• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez said on Saturday (March 16) he is hopeful that the Negros Island Region (NIR) bill will be signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in April this year.
The Senate passed its version of the NIR bill last week.
Benitez, one of the Negros solons who authored the NIR bill in the House of Representatives, said in a press briefing that the senators took into account the support of the President, when they approved the bill.
“I’m assuming that the President will sign. I hope he does,” he added.
Benitez noted that there is a difference between the House and Senate versions of the NIR bill.
While the House version did not dictate where the regional centers will be, and allows the transition team to decide, he said the Senate decided to contend with any potential ambiguity by putting it in the bill itself.
Negros Oriental 2nd District Rep. Manuel Sagabarria, chairman of the House committee on local government, decided that it is easier to adopt the Senate version of the NIR bill.
Benitez said that it will no longer have to go through the bicameral conference committee.
It will take about a week or two before we hear a response from Malacañang, he added.
“We want to thank all the senators. Finally, the legislative process is finished,” Benitez said.
He added that the division of the national agencies between the two provinces will follow the same division as it was when the NIR was first implemented.
Benitez said that the funding concerns will be addressed in terms of the phasing of its implementation, depending on funding resources.
The proposed NIR will be composed of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and island-province of Siquijor.
Benitez said the three governors and the mayor of highly-urbanized Bacolod City will come together to create the transition process to address the funding gaps for the short and long terms.
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the city government is already preparing for transition to the new region, even before the passage of the NIR bill.
He added that the city government has sent letters to all regional offices through the Regional Development Council, offering to them to put up satellite offices in Bacolod City.
“A place at our Bacolod Express Services Office at Ayala Malls Capitol Central and at SM City Bacolod can cater to some regional offices. Ninety percent have expressed interest in putting up satellite offices,” he added.
These offices will be a point of contact of the public for receiving documents and applications and inquiries, the mayor said. | GB
