MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. yesterday signed the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act, or the Republic Act 12000.
The NIR Act, is expected to significantly contribute to the collective efforts in driving the country forward under a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
“This moves us closer to attaining the vision of a resilient and a progressive and newer Philippines,” President Marcos said during the ceremonial signing of the NIR Act at the Malacañan Palace.
The NIR Act – which establishes the Negros Island Region – will unify the provinces of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, Negros Oriental and Siquijor to promote administration decentralization; strengthen local autonomy; and accelerate economic, cultural and social development.
“This union is long overdue and makes very practical sense, especially in the Negros Island, where people are located on one island but are governed under separate administrative regions,” President Marcos said.
He added: “So, for decades now, Negrenses have endured the rigors of sea travel, unnecessary expenses, bureaucratic red tape, [and] inefficiency that this arrangement has brought, especially when there is a need to urgently access government services from regional centers on other islands.”
The President also noted the glaring uneven growth and disparity of funding between the two provinces, which share many of same natural resources and industries such as sugar, tourism and renewable energy.
President Marcos extended his gratitude to the legislators for passing the law as he emphasized that the new NIR “will be a bulwark of greater growth as well as a conduit for more effective and efficient delivery of essential services in the region.”
“We envision as well the NIR as one of the centers of development in the Visayas, further accelerating socio-economic development for the millions of Negrenses and providing strategic convergence regarding resources, investments, and economic planning,” he said./PN