• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More than three decades in the making and spanning the terms of six governors of Negros Occidental, the Negros Island Region (NIR) has finally come to fruition.
On Thursday afternoon (June 13), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12000 or The Act Creating the NIR, comprising the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The NIR Act will unify the provinces of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, Negros Oriental and Siquijor to promote administration decentralization, strengthen local autonomy, and accelerate economic, cultural and social development.
“This union is long overdue and makes very practical sense, especially in the Negros Island, where people are located on one island but are governed under separate administrative regions,” Marcos said.
“So, for decades now, Negrenses have endured the rigors of sea travel, unnecessary expenses, bureaucratic red tape, [and] inefficiency that this arrangement has brought, especially when there is a need to urgently access government services from regional centers on other islands,” he added.
The Chief Executive also noted the glaring uneven growth and disparity of funding between the two provinces, which share many of same natural resources and industries such as sugar, tourism and renewable energy.
Marcos also extended his gratitude to the legislators for passing the law as he emphasized that the new NIR “will be a bulwark of greater growth as well as a conduit for more effective and efficient delivery of essential services in the region.”
“We envision as well the NIR as one of the centers of development in the Visayas, further accelerating socio-economic development for the millions of Negrenses and providing strategic convergence regarding resources, investments, and economic planning,” he said.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said “this welcome development will undoubtedly lead to positive impacts on the maintenance of internal security, peace and order, environmental management, disaster risk reduction, tourism promotion, integrated development planning, and easier access to regional offices”.
Lacson, who witnessed the signing of NIR Act at Malacañan Palace in Manila, also thanked the President for “making our hope a reality”, along with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Joseph Victor Ejercito, the governors of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, all the district representatives of the three provinces “for their resolve and commitment to making this happen.”
In a separate statement, Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria said the creation of a new administrative region is “a testament to what can be accomplished when various sectors work together towards a shared vision.”
The establishment of the NIR demonstrated the importance of recognizing and addressing regional disparities and promoting inclusive development, he added.
He also said that “by bringing together local government units, civil society organizations, and other key players, this initiative aims to foster economic growth, improve public services, and empower communities on Negros Island”.
“By uniting behind a common purpose, stakeholders have shown that meaningful progress can be achieved even in complex political environments,” Sagarbarria said.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who authored and co-sponsored Senate Bill 2507 for the creation of the NIR, said the NIR Act will bring in a “wave of development” into the new region.
Zubiri said the NIR is going to usher in unprecedented growth and development to Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Siquijor, as they are all merged into one administrative region.
“The NIR has long been a dream of mine and of my fellow Negrenses. We have long wanted to have our own region, with our own government offices readily accessible to our people,” said Zubiri, whose paternal family hails from Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
Before the signing of the NIR Act, Negros Occidental was part of Region 6 while Negros Oriental and Siqujior were under Region 7.
“This administrative set-up has long been considered costly and inconvenient by residents of the three provinces, who have had to travel to Iloilo and Cebu in order to transact with their respective regional government offices,” Zubiri said.
The NIR was initially established in 2015 through an executive order issued by the late President Benigno S. Aquino III.
However, it was abolished by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2017 allegedly due to funding issues.| GB
