BACOLOD City – The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the implementation of the Republic Act (RA) 12000, or the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act, is expected to be signed within this month.
The said law unifies the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor into one administrative region.
On Friday, August 9, Negros Occidental’s Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, together with Negros Occidental’s representatives Francisco Benitez (3nd District), Mercedes Alvarez (6th District), and Dino Yulo (5th District), Bacolod City’s Rep. Greg Gasataya, and other NIR officials, attended the first NIR Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting held at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) served as the NIR TWG secretariat.
Yulo said the TWG has already finished drafting the IRR. He expects to get a copy of the final draft this week and it would be signed in Siquijor.
Once signed, the transition plan will be executed.
Yulo said that during their meeting the NIR budget was also discussed as it was not included in the annual budget for 2025. He explained that before the signing of NIR law the proposed budget for 2025 was already in the Congress.
“So, basically indi nga wala sang budget, kundi indi gid man sia ma-include because of that particular situation,” he added.
The solon said there was a proposal from Bacolod City’s Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to temporarily follow the system which was applied during the first establishment of the NIR through Executive Order (EO) No. 183 issued on May 29, 2015 by the late President Benigno Aquino III, which allows the creation of NIR. However, this was subsequently revoked by then President Rodrigo Duterte through EO No.38 on August 7, 2017.
Yulo further assured that by 2026, the NIR will have its own budget as an administrative region./PN
