By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

After Silay City Councilor Ryan Gamboa was earlier elected Negros Occidental Philippine Councilors League president, earning him a seat on the Negros Occidental Provincial Board, as a member of Love Negros, the local political coalition now holds the majority on the local legislative body. However, Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, who presides over the Provincial Board, affirmed the local legislative body is “not divided along political parties.”
“[On the Board], there is no Love Negros or United Negros Alliance,” he stated. “We are united in supporting the programs of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.”
In terms of political makeup, the local coalition now holds the three sectoral representative seats on the board. Aside from Gamboa, Negros Occidental Association of Barangay Captains President Juvy Pepillo and Negros Occidental Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Pocholo Yuvienco are also Love Negros members.
Gamboa called the political composition a “good step in the right direction [towards] solidifying the merger of the two parties.”
Last June, Negros Occidental Provincial Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko affirmed “there are no parties,” citing the merger between the two local political coalitions.
“We do not have a majority or a minority [on] the provincial board,” he noted./DGB, WDJ