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BY TIFFANY ANNE TAN and PRINCE GOLEZ
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BACOLOD City – President Rodrigo Duterte may sign the executive order (EO) dissolving Negros Island Region (NIR) by the end of the week.
But Provincial Board members in Negros Occidental were still hoping Duterte would “maintain status quo” and the Senate and House of Representatives would push for a law establishing the NIR.
Two resolutions on these sentiments will be passed tomorrow, according to Board member Alain Gatuslao (5th District).
“It is the urgent plea of Negrenses for the President not to revoke the executive order creating the NIR,” Gatuslao said.
But the chances of Duterte giving in appear slim. “It is all up for signature,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella told Panay News in Manila yesterday.
Asked when Duterte would sign the EO, Abella said, “We’ll just follow up. Probably after [his trip to] China.”
Duterte was in Brunei for a state visit that started on Sunday.
Today the President was scheduled to fly to China for another state visit that is seen to “increase political mutual trust” and “strengthen pragmatic cooperation.” He will stay there until Friday.
Last week Abella said NIR’s dissolution was for “complete staff work.”
The plan to abolish the one-island region created via EO No. 183 on May 29, 2015 was first disclosed by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino to reporters in Cebu City. He cited “budget constraints.”
Days after, Department of Budget and Management secretary Benjamin Diokno confirmed this. Fully establishing the NIR was not a priority and allotting P19 billion for a region of only two provinces will be “an expensive exercise,” he said.
According to Press Secretary Martin Andanar, dissolving the NIR will let the government “save more money.”
Gatuslao was drafting the Provincial Board resolution urging Duterte not to dissolve the island region.
“Since the creation of the [NIR], there had been a renewed sense of unity of purpose, social cohesion and undeniable optimism that all Negrenses finally have the means to share a common destiny,” read part of the draft.
“We Negrenses wish to continue our journey toward fulfilling the boundless possibilities of a united Negros Island through our own Regional Development, Peace and Order, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, and Statistical councils, among other venues for cohesive planning,” it read.
In another draft resolution, the Board members asked lawmakers to enact a law establishing the NIR.
While they were aware that Duterte’s push for a federal form of government has “implications” such as the “possible dissolution” of the NIR, “we are likewise cognizant of the reality that such a process may take some time,” part of the draft read.
The latter resolution was sort of a Plan B in case Duterte already signed the abolition EO.
“Let’s say mapirmahan man gid [ang abolition EO], we have the second resolution,” Gatuslao told Panay News.
But both resolutions stated that they do not want the Negros provinces to be separated in case the government shifts to a federal system — that Occidental and Oriental should be “under one Federal State or joined with other provinces under a Visayas State, as the case may be,” he said.
“We can be included with other provinces, but at least upod ta ang Oriental,” Gatuslao said.
Earlier Vice Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson expressed the same sentiment.
“Whether one region or one federal state, [what is important is] we are together,” said the Provincial Board’s presiding officer. “That’s the primary purpose of Executive Order No. 183.”/PN
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