Senate local gov’t panel approves establishment of Negros Island Region
December 05, 2022
The Senate Committee on Local Government led
by Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito approved several bills seeking to
establish the Negros Island Region (NIR), which is expected to cover the
provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
“Malinaw po ang pangangailangan ng ating mga
kababayan sa Negros Occidental at Negros Oriental na gawing isang rehiyon ang
Negros Island upang mas mapabilis at mailapit ang mga serbisyo ng national
government sa kanila. Naniniwala rin po tayo na ito rin ay magiging daan upang
mas maging masigla ang nasabing rehiyon,” he said in a statement.
While rightsizing is a priority of the current
administration, Ejercito, whose mother hails from Bacolod City, said these
bills are necessary for boosting the efficiency of service delivery in the area
and providing convenience for the region’s residents.
The said bills include Ejercito’s Senate Bill
No. 1236, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s Senate Bill No. 89, Senator Win
Gatchalian’s Senate Bill No. 812, Senator Bong Revilla’s Senate Bill No. 1422,
and Senator Lito Lapid’s Senate Bill No. 1469.
Zubiri, whose father hails from Kabankalan,
Negros Occidental, said there is growing
clamor for the establishment of the NIR since residents of Negros Occidental
and Negros Oriental still have to travel to either Iloilo or Cebu to transact
with the regional offices of several national government agencies.
“It’s the ease of doing business for
government transactions. Kung cost lang, nagawa na. May buildings na po. I
don’t think it’s going to cost us more to revive the NIR, because it has been
done for several years,” the Senate President said.
For his part, Majority Floor Leader Joel
Villanueva vowed to schedule the bills for second reading “as soon as the
committee report reaches his office.”
In 2015, the NIR was established through Executive
Order No. 183. It was later abolished in 2017 through Executive Order No. 38.
