• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The provincial government of Negros Oriental is “excited” about the realization of the proposed Negros Island Region (NIR), Provincial Tourism Board director Woodrow Maquiling Jr. said Wednesday.
“We want the NIR to come into fruition sooner than later,” said Maquiling, who represented Governor Manuel Sagabarria at the opening of the 16th Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival in Bacolod City on Nov. 15.
Maquiling added that Sagarbarria and other Negros Oriental stakeholders are “really anticipating and excited about the proposed NIR.”
The NIR bill, after it was approved by the House of Representatives, is now up for deliberations by the Senate committee on local government chaired by Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, whose mother, Guia Gomez, has family roots in Negros Occidental.
The proposed NIR includes Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said they are targeting the approval of the NIR in the Senate by the year-end.
Maquiling said he will hold discussions with Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez on how to “further push tourism for the whole island already.”
“MassKara Festival is one of the grandest, not just in the country but the rest of the world as well,” he pointed out.
Maquiling said that prior to the NIR creation, “we could start with tourism especially food tourism.”
“The slow food movement is starting now in Negros Oriental. It started here in Occidental and has spread to the Oriental side. The governor is very supportive of that,” he added.
“We are looking at food tourism and organic agriculture as one of the bedrocks of Negros Island relationship between the two provinces,” he further said. | GB
