Bacolod Vice Mayor Renecito Novero confirmed yesterday that he is running for Congress with Mayor Evelio Leonardia's as his mayor.

Novero said he cannot be an official congressional candidate for the Lakas Party since incumbent Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella (also of Lakas) is seeking re-election.

"So the most rational approach for me is to be a candidate of another party," he said. Novero said they have yet to discuss among themselves and within their own group who will be their vice mayor and their slate for councilors.

He said they have some suggested names for councilors that still have to go through the "filtering process."

Leonardia, who is an official candidate of the Nationalist People's Coalition, said they will come up with their final slate within this month. He said the deadline for filing of the certificates of candidacy is on March 29.

Meanwhile, two Bacolod City councilors, formerly identified with the camp of Puentevella, have signified that they will join the slate of Leonardia in this year's election.

Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said he is supporting the administration and the candidacy of the Mayor a hundred percent.

On the other hand, Councilor Homer Bais said he is joining the administration slate because he has been a part of it and the several projects it had implemented.

He said there is a possibility that other members of their group will join Leonardia.

Bais said that although they ran under Lakas, in 2004, they were all declared independent candidates because the number of councilors who ran under the Lakas Party had already exceeded 12.

Sayson said they did not abandon Puentevella. However, he already has his own mayor and they have a different stand, he said. But this is just purely political and Puentevella has even offered them to join his slate again, he said.

He said they are joining Leonardia since the projects that other administrations had only visualized, were realized under his leadership.

On the other hand, the Serve the People Movement Association Inc., together with the labor sectors group (ALARM) in Bacolod City is fielding its own common independent candidates in the May 2007 elections, a press release from the group said.

These are Jovito Berdin for mayor, Abraham Tingson for vice mayor, and Anecito Secondes and Ernie Prego for councilors.*CGS

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