• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria and Negros Occidental Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo have disputed various claims against the Negros Island Region (NIR) creation.
This came as those seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court, including Rev. Fr. Hendrix Alar, Lina Eparwa, Wilfredo Magallano, Marcelino Maxino, Jose Imaculado Palmitos, and Grace Sumalpong, claimed that the creation of NIR was illegal, as it was not submitted to the people through a plebiscite, nor a public consultation was held.
The provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, which used to be with Region 7 (Central Visayas), with Negros Occidental, previously under Region 6 (Western Visayas), now compose the NIR.
While he respects their sentiments and claims, Sagarbarria said that he will leave it to the Supreme Court to decide.
For his part, Yulo said he believes that there is no substantial issue to stop the implementation of NIR.
He added that he respects the rights of petitioners to seek the help of the Supreme Court, but maintained that a consultation was made, while the NIR bill was being deliberated in Congress, with the presence of representatives of the three provinces.
Sagarbarria countered the claims of insufficient public consultations, stating that the rebirth of the NIR only involved adding the island-province of Siquijor to the previously established NIR.
He also said that public consultations had taken place before the initial creation of NIR by the late President Benigno Simeon Aquino III through Executive Order No. 183.
When he was succeeded by Rodrigo Duterte, the NIR was dissolved.
Yulo said that there is no law that requires a plebiscite in the creation of a new administrative region, except in the creation, or settlement of boundaries among local government units.
Eleven solons of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siqujior, as well as Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano co-authored the creation of NIR, which was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June this year.
Petitioners argued that the NIR must be declared unconstitutional because it runs contrary to the Ordinance appended to the 1987 Constitution.
The Ordinance appended to the Constitution apportions the seats of the House of Representative to the different legislative districts in provinces and cities. Thus, the provinces and cities were identified and grouped into regions, they said.
“Considering that Regions 6 and 7 have already been defined in the Ordinance, which, together with the Constitution, has been ratified by the people in a plebiscite, the creation of the NIR cannot simply be accomplished without significant difficulty. There is no NIR in the Ordinance appended to the Constitution,” they added.
Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete also opposed the NIR creation.
In March, Cortes publicly criticized the proposed revival, calling it an “insult” to the people of Negros Oriental.
“The primacy of the fundamental law was flagrantly violated and the people were deprived of their fundamental rights to suffrage and information,” the petitioners further said. | GB
