Aquino vows to sign one-Negros EO
BACOLOD CITY—President Benigno Aquino III has promised to sign an executive order creating a new region for Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
In an interview with reporters here on Thursday, the President said he was just waiting for the draft on the proposed Negros Island Region (NIR). “As soon as I receive that, I’ll sign the executive order,” he said.
During the inauguration of the Negros First Cyber Center (NFCC) in the city, Aquino met with Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and other officials of the island. The two governors gave him assurance that all contentious issues had been dealt with.
Negros officials have been pushing for the creation of the NIR to replace the current administrative setup: Negros Occidental is part of Western Visayas which is based in Iloilo, while Negros Oriental is part of Central Visayas, which is based in Cebu City.
Aquino said the governors would submit to him a draft of the proposed NIR. Asked when he might sign the executive order, he said: “I was hoping we’re talking within weeks, not months.”
In his speech during the inauguration of the NFCC, Aquino said he was supporting the NIR because it would hasten progress. “There is logic in creating an island region where the resources will be divided only by two provinces,” he said.
“Negros Occidental is currently part of Western Visayas that has six provinces, and Negros Oriental is part of Central Visayas that has four so the pie is divided more ways,” Aquino said.
From Bacolod, the President flew by helicopter to Cebu where he was scheduled to spend Labor Day. He will face young job-seekers at a mall, inspect facilities of a new hospital, and attend the inauguration of the expansion project of a cement plant.
He will be accompanied by Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and nine other Cabinet members, who are expected to arrive at J. Center Mall in Mandaue City about 10 a.m. for JobStart Philippines, a new program of the Department of Labor and Employment in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency, Asian Development Bank and the local government units.
In Barangay Subangdaku, also in Mandaue, the President will inspect the new facility of University of Cebu Medical Center, a 12-story hospital worth P2 billion, which will be operational by the third quarter of this year. The hospital has 300-bed capacity.
From Mandaue, Mr. Aquino will travel by land to Naga City, 21.7 kilometers from Cebu City, to grace the inauguration of Cemex Philippines’ New Mill Facility Markers at the company’s Cement Mills-3 area of the Apo Cement Plant.
The P3-billion facility has been fully operational since June last year, increasing the Apo plant’s capacity by 40 percent, or 1.5 million metric tons per year.
