the day ahead of the official campaign period for the 2025 polls, sitting Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez has issued a call for clarity and for his political allies to gather behind his official slate for next year’s May midterm polls.
As Interet trolls raise issues of ill-gotten wealth to personal ones on his pick for the mayoral seat, Cong. Greg Gasataya, Benitez affirmed his choices and even called his close ally worthy of trust for waiting for him to make a decision.
Today, a longer copy of the video of his Boracay speech to village leaders here showed some interesting points Benitez raised over the five options he picked from.
“There were those who said they will wait for my decision but when I decided, they have already committed so where is that supposed waiting?” Benitez said before a crowd of youth and village officials whom he flew to popular vacation spot Boracay at his own expense.
While he did not name these persons nor outrightly confirmed they were members of the Team Asenso alliance, he did point out these people “obviously did not wait but what they waited for was if my decision was according to what they wanted but unfortunately it did not turn out according to what they were expecting.”
While Benitez did not say who they were, he pointed out early in his speech that there was strong lobbying for each of the five options he was to choose from before they filed their candidacy certificates last October 2024.
This raised the possibility that he was referring to Team Asenso members.
“There was strong lobbying for each of the choice,” Benitez said as he referred to the five options made public early this year by his spokesman, lawyer Caesar Distrito.
These were for Benitez: to take a break from politics, run for re-election as mayor, run for senator, switch seats with Gasataya or accept a Cabinet position in the Marcos government.
During a presser yesterday, however, Benitez was asked if he was referring to the group of Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Paduano who is also a close ally, Benitez said the personalities do not matter but if there are those who “cannot abide” with his decision, it would be better for them “not to be with us.”
Benitez had picked as alliance head his co-chair, Gasataya, to run in his stead and Councilor Kalaw Puentevella whose father, Monico, is founder of the Monico Kabuhi Ko political group under Asenso.
“I will sink or swim with my teammates,” he said to reporters in explaining why he is campaigning for a straight win of 16-0 in the coming polls.
