BACOLOD City – Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez urged the House committee on Visayas Development to fast-track the appointment of regional directors for the Negros Island Region (NIR).
The city mayor was present during Monday’s committee meeting regarding the appointment of regional directors for the respective agencies and departments, at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
In a Facebook post, Mayor Benitez said he pushed for the immediate appointment of regional directors as it is a crucial step in strengthening governance for the newly created region.
“We are building the Negros Island Region, step by step we continue to move forward,” he said.
Early this month, NIR stakeholders began stepping up the transition efforts as the newly-formed administrative region was expected to fully operate after 15 days following the publication of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on February 3.
“The operations and services rendered by the departments and agencies cannot stop, so I asked the [House] committee to write to the secretary of the pertinent agency or department to ensure that they will appoint an officer-in-charge (OIC) that can dispense the duties of the regional directors,” Mayor Benitez said.
At present, 34 NIR agencies and departments have either directors or OICs while the remaining two departments, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), have yet to have a respective director.
Based on the assessment of Mayor Benitez, the NIR is almost 90 percent operational, although there was no specific appropriation yet for the new region as it still gets its funding from the central office.
DBM guidelines for NIR gov’t offices
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) yesterday released the guidelines for the organizational structure, staffing pattern, and funding allocation of the creation of government offices in the NIR.
The DBM issued Circular Letter 2025-3, following the release of the IRR of Republic Act (RA) 12000 or NIR Act, to ensure smooth operations in the newly created region.
RA 12000 mandates the creation of a regional office in certain departments or agencies to improve government services in the region.
“With the NIR Act designed to speed up public service delivery in the local community, the DBM ensures its success by providing clear guidelines on how offices should be organized and operated effectively,” DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said yesterday, February 25.
Under Section 4 of the law, Negros Occidental will house government offices related to agriculture, land, peace and order, security, and governance, while Negros Oriental will host offices focused on human development, infrastructure, and industry and labor.
The funds for daily operations and infrastructure needs of the NIR offices will come from the existing budgets of the concerned departments in Western Visayas and Central Visayas, according to the circular.
Additional funding may be provided by the agencies, if necessary.
For the initial operation of the NIR office, all concerned departments or agencies are directed to submit requests to the DBM for the issuance or reactivation of the organization code for the NIR office and Lower Level Operating Units.
They are also required to submit requests to the Bureau of the Treasury for the opening or updating of Modified Disbursement System Sub-Accounts in Authorized Government Servicing Banks (AGSBs).
They also need to ask the AGSBs for the enrollment of the MDS Sub-Account and updating of unified accounts code structure organization codes of LLOUs with existing MDS Sub-Account.
The circular also addresses the mechanisms for establishing the organizational structure and staffing pattern in the NIR offices, including the transfer or detail of existing personnel, the designation of interim heads, and procedures for filling any remaining positions.
The NIR Act, enacted into law on June 11, 2024, unifies the provinces of Siquijor, Negros Oriental, and Negros Occidental, to promote decentralized administration, strengthen local autonomy, and accelerate economic, cultural, and social development. (With reports from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
