INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Sen. JV Ejercito, met with the governors and vice governors of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor to discuss the pending Senate proposal to merge the provinces under a single administrative region.
In a statement on Friday, Zubiri said there is a need to merge the said provinces, noting that the situation in Negros is ecoming a burden to many locals.
“Imagine that you live in Negros Occidental. If you want to run a government transaction, you have no choice but to travel all the way to Iloilo,” said Zubiri.
“As if the expense and the hassle of regular travel is not enough, at the slightest weather disturbance, these Ro-Ro ships may pause their operations. So what will our countrymen do? They will spend on accommodations in no time. The current administrative set-up here in Regions VI and VII is really problematic,” he added in English and Filipino.
Negros Occidental is under Region VI (Western Visayas) while Negros Oriental and Siquijor are under Region VII (Central Visayas) respectively.
Other officials who attended the meeting were Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo, Governor Bong Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidental, Governor Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria and Vice Governor Jake Reyes of Negros Oriental and Siquijor Governor Jake Villa.
Earlier this year, Zubiri said if not vetoed, the bill seeking the creation of Negros Island is on track to become the end of the year. (Harold Hernandez, INQUIRER.net trainee)