BACOLOD CITY - Officials of this city and Negros Occidental are elated after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act into law on Thursday, June 13.
PRESIDENT Marcos leads the signing of the Negros Island Region bill in Malacanang on Thursday, June 13. The event was witnessed by officials of Negros Island. (Photo courtesy of Congressman Greg Gasataya Facebook)
They thanked the President for making the hope of Negrenses a reality.
Officials from Negros Occidental witnessed the signing in Malacañang.
They were Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez, Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo, Kabankalan Mayor Benjie Miranda, Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, fifth district Rep. Emilio Yulo, sixth district Rep. Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang, third district Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, and Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria.
In a statement, Lacson said that he is grateful that this aspiration, more than three decades in the making, has finally come to fruition.
Lacson said that this welcome development will undoubtedly lead to positive impacts on the maintenance of internal security, peace and order, environmental management, disaster risk reduction, tourism promotion, integrated development planning, and easier access to regional offices.
“Our belief that the immense potential of Negros Island, Siquijor, and our people can best be realized by becoming one region has driven our efforts and determination through the years,” he added.
Lacson thanked Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and JV Ejercito, the governors of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, and all district representatives of Negros Island and Siquijor for their resolve and commitment to making this happen.
He enjoined everyone to work together towards the shared objective of transforming Negros Island and Siquijor into a showcase of effective governance, cultural development, and social and economic progress.
Mayor Albee Benitez, in a statement, thanked the President for approving the long-awaited creation of the NIR and extended his heartfelt thanks to lawmakers and senators who supported the NIR bill.
“With NIR becoming a reality, we can look forward to numerous benefits, including more infrastructure and development projects, new growth areas, and additional government positions that will create opportunities for our local government workers,” the Bacolod mayor said.
Having our own regional offices here in Negros will also reduce bureaucratic processes. These are just some of the many advantages that NIR will bring to our three-province region, he added.
Gasataya said the the ceremonial signing of the law establishing the NIR is a huge victory for the region, as this means that government services will finally be brought closer to the people of Negros Island, Bacolod, and Siquijor.
The unity shown by Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Siquijor only emphasizes our commitment to quality and accessible public services for our constituents, Gasataya said in a Facebook post.
This pivotal policy will help steer our attention and efforts on planning and consolidated efforts to spur growth and development in the region and improve the quality of life within our jurisdiction, he added.
No longer will our people have to cross mountains or seas just to avail of the services they deserve, Gasataya said.
Rep. Benitez said that this development will facilitate integrated development planning towards inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development in the region.
He is hoping that the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will immediately convene the Technical Working Group that will iron out the institutional arrangements for the transition.
Victorias Mayor Benitez, president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, said the people of both islands celebrate this giant leap forward and look up to the possibilities that will propel unprecedented cultural, economic, and political development in the region.
“This unification will rekindle the shared history between Negros and Siquijor that dates back several centuries ago,” he added.
He said that this is not only the beginning of a new path for a unified Negros Island and Siquijor, but also a triumph to be shared and cherished by its people.
“Let us work as one people to facilitate an efficient transition and to integrate our mutual desire for a better region,” he said, as he lauded the people of NIR and every Filipino whose fervent prayers for true regional development and progress are now answered.
The Senate approved Senate Bill No. 2507, which seeks to revive the creation of the NIR, on March 12.
It was created under an executive order issued by the late President Benigno Aquino III in 2015 but was abolished through an executive order issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2017.
In a statement, Zubiri said that NIR is going to bring in unprecedented growth and development to Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Siquijor, as they are all merged into one administrative region.
“The NIR has long been a dream of mine and of my fellow Negrenses,” said the Negrense senator, whose paternal family hails from Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. He authored and co-sponsored the Senate bill on the Negros Island Region, Senate Bill No. 2507.
“We have long wanted to have our own region, with our own government offices readily accessible to our people,” he said.
Prior to the signing of the NIR Act, Negros Occidental was part of Region VI while Negros Oriental and Siquijor were under the governance of Region VII.
Zubiri said that this administrative setup has long been considered costly and inconvenient by residents of the three provinces, who have to travel to Iloilo and Cebu to transact with their respective regional government offices.
“With the NIR, we will be able to bring the government closer to our people,” he said, adding that they will also be able to attract more investors to the region, since the merging into one administrative region is set to improve our ease of doing business. “More investments, more jobs, more growth,” he said.
“This is going to bring in a wave of development into the province, and mark the start of new golden age for Negros,” Zubiri said as he thanked the President and Ejercito for championing it with them in the Senate, and everyone involved.