• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) is a step closer to its realization after it was approved on second reading by the Senate on its last day of session on Dec. 13.
Senate Bill No. 2507, otherwise known as “An Act Establishing the Negros Island Region” aims to improve the delivery of basic services in Negros Island, said Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, the bill’s sponsor and chairperson of the Senate committee on local government, in a statement on Thursday.
Ejercito and six other senators, including Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senators Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian, Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Manuel “Lito” Lapid, co-authored the NIR bill, which was already approved by the House of Representatives in March this year.
The proposed measure seeks to revive the creation of the NIR, which will be composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
“I believe that this bill is necessary for boosting the efficiency of service delivery in the area and providing convenience for the region’s residents,” Ejercito said.
He added that the bill also seeks to “promote efficiency in the government to enable it to pursue programs consistent with national goals for accelerated social and economic development.”
Zubiri said that once enacted into law, the bill will further boost development in Negros Island and Siquijor and ease the burden of the people in dealing with the national government agencies.
“This is a dream come true for all of us, who are working towards a Negros Island Region,” he added.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the bill’s approval on second reading is “a step closer to establishing the NIR.”
Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, president of the Negros Occidental Association of Chief Executives, said the development is a “great news”.
“Hoping it passes the Senate and our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs it for the Negrosanons. Let’s all support this,” he added.
In 2015, the NIR was established through Executive Order No. 183 issued by the late president Benigno Aquino III, but was abolished in 2017 through Executive Order No. 38 issued by his successor, Rodrigo Duterte. | GB
