[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’ ROXAS, HINLO ‘MOURN’ NIR ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – Former Interior secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and Interior undersecretary Jesus V. Hinlo lamented the abolition of the Negros Island Region (NIR).
A one-island region would have been beneficial in many ways to Negrenses, said Roxas, who lobbied for the creation of the NIR when he was being eyed as Liberal Party standard-bearer for the 2016 elections.
But Hinlo, a native of Negros Occidental, urged his fellow Negrenses to respect President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision.
On Aug. 7, Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 38 to revoke EO No. 183 that then President Benigno Aquino III issued on May 29, 2015 to form the NIR.
Hinlo said the administration has other priority programs and projects that compete with NIR operations in terms of funding.
“As a Negrosanon, of course, I am saddened by President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to abolish the NIR,” he said in a statement. “But as a Filipino, I appeal to my fellow Negrosanons to respect the decision of the President.”
EO No. 38 effectively puts Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental back to their former regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas), respectively.
Currently, “the government needs the funds to support its priority programs to address problems in peace and order, education, hospitalization, poverty, and infrastructure,” said Hinlo.
Unifying the two Negros provinces into an island-region was one of Roxas’ pet projects when he was Interior secretary under the Aquino administration.
Supporters of the NIR, especially local officials, hailed the creation of the 18th and newest region in the Philippines as “a dream come true.”
But critics said it was just Aquino’s way to impress the Negrenses and rally support for Liberal Party ally Roxas, who ran for president.
If Roxas were to be believed, the dissolution of the NIR will slow down the development of the two Negros provinces.
“Nanugunan gid ako nga waay madayon ang Negros Island Region. Madamo ang magabenepisyo kung ginpadayon ini. Sayang (It’s sad that Negros Island Region had to be abolished. It would have been beneficial to many),” he said on Twitter.
Roxas is a native of Roxas City in Capiz province.
“With NIR dissolution, mga Negrense will be traveling farther and spending more for services, and Negros Occidental and Oriental development will be slower,” Roxas added.
Roxas previously said the NIR shall have its own regional center so Negrenses will no longer travel to Cebu City or Iloilo City, where most regional offices of national government agencies were located.
Hinlo, a member of Save NIR Movement, said they tried to prevent the abolition but “failed.”
“Although the dream of the Negrosanons to be a one-island region is presently set aside, let us remember that our sacrifice would be for a noble cause,” Hinlo said./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
