• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Supreme Court has ordered the Office of the Solicitor Genera to comment on the petition challenging the validity of Republic Act 12000, which creates the Negros Island Region (NIR) composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Rev. Fr. Hendrix Alar, Dr. Maria Lina Eparwa, Wilfredo Magallano, Attorneys Marcelino Maxino, Jose Imaculado Palmitos and Grace Sumalpong filed a petition for declaratory relief and prohibition, with application for temporary restraining order, and or, writ of preliminary injunction, seeking to declare unconstitutional RA 12000.
The SC has required the respondents to file their comment to the petition and prayer for TRO within a non-extendible period of 10 days from notice.
Leaders of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental are leaving it to the SC to decide on the fate of the NIR.
The NIR Act was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June this year.
“It’s a free country. Anybody can file a petition before the SC when they want to. But it will be up to SC to decide what is best and how to treat that petition,” Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said.
Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria also said that it is up to the SC to decide as he debunked claims of insufficient consultations.
Negros Occidental Fifth District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo III said the issues raised by the petitioners against the creation of the NIR “will not fly.”
“We have always conducted everything in accordance with what is provided by the law. As to the question that there was no plebiscite, it is applicable only in the creation of a local government unit and not in an administrative region,” he pointed out. | GB
