Top officials of Negros Occidental hailed the pronouncement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. April 8 that he will sign into law the bill creating the Negros Island Region (NIR).
“I think I will sign it,” the President said during an interview on the sidelines of the ceremonial energization of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kV Backbone Project in Bacolod City.
He added that “it makes sense” and it is “probably a good idea” to have a regional center in Negros Island to bring services closer to the people.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson thanked Marcos for seeing the need to create the NIR, comprising the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor and the highly-urbanized Bacolod City.
“That’s what we have been waiting for. From the very beginning when it was approved in the House and the Senate, we were already confident that the President will support it and true enough, he said it. We’re very thankful,” Lacson said.
Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, one of the President’s advisers in the Visayas, said Marcos had told him he would approve the NIR bill.
“It’s a big news for Negros Occidental. It’s one of the two things I requested from him since we were campaigning. The Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge and the NIR. We discussed the NIR earlier, he said ‘approved na ‘yan’,” he told reporters.
Lacson and Ferrer joined the President during the Department of Agrarian Reform’s distribution of land titles and support services to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Negros Occidental in Bago City.
Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, said he is “very, very happy” with the President’s pronouncement.
“We need the NIR for better cooperation and economic development and other programs. It’s very exciting. I’m happy that he said it,” he added.
Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya and 6th District Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, who are among the principal authors of the NIR bill in the House of Representatives, expressed gratitude to the President for his support.
“We thank the President and we really appreciate his pronouncement that he will approve the NIR bill. I hope that after it is signed into law, it can move immediately and be included in next fiscal year’s budget,” Gasataya said.
“We’re very, very happy, not only for Negros Occidental but definitely also for Negros Oriental and Siquijor. This is a very beautiful gift to our island and also to Siquijor,” Alvarez said.
The principal authors of House Bill 7355 have adopted Senate Bill 2507, which seeks to establish the NIR, composed of the cities and municipalities under the provinces of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, as well as Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Under the present set-up, Negros Occidental and Bacolod are under Region 6 (Western Visayas) while Negros Oriental and Siquijor belong to Region 7 (Central Visayas), which have regional centers in Iloilo and Cebu, respectively. | PNA
