The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Saturday, Jan. 11, that the newly created Negros Island Region (NIR) now has fully operational CHED Regional Offices (CHEDROs).
The CHEDROs are located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, and Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
“Throughout the years, CHED has been committed to bringing CHED services closer to the Filipino people,” CHED Chairperson Popoy De Vera said in a statement.
Key development
CHED highlighted the establishment of Regional Office (RO) XVIII-NIR in Dumaguete City as a “key development” under Republic Act 12000, which mandates the creation of the NIR.
De Vera noted that in 2023, prior to the passage of the NIR Act, CHED established a Sub-Regional Office (SRO) in Talisay City. This office, now operating as CHEDRO-NIR SRO, was created to provide students and higher education institutions (HEIs) in Negros Occidental easier access to CHED services and programs.
“Before the passage of RA 12000, CHED had already established a satellite office on Negros Island at Carlos Hilado Memorial State University in Talisay City because we recognized the challenges faced by Negrenses, who had to travel by sea to access our services from the regional office in Iloilo,” De Vera explained.
De Vera, alongside Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, CHED Commissioners Shirley Agrupis and Ronald Adamat, and CHEDRO-NIR Regional Director Raul C. Alvarez Jr., led the inauguration of the new regional office at Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) in Dumaguete City on Jan. 10.
In 2024, De Vera noted that when President Marcos signed into law the establishment of the NIR, “his instruction was to ensure” that the region would begin fully functioning as an administrative entity in 2025.
De Vera added that CHED designated Dr. Raul C. Alvarez Jr. as the concurrent director of CHEDRO NIR to “facilitate the establishment of the regional office so that by the start of the year, we can fully operate in NIR.”
More than just a building
CHED and NORSU signed a usufruct agreement allowing the use of 800 square meters of NORSU land as the location for the CHEDRO-NIR Office Building.
The office is located at the NORSU Bajumpandan Campus, described by CHED as the “most ideal location because of its accessibility for clients and availability of facilities for the transition.”
NORSU President Marjon E. Yasi emphasized that the office is “not just a building but a vibrant hub of ideas, a center of collaboration, and a sanctuary where we can tackle the challenges of higher education in NIR.”
Yasi also expressed NORSU’s commitment to supporting CHED in “ensuring access to equitable and quality higher education.”
Higher education services
The CHEDRO NIR will deliver frontline services, particularly in implementing CHED policies and programs in the HEIs of the newly created administrative region.
CHEDRO NIR oversees 85 HEIs across the three provinces of Negros Occidental (57 HEIs), Negros Oriental (24 HEIs), and Siquijor (four HEIs).
Under CHED Special Order No. 99, series of 2024, signed on Sept. 9, 2024, Alvarez was designated as the concurrent Director IV of CHEDRO NIR.
Mayor Remollo noted that the presence of CHEDRO-NIR in Dumaguete City would ensure that students and HEIs could easily access CHED services without the need to travel to Cebu or Bacolod.
“As the local government of Dumaguete City, we are committed to providing CHED with infrastructural support to ensure that more of our constituents can access higher education services,” Remollo added.