Marcos ready to sign law creating Negros Island Region

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared he would be signing into law the Negros Island Region (NIR) bill that would create Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor into one administrative region.

The President, in an interview at the inauguration of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Backbone Project at the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines substation in this city on Monday, said he backed the creation of the NIR to bring government services closer to the people.

Both chambers in Congress earlier approved bills seeking the creation of the NIR.

READ: Senate okays Negros Island Region bill

READ: Senate to check economic viability of putting up Negros Island Region

Senate version

The House of Representatives, which approved its NIR bill in March 2023, adopted the Senate version in March this year, which was to be transmitted to the Office of the President for his signature.

Marcos said it makes sense to have an NIR because it is difficult for the two provinces on Negros Island to promptly receive government services in the current regional centers.

Negros Occidental currently belongs to Western Visayas, with its regional center based in Iloilo City, which will require a ferry travel to cross to Panay Island for those from the province who need to transact businesses that will require the approval from the government’s regional agencies.

Negros Oriental, the other half of Negros Island, and the island province of Siquijor are under Central Visayas. Their regional centers are also located across the sea in Cebu City and its neighboring metropolitan cities.

‘Good idea’

Marcos agreed it would be very hard to bring government services to the people when the regional offices are far.

“It’s probably a good an idea, even if only for that, I think I will sign it (NIR Act),” the country’s top executive told reporters here.

Under the proposed NIR Act, the regional offices will be divided between Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, creating new growth areas.

A statement from said the NIR is expected to contribute to the region’s ease-of-doing business by empowering residents and instilling investor confidence in its capacity to facilitate efficient government transactions.

In 1890, the island under the Spanish rule was officially partitioned into the present-day provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

NIR, not a new concept

The NIR is not a new concept, having been first discussed in the 1990s during the administration of then President Fidel Ramos (1992 to 1998), with then Gov. Daniel Lacson of Negros Occidental and the late Gov. Emilio Macias of Negros Oriental pushing for its creation.

However, the proposal did not take off because Ramos had said the National Economic and Development Authority was reluctant to endorse their proposal due to the costs it would entail to set up government offices in the new region, former Negros Occidental Gov. Rafael Coscolluela recalled sometime in 2013.

In 2013, Coscolluela and later then Gov. Alfredo Marañon were among the political leaders from both Negros provinces who again sought to revive the one-island region proposal.

It was not until 2015 when the NIR was established through Executive Order No. 183 issued by then President Benigno Aquino III. However, the operation of the new region was short-lived as it was abolished in 2017 by former President Rodrigo Duterte through Executive Order No. 38.

After Mr. Marcos has taken over the presidency, Negros officials once again lobbied for the creation of the NIR, which finally passed through both chambers of Congress in March, with Siquijor now part of the new region.