Iggy's sister no longer running

Bacolod City ,Philippines  – The sister of the late congressman Ignacio Arroyo is no longer running in the special election in the fifth district of Negros Occidental.

Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday said former Kasangga party-list representative Ma. Lourdes Arroyo-Lesaca informed him last Sunday about her decision.  

The Commisssion on Election (Comelec) requires that a candidate must be a resident voter in the district for not less than one year immediately preceding the day of election. 

But Lesaca, a registered voter in Quezon City, transferred her voter’s registration to Binalbagan, one of the towns in the fifth district of Negros Occidental only last March 16. 

Marañon, chairman of the United Negros Alliance, said the executive committee of UNA would meet again this week to choose their candidate. 

UNA is choosing between Binalbagan Mayor Alejandrino Mirasol and Board Member Melvin Ibañez.

Sources said UNA is waiting for the results of a consensus before deciding on their bet. Local officials, on the other hand, are choosing between Mirasol and Board Member Emilio Yulo III, who are relatives. 

Grace Ibuna, Arroyo’s long-time partner, said she would run for congresswoman in a special election if Mirasol backs out of the race or is not chosen in a consensus voting. 

Ibuna said she is supporting the candidacy of Mirasol as “I can trust him to continue the projects that Iggy had started in the district.”

 Ibuna is a registered voter in the town of La Castellana. The Comelec set the special election on June 2.