• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III on Tuesday (March 19) shared the optimism of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson that the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) will be signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. before his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July this year.
Marañon, who co-authored the NIR bill unanimously approved by the House of Representatives before its concurrence by the Senate, said that the NIR bill is among the 42 priority legislative measures identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC) headed by the Chief Executive himself.
LEDAC serves as a consultative and advisory body to the President on certain programs and policies essential to the realization of the goals of the Philippine economy.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental has offered five hectares of its 25 hectare property in Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City to be the site of the offices of national government agencies that will be assigned in the province under the new region.
The NIR will be composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, and the island-province of Siquijor.
Marañon said that the adoption of the Senate version of the NIR bill by the House of Representatives would mean it will no longer pass through the bicameral conference committee, and will be transmitted directly to Malacañang for appropriate action.
The late president Benigno S. Aquino III initially established the NIR in 2015, through Executive Order No. 183. However, the new region was abolished shortly after, when Rodrigo Roa Duterte succeeded him in 2016.
“I am hoping that it will be signed into law next month, or before the SONA so that it can be funded,” Marañon, who was the guest of honor of the 28th Sinigayan Festival of Sagay City, said.
He recalled that when the NIR was first established several years ago, the delivery of basic services was very smooth because of the presence of the regional offices in the two Negros provinces. | GB
