San Carlos Mayor Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday said he hopes the equity of the incumbent will be respected by the Nationalist People's Coalition in his bid to run for re-election.

Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said he will have to clarify with the NPC national directorate the party's position on the case of Lacson.

Lacson is a member of the NPC and has the right to the equity of the incumbent, but has indicated that he will support former Rep. Julio Ledesma, who is not the official NPC candidate for congressman of the first district, Marañon said. NPC chairman Faustino Dy and party president Frisco San Juan have nominated incumbent Rep. Tranquilino Carmona as the official candidate of the NPC.

Carmona in turn has said that his candidate for mayor of San Carlos is Board Member Elmero Layumas.

Layumas said that when he ran for board member of Negros Occidental, he did so under the NPC banner and only this week joined President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's political party, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino.

"NPC is my only national party, the same cannot be said of Board Member Layumas who is both NPC and KAMPI. I deserve to be the official NPC candidate out of my loyalty to the party," Lacson said.

Marañon said he will have to request for further clarification from the national NPC officials on how to handle the case of Lacson and Layumas.

"I am sure the by-laws and other records of the party will clarify that matter," he said.

Meanwhile, Marañon said he is expecting to hear from Lacson for clarification of such matters.

Lacson said that in past elections NPC members have been allowed to support whom they want to, so why impose a policy on him now? He also pointed out that in the current senatorial slates, there are NPC candidates on both sides.*CPG

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