BACOLOD CITY – Barely three months after he transferred his voter’s registration from Victorias City, Negros Occidental to Bacolod City last April, former Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez officially declared his mayoral bid here.
“I have seen enough, I have heard enough. The clamor of the people is undeniable and this is why I’m officially announcing that I am running for mayor of Bacolod in 2022,” Benitez said in a press briefing Monday, July 19.
Benitez made the announcement following a hearing conducted at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office here regarding the opposition to the application for registration complaint filed by three individuals against Benitez last week on the basis that he is allegedly not a resident of Bacolod.
Benitez said that during the hearing, they were advised to submit their position paper within three days, after which the Election Registration Board (ERB) will make their decision.
Speculations on Benitez running for mayor here first came out in April, but things recently heated up after a complaint on his registration was filed against him before the Comelec.
Benitez maintained that he has complied with the requirements when he transferred here. “After 2019, I did not run for any position, and I was a consultant of the province, which everybody knows,” he added.
Benitez said that he had met incumbent Mayor Evelio Leonardia and told him that he has nothing personal. “As a public servant, I think it is incumbent upon me to answer the clamor of the people,” he said.
Benitez said that he has just decided for himself and has no lineup yet, but he will consider everyone.
I think the primary objective is to bring change in Bacolod, to bring better governance here, to address corruption, he added.
Despite his declaration, Benitez said that it is still the people who will make a choice in the 2022 polls.
Clad in white, supporters of Benitez also gathered at the public plaza to show their support to him that day.
Leonardia has yet to comment on this development.