Negros Occidental offers lot for NIR
BACOLOD CITY: The provincial government of Negros Occidental is willing to offer a portion of its 25-hectare property in TALISAY CITY AS A TEMPORARY LOCATION FOR OFfiCES of national agencies under the Negros Island Region (NIR).
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Monday said that it is apportioning about five hectares of the property to be used as the NIR regional center.
Last week the Senate approved Senate Bill 2507 that created the NIR that will include the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and the City of Bacolod.
Currently, Negros Occidental is under Western Visayas with majority of the regional offices located in Iloilo City while Negros Oriental and Siquijor are under Central Visayas which is based in Cebu City.
Meanwhile, during a press conference on Saturday, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said the city government has began its preparation for the transition to the new region even before the passage of the NIR bill.
Benitez said the city government has already sent letters to all regional offices through the Regional Development Council to offer them spaces for satellite offices in Bacolod City.
“They will have a place at our Bacolod Express Services Offices at Ayala Mall Capitol Central and at SM City Bacolod. They can cater to some regional offices. Ninety percent have expressed interest in putting up satellite offices,” the mayor said.
He added that these offices will be a point of contact of the public for receiving documents and applications and inquiries.
“Most of the regional directors have already been part of the first NIR,” he said, adding that he thinks there is no resistance from them.
“The whole wisdom of the NIR law was to make services accessible to us in Negros.”
Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Francisco Benitez, brother of the mayor, also said that he is optimistic that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign the bill creating the NIR that was recently approved in the Senate.
He said that the senators took into account the support of the President when they approved the bill.
“I’m assuming the President will sign. I hope he does,” he said.
“As long as he does not veto it. It will lapse into law. It’s in the hands of the President now.”
Negros Oriental 2nd District Rep. Manuel Sagabarria, chairman of the House Committee on Local Government, has decided to adopt the Senate version of the NIR bill, he said.
“So the bill will not have to go through the bicameral committee of Congress. It will go through official enrollment in both Houses and will be sent to Malacañang,” he said.
He added that it will take about a week or two before we hear a response from Malacañang.
“We want to thank all the senators. Finally the legislative process is finished,” he said.
The NIR bill was co-sponsored by Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, with Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito serving as the principal author.
In 2015, then-president Benigno Aquino 3rd established the NIR through Executive Order (EO) 183 aimed at “accelerating the social and economic development of the cities and municipalities comprising the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, and improve the delivery of public services in the aforementioned provinces.”
It was later abolished in 2017 through EO 38 by then-president Rodrigo Duterte due to funding issues.