Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson (File photofrom the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental)
BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has echoed the appeal of business leaders on Negros Island for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to issue an executive order (EO) reviving the Negros Island Region (NIR) ahead of the passage of a law on its creation.
Lacson said the creation of the NIR needs another EO similar to what was done by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2015.
“An executive order from the present administration, I think will be sufficient,” he said.
The proposed bill, which was earlier approved by the House committee on local government, mandates that the NIR would be composed of the two Negros provinces and Siquijor. Although Aquino’s EO didn’t include Siquijor, the proposed bill added the island province due to the request of the Siquijor officials.
Appeal
Business leaders on Negros Island recently appealed to Marcos to issue an executive order reviving the NIR.
“As concerned members of the Negros Region business sector, we wish to express our strong support for the reestablishment of a separate, stand-alone and full-fledged region which will encompass Negros and Siquijor islands,” they said in a joint statement.
“It is time for Negrosanons and Siquijornons to be given their own empowered Regional Development Council that would finally provide our regional elected leaders with the sufficient autonomy to unite, plan and execute projects to benefit our own citizens,” they added.
The statement was signed by Edward Du, president of Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI); Roberto Montelibano, MBCCI president; Edgar Sy, president of Bacolod Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Arthur Aguilar, president of Biopower Group of Companies; and Eduardo Jereza, corporate secretary of Negros Economic Development Foundation.
They appealed to Negros lawmakers to pursue the passage of a law creating the unified region so future presidents would not reverse it again by “executive fiat.”
Aquino created the NIR through Executive Order No. 183 in 2015 but former President Rodrigo Duterte reversed it through Executive Order No. 38 two years later.