SAN PEDRO, Laguna — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act in Malacañang on Thursday, June 13.
Under Republic Act No. 12000, the NIR annexes the provinces of Negros Occidental, Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.
In his speech, Marcos said that joining the provinces had long been overdue. This is true on Negros Island, where people live on one island but are in separate regions.
“So, for decades now, Negrenses have endured the rigors of sea travel, unnecessary expenses, bureaucratic red tape, [and] inefficiency that this arrangement has brought, especially when there is a need to urgently access government services from regional centers on other islands,” Marcos said.
Marcos pointed out the uneven development of the two provinces that use the same resources.
“Today, thanks to the work of our legislators, the new Negros Island Region will be a bulwark of greater growth, as well as a conduit for more effective and efficient delivery of essential services in the region,” he said.
Marcos highlighted the potential of the NIR as a center of development in the Visayas. By constructing the region, he aims to speed up development and enable strategic convergence, enhancing regional growth and cooperation.
The law aims to unite all the efforts, services, and resources to help the people of Negros.
“I trust that the people of the newly established Negros Island Region will work together to complement each other’s strengths to build a more united and flourishing Negrense community,” Marcos said.
He assured that the national government is in full force in bringing the region up to speed as fast as possible.
In 2015, then President Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 183, which started the initiative to create the NIR.
Rodrigo Duterte, the predecessor of Marcos, abolished the administrative division in 2017. He said that it lacks funding to operate.
The bill received support from officials and business leaders. Yet, residents in Siquijor and the Diocese of Dumaguete criticized it due to a lack of public consultations.
The Diocese of Dumaguete opposed the creation of NIR and asked Marcos to veto the Senate bill due to an alleged lack of proper public consultation.
“Regrettably, the passage of the bill has been marred by a lack of comprehensive information dissemination and meaningful consultation with the diverse sectors and stakeholders of Negros Oriental,” Bishop Julito Cortes said in an open letter to the President last April 15.
Tingog Siquijodnon, a coalition from Siquijor, expressed their concerns about the NIR Act.
The group questioned the sudden inclusion of the island province in the proposed region, allegedly without prior dialogue.
“We claim to be a democracy. The people we elected into office are our representatives. But in this particular instance, where there is representation without consultation, the claim becomes mere lip service and illusory,” the coalition said in a letter sent on May 6.
Before the law, Negros Occidental was part of Region VI while Negros Oriental and Siquijor were under Region VII. This placed their regional centers in Iloilo and Cebu, respectively.
The NIR Act was a priority of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).