By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Monday that the idea of having sub-regions while the establishment of the Negros Island Region is still in the works in Congress and in the Senate is a welcome move.
The governor told reporters here that “when you say sub-regions that means the different offices of the different departments will be established here, if that is so, that is good, then again we don’t have to travel to Iloilo which is also one of the main reason why we would have wanted an NIR.”
“That alone is already a big improvement,” Lacson said.
However, he said the question is whether “first, will we have our own Regional Development Council and second, who will man or what will be the rank of the government personnel who will be manning the offices here in Negros Occidental?”
The governor also said that he understands it will be temporary adding that “what we want really is to have the NIR.”
“We prefer to have our region,” he reiterated.
Earlier, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, who chairs the Regional Development Council 6, said the fastest way to move forward while the proposed Negros Island Region bill is being deliberated by Congress, is the creation of Region 6A for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, and Region 7A for Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Benitez said during a press conference Friday that various departments, especially the Department of Budget and National Economic Development Authority, are pushing for the creation of two sub-regions, with proposed NIR plus Siquijor, being discussed in the House of Representatives.
Its creation forces all national offices to put up their respective satellite offices in two sub-regions, he further said.
What we are discussing now, Benitez said “is the degree of autonomy of the sub-region”.
As far as RDC 6 is concerned, Benitez said “that is a win-win solution”.
For Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, there is no need to cross to Iloilo in order to transact business with the regional offices if they already have satellite offices here”, Benitez said.
All Negros Island solons, as well as that of Siquijor, either authored or co-sponsored similar bills creating NIR which was abolished during the administration of then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
