BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Negros Island Region (NIR) may be revived sooner than expected.
Incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. may issue an Executive Order (EO) reviving the region before a law could be passed, said Bacolod City mayor-elect Alfredo “Albee” Benitez.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said an EO creating NIR was done before (in 2015, during the administration of then President Benigno Simeon Aquino III). This was, however, revoked by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017.
“If there is an EO in place, it (NIR) should be included in the General Appropriations Act of 2023,” Diaz said.
He also said that since NIR was done before, its “social acceptability is beyond question.”
“There is a clamor for regional offices here on the island to facilitate the needs of our people, especially those that deal with national government agencies. We will have more access to them,” Diaz pointed out.
Diaz added that the planning and implementing will be more focused in Negros.
Twelve congressmen from Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor will file a joint bill seeking for the reestablishment of the NIR on the first day of the 19th Congress on Friday, July 1.
NIR was first established by President Aquino on May 29, 2015 through an EO but it was dissolved in October of 2017 by President Duterte, pointing out the lac k of money to fund it.
Under the new NIR proposal, all offices of major government agencies will be in Bacolod City while their extension offices will be in Dumaguete City.
The offices that offer social welfare services will be in Dumaguete City with their extension offices in Bacolod City./PN
