BACOLOD CITY – Sen. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri has appealed to those opposing the inclusion of Siquijor in the Negros Island Region (NIR) to give the move a chance.
SEN. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri (center) speaks in a press briefing at the L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Wednesday, July 3, with (from left) Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, Negros Occidental sixth district Rep. Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang, Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, and fifth district Rep. Emilio Yulo. (Glazyl Masculino)
“I don’t understand why they oppose. But rest assured that the people of Siquijor will benefit from NIR,” Zubiri said, adding that top-tier regional offices will be situated in Negros Oriental province a few minutes away from Siquijor.
On June 13, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12000 or the NIR Act into law. The area is composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental (including Bacolod City), Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.
Sixteen regional offices of government agencies will be located in Negros Oriental.
They are the Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Commission on Higher Education (CHR), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC);
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Tourism (DOT), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Department of Transportation.
Zubiri said that people from Siquijor will be able to conveniently process their permits, licenses, and certifications, and avail of various assistance if these are nearer to them.
“A 20-minute pump boat ride to Dumaguete City or Negros Oriental is a much better accommodation than a whole day travel to Cebu, where they might need to spend overnight,” he added.
Zubiri is hopeful that oppositors in Siquijor would see the difference. “Give it a chance, and you’ll see the difference,” he said.
He said the NIR is being targeted to be fully implemented by the first quarter of next year.
Negros Occidental sixth district Rep. Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang assured that no province in NIR will be left behind. “That’s precisely the reason why we came up with this bill which eventually became a law because we believed these three provinces also deserve that much attention from the national government,” Lansang said.
Lansang said that when they filed the bill, a representative from Siquijor was also included as a principal author, which she considered as a big sign at that time that the people of the province want to join the newly created region.
Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya said that “whatever is more practical at this point in time to fast-track the implementation of NIR, we will go to what is beneficial for all and acceptable for the majority.”
Mayor Albee Benitez during his State-of-the-City Address (SOCA) here on Wednesday, July 3, said that they foresee more investments coming to this city with the enactment of NIR.
“We have been dreaming for this for so long. Bacolod will certainly benefit from the establishment of the NIR,” he said, adding that it will bring government services closer to people.
Benitez said that coordinated and integrated development, in terms of transportation networks, energy infrastructure, labor mobility, and integrated value chains, will boost the local economy.
He said that the Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion is ready to facilitate entry of new investors to this city.