• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Twenty-two senators voted for the approval of Senate Bill No. 2507, otherwise known as “An Act Establishing Negros Island Region (NIR)”, on its third and final reading during the Senate plenary session on Tuesday (March 12).
The long-awaited NIR Act brings the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor together under one administrative region.
“The people of Negros have been waiting for this for a long time,” said Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, himself a Negrense through his father, who was born in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
“The current administrative division of the island has always posed a problem to its residents, who are forced to travel all the way to either Cebu or Iloilo in order to reach our regional government offices,” he pointed out.
Negros Occidental presently belongs to Region 6 or Western Visayas while Negros Oriental and Siquijor are under Region 7 or Central Visayas, which place their regional centers in Iloilo and Cebu, respectively.
“It is hard to deliver people-centered governance under this set-up. We have to make our government services as accessible as possible,” Zubiri added.
Under the NIR Act, regional offices will be split between Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, creating new growth areas in the region.
“I am hopeful that President Marcos sees the need for a united NIR, which is our way of bringing our services straight to our people. It is certain to improve the ease of doing business in the region, which will both empower our residents and also raise the confidence of investors in our capacity to facilitate efficient government transactions,” the Senate President said.
Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, who chairs the Senate committee on local government and one of the principal authors, said that the passage of the bill by the Senate is one step nearer to reality for the NIR.
“The idea for this bill was first planted three decades ago, with the approval of this chamber today, it will soon bear fruit,” said Ejercito, who also traces his roots in Negros Occidental through his mother.
He said that the bill aims to improve the delivery of basic government services in Negros Island, promote efficiency in the government to enable it to pursue programs consistent with national goals for accelerated social and economic development.
The bill, which is authored by all Negros Island legislators, is set to be tackled by the Congress bicameral committee before its submission to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing into law.
Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, who serves as the personal adviser of the President in Western Visayas, said he has been pushing for the creation of the NIR and the implementation of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridges Project to Marcos.
Last year, both provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental have already agreed upon the list of which government agencies and offices should be located in which province, with Siquijor’s agreement.
Negros Occidental Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, one of the sponsors of the bill in the House of Representatives, lauded the Senate for its approval on third reading.
This is a great milestone for all Negrenses in our dream for a united and prosperous Negros, Benitez said.
The former NIR, which was composed of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, was created in 2015 under Executive Order (EO) No. 183 issued by the late president Benigno Aquino III.
It was abolished under an EO issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte. | GB
