BACOLOD City – The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will be the interim head for the Regional Development Council-Negros Island Region (RDC-NIR) pending the May 12, 2025 national and local elections.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, the former RDC Region 6 chairman, said he was informed by NEDA that it will designate an officer for the RDC-NIR as interim until after the midterm elections.”
“Kay kabudlay man mag-election subong dasun after election ma-elect naman liwat kay mabag-o naman,” the mayor explained. “They will install an officer-in-charge headed by NEDA.
Mayor Benitez said he had turned over to NEDA all the documents after the dissolution of his position as RDC-6 chairman.
He said that after the NIR becomes law, his position at RDC-6 will automatically be dissolved.
On March 5, directors of various regional line agencies gathered at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod for the first coordination meeting on the organization of the RDC-NIR convened by NEDA.
RDC-NIR is the region’s highest planning and policy-making body.
In a message, the host, Negros Occidental’s Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, said the organization of the RDC-NIR, expected to take place after the May 12 national and local elections, is “an essential step to ensure that governance in NIR will be efficient, responsive and truly attuned to the needs of our communities.”
For his part, NEDA-NIR concurrent Regional Director Arecio Casing Jr. said that aside from being tasked to formulate the regional development plan and the regional development investment program, the RDC-NIR is also mandated to submit a report to the Office of the President on the transition towards the full operationalization of the new region.
Moreover, critical activities for the organization of the RDC pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 82, series of 2025 was tackled by NEDA-NIR Team Leader Marlon Jinon.
Other discussions focused on the budget concerns, project prioritization, and salient points of the agency transition plan until the full operation of the NIR by January 2027.
Agencies that will comprise the RDC-NIR were also urged to submit programs, activities and projects for prioritization under the new region.
On June 13, 2024, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act 12000 or the NIR Act, creating a new administrative region comprising the provinces of Negros Occidental, including the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The NIR Act separates Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from Western Visayas, and Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Central Visayas. (With reports from Philippine News Agency)/PN
