BACOLOD City – The governors of Negros Island and Siquijor province are unanimously in favor of reestablishing the Negros Island Region (NIR).
Last week, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental and Gov. Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria of Negros Oriental met with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito to discuss the proposed merger of the provinces into one administrative region.
Siquijor’s Gov. Jake Vincent Villa participated in the meeting virtually via Zoom.
Also present at the meeting were Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidental, Vice Gov. Jake Reyes of Negros Oriental, and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr.
“We are committed to bringing the government closer to our people, which is why we support reestablishing the NIR,” Zubiri said after the Sept. 21 meeting.
He highlighted that the current administrative setup for the three provinces poses challenges for the public in accessing government services. The NIR would do away the need for residents to cross to Iloilo or Cebu.
Zubiri also plans to relay the consensus among the local chief executives to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Both Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental have settled on a list of government agency locations, with Siquijor’s agreement. This list will be forwarded to the Senate Committee on Local Government, which is chaired by Ejercito.
Governor Lacson noted that the regional offices currently on Negros Island would remain operational under the NIR. All officials expressed optimism about passing the bill by December of this year, viewing it as a “Christmas gift” for the residents of Negros and Siquijor. (With contributions from Watchmen Daily Journal and The Manila Times) /PN
