Palace abolishes Negros Island Region in new EO

President Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order (EO) revoking the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR).

Duterte signed EO 38 on Monday, revoking EO 183 issued during the Aquino administration, which created the Negros Island Region—collapsing into one region Negros Occidental (Region VI) and Negros Oriental (Region VII) known as the NIR, the 18^th and newest region in the country.

READ: Aquino creates Negros Island Region thru EO

“The provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental shall revert to Region VI and VII, respectively,” the EO read, separating once again the Occidental and Oriental provinces.

The EO said the establishment of regional offices of departments and agencies in the NIR requires substantial appropriation to be fully operational, thus, competing with government priority programs and projects for funding.

The new EO ordered regional councils and offices to return to their previous units of deployment or to be reassigned to other offices.

Government operations in the NIR, the EO said, should be done within 60 days.

It added that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) would supervise the reversion of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental provinces to Regions VI and VII. JPV

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