BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental’s Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer preferred establishing the Negros Island Region (NIR) via a law than just an executive order (EO) from the President.
The business sector is pushing for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to issue an EO similar to the one issued by then President Benigno Aquino III creating NIR.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has made known his preference for an EO, too.
According to Ferrer, it is better to wait for the NIR bill to become a law; it is already in the House of Representatives and the Senate anyway, he pointed out.
He said a law on NIR would ensure that the new region would have better funding.
Earlier this month, a substitute bill seeking the reestablishment of the NIR hurdled the House Committee on Local Government.
Under the proposed bill the NIR will include the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor island.
The substitute bill was submitted by Negros Occidental 1st District’s Cong. Gerardo Valmayor Jr., 2nd District’s Cong. Alfredo “Thirdy” Marañon III, 3rd District’s Cong. Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez, 4th District’s Cong. Juliet Ferrer, 5th District’s Cong. Emilio “Dino” Yulo, 6th District’s Cong. Mercedes “Cheding” Alvarez-Lansang, and Bacolod City’s Cong. Greg Gasataya.
Aside from the House of Representatives, its counterpart bill in the Senate, Senate Bill 1236, authored by Sen. JV Ejercito, has already hurdled the Senate Committee on Local Government in December of last year.
The NIR was first established through an EO issued by then President Aquino in 2015. But it was dissolved by his successor, then President Duterte, in 2017 due to the high cost of maintaining the region./PN
