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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Monday, March 27, 2017
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ILOILO City – Negrenses are not giving up hope on the Negros Island Region (NIR).
According to former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, NIR has a “reasonably good support” at the Cabinet level.
President Rodrigo Duterte is entertaining the possibility of abolishing the NIR.
“We have been told by (Interior) Secretary (Ismael) Sueno and other Cabinet officials that we do have reasonably good support for NIR even at the Cabinet level,” Coscolluela disclosed during the Great British Festival in Iloilo City on March 24.
The problems were with Budget secretary Benjamin Diokno and the National Economic and Development Authority, said Coscolluela, currently the consultant for trade, economic development and interagency coordination of the Negros Occidental provincial government.
Dioko previously said there was no budget for NIR. In a recent interview, he raised another issue – the legality of NIR’s creation via an executive order.
“The issues raised by Secretary Diokno about the budget and constitutionality stand on very weak grounds, in our opinion. Apparently, this is the same sentiment of many members of the Cabinet. So we think NIR is still going to be here,” said Coscolluela.
Negros leaders continue working despite the threat of NIR’s abolition, he stressed.
“Regardless of what happens we need to work together as one island. This is what we are doing now,” Coscuella said.
They are hopeful that President Duterte will let NIR stay at least until the proposed federal system of government is realized.
“We hope Malacañang will say, ‘Let us leave NIR alone and just wait for the result of the federal movement.’ After that, if we turn to federalism, then we are going to change,” said Cosculluela.
The former governor is also the current sectoral chairman for development administration of NIR’s Regional Development Council (RDC) representing the private sector.
“In the meantime, allow us to work together as a separate region. We’ve already shown we are not only working very well together, we are also accomplishing things together,” said Coscolluela.
Just recently, the RDC approved NIR’s development plan.
“The problem actually is the budget for the NIR agencies. Line agencies are still getting their budgetary allocation from both regions 6 and 7,” he said.
NIR was carved out of Region 6 (Western Visayas) where Negros Occidental originally belonged and Region 7 (Central Visayas) where Negros Oriental was previously aligned.
“There are also problems related to filling up of vacant positions in NIR agencies. Kadamo sang mga officials that are acting lang anay or concurrent,” said Coscolluela.
Negros Occidental’s Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr. recently said no President will sign an executive order creating a new region without legal basis.
NIR was established via an executive order signed by then President Benigno Aquino III in early 2016.
Marañon insisted the Palace’s research and legal staff exercised due diligence in NIR’s creation.
“In the same manner, we in Negros Island went through processes that included island-wide consultations,” the governor said.
He further said: “So that we all get a clearer perspective, maybe we must revisit how the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Autonomous Region were created…how the Caraga and the Mimaropa regions were established.”
NIR is an administrative region, not an autonomous region, Marañon stressed./PN
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