Deliberations on the proposed creation of the Negros Island Region have started in the House of Representatives via zoom conference Tuesday, Aug. 23, attended by members of the Committee on Local Government.
Three NIR related bills – HB 119, authored by Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer, HB 330 sponsored by Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, and HB 1446, jointly sponsored by Reps. Jose Francisco Benitez, Abang Lingkod Partylist Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, Gerardo Valmayor Jr., Mercedes Alvarez, Dino Yulo, Greg Gasataya, Negros Oriental solons Rep. Jocelyn Sy Limkaichong, Manuel Sagarbarria and Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. – were filed in the 19th Congress last month.
HB 1446 calls for the inclusion of Siquijor in the proposed NIR.
Benitez said a Technical Working Group, co-chaired by Reps. Alvarez and Edu Rama of Cebu City South District, was formed to consolidate the bills and to address questions regarding the NIR.
Ferrer, on the other hand, said the provincial government of Negros Occidental and the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, will be asked to give their positions on the matter.
The two major issues that will be discussed by the TWG are the inclusion of Siquijor and the mode of determining the location of the regional offices./GB
