Report: Iggy partner Grace Ibuna may run in special polls

The partner of the late Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo Jr. is considering running in the special elections for his replacement this June. Grace Ibuna said she will support Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol if he runs for the post, but will run if he does not, Visayan Daily Star reported Saturday. Earlier, the Commission on Elections had set June 2 as the date for the special congressional elections in the fifth district of Negros Occidental. Rep. Arroyo died last Jan. 26 in London. His remains were returned to the Philippines late February, and he was buried earlier this month. The Visayan Daily Star report said Ibuna has been a registered voter of Hacienda Grande Robles in La Castellana town since 2009, and is thus eligible to run in the special polls. On Friday, Mayor Mirasol and his nephew Board Member Emilio Yulo III called off a mini-election to determine who among Mirasol and Yulo would run for congressman. “I will definitely run, unless stopped by divine intervention,” Yulo said Friday. But Mirasol said he will wait for the decision of the United Negros Alliance (UNA), where he is a member, on who it will field. “I will respect the decision of Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. who is the chairman of UNA. Like a good soldier, I will abide by the party’s choice,” Mirasol said. Aside from Mirasol, another UNA aspirant for the congressional seat is Board Member Melvin Ibañez. Mirasol is seen as the Aquino administration’s candidate and widely believed to be the eventual choice of UNA, the Visayan Daily Star report said. He had been the first mayor of Negros Occidental to openly campaign for President Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 polls. — LBG, GMA News