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The One Cebu party will announce its candidate for the province's sixth congressional district in two months, well ahead of the November deadline for the filing of certifcates of candidacy (COC).
?By November the lines will already be drawn. When we file our COCs, it's now clear. But then there is still the possibility that the elections may not push through so we don?t have to file our COCs yet,? she said.
Garcia made the disclosure following last Saturday's dinner meeting with political allies concerning the endorsement by Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz of Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna as the congressional candidate for the province's sixth district.
Former Mandaue city mayor Thadeo Ouano and Provincial Board Member Victor Maambong complained that they were not consulted on the matter, which Soon-Ruiz denied.
All those who attended the meeting agreed to uphold party unity until a final candidate is chosen.
?I requested that I be given time to choose. By late September or early October we will already come up with a decision. I?m grateful that they agreed,? Garcia told reporters yesterday.
An option, Garcia said, is to declare the sixth congressional district a free zone in the election to allow interested allies in the area to run for district representation.
But she said a single candidate is preferable since the whole party can get behind him or her.
Fortuna agreed, saying a ?free-zone? in Cebu Province's sixth district would be ?inconsistent? with the call for party unity by Governor Garcia.
The declaration of a ?free zone? was sought by Maambong, who reasoned that party members would go up against each other eventually in next year's elections.
Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City and the towns of Cordova and Consolacion comprise the vote-rich sixth district of Cebu.
The same situation exists for local officials affiliated with either Lakas or Kampi, said Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of Cebu's fourth district.
Salimbangon reiterated in yesterday's 888 News Forum that the biggest problem facing the unification of the local Lakas and Kampi parties is the fact that most of them faced off against each other in the 2007 elections.
Salimbagon, who is under One Cebu-Kampi said a local alliance is possible only if both sides manage to reconcile their lineup of candidates.
He said both sides already have their own lineups for the elections.
?How do we unite two groups, all of them are interested to run for mayor? Unless they transfer to the opposition,? Salimbangon said in Cebuano. /With a report from Correspondent Chris Ligan
