BACOLOD CITY – Top leaders of Negros Occidental lauded the approval of the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act on third and final reading in the Senate led by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author and co-sponsor of Senate Bill (SB) 2507.
SB 2507 seeks to establish the NIR composed of the cities and municipalities under the provinces of Negros Occidental, including the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, as well as Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya, one of the principal authors of the bill’s version in the House of Representatives, welcomed the Senate’s “historic approval” of the bill on Tuesday afternoon.
Gasataya said the next step would be to reconcile the House Bill (HB) 7355 and SB 2507 and ratify the measure in the bicameral conference committee.
“We will just have to iron out the nitty-gritty, but what is important now is that the establishment of the NIR is already there and there is a sense of oneness among the representatives of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, for that matter,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the Senate approval of the NIR Act is a “momentous day”.
“I commend the dedication and commitment shown by our senators towards the progress and unity of Negros Island. Together, we forge ahead for a brighter future,” he added.
In Negros Occidental, 6th District Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, chair of the House committee on local government, thanked the senators for the approval of the NIR bill in the Upper Chamber.
3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez said the Senate’s nod “marks a monumental step forward” to the creation of the NIR.
“This is a great milestone for all Negrenses in our dream for a united and prosperous Negros,” he added.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said the “people of Negros have been waiting for this for a long time.”
“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 added.
To date, Negros Occidental and Bacolod are under Region 6 (Western Visayas) while Negros Oriental and Siquijor belong to Region 7 (Central Visayas), which have 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 accessible as possible,” said Zubiri, whose father was born in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
Under SB 2507, the establishment and designation of the regional offices will be divided between the two Negros provinces.
Negros Occidental will host national government agencies under the agriculture and land-related, peace and order and security, and governance clusters while Negros Oriental will be assigned those under the human development, infrastructure, and industry and labor clusters.
Zubiri said he is “hopeful that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sees the need for a united NIR” as a way to bring services straight to the 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,” he added. (PNA)
