BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The substitute bill seeking the reestablishment of the Negros Island Region (NIR) has been approved at the House of Representatives’ committee on local government.
Under the bill, NIR will include the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental and Siquijor island province.
The substitute bill was jointly submitted by Negros Occidental 1st District’s Cong. Gerardo Valmayor Jr., 2nd District’s Cong. Alfredo “Thirdy” Marañon III, 3rd District’s Cong. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez, 4th District’s Cong. Juliet Ferrer, 5th District’s Cong. Emilio “Dino” Yulo, 6th District’s Cong. Mercedes “Cheding” Alvarez-Lansang, and Bacolod City Lone District’s Cong. Greg Gasataya.
The bill’s counterpart in the Senate, Senate Bill 1236, authored by Sen. JV Ejercito, has already hurdled the committee on local government in December of last year.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is scheduled to meet with Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo next week to hold further discussions related to the reestablishment of the NIR.
To recall, Degamo voiced a dissenting opinion about the NIR during the 4th Regional Development Council-Central Visayas in Cebu City last month.
He cited “cultural differences” behind the opposition, a comment regarded by business groups in Negros as “shallow”.
NIR was first established through an executive order issued by then President Benigno Aquino III in 2015. But it was dissolved by his successor, then President Rodrigo Duterte, in 2017 due to the high cost of maintaining the region./PN
