BACOLOD CITY – More than 100 members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) in Negros Occidental, led by Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, will resign from the political party.

"We are still going to talk if we will join another party or just join the administration party of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., " Benitez said.

Many PDP members in Negros have said that they are not happy with the party's decisions, he said.

The mayor was the provincial chairman of PDP during the 2022 elections.

The mass resignation of PDP members in the province is seen as an offshoot of the announcement of Jesus Villanueva Hinlo, PDP deputy secretary general for Visayas and Negros Occidental Council president, that the party may support former Victorias mayor Francis Frederick Palanca for governor of Negros Occidental in the 2025 polls.

Benitez said many PDP members in Negros Occidental are also members of the Love Negros-United Negros Alliance coalition that is supporting the reelection bid of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.

Benitez, who ran for mayor under the PDP Laban ticket in 2022, said he is committed to support Lacson in 2025.

On April 23, Victorias City Vice Mayor Abelardo Bantug III and nine councilors, including Palanca's son, announced their resignation from the PDP.

They said the decision to support Palanca was made without consulting them and the incumbent officials of Victorias City

"It appears that the leadership of PDP under Hinlo overlooked the basic principle that an organization should promote inclusivity through consultation before decision, not the other way around," Bantug said.