• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson yesterday said that he is leaving it to the Supreme Court to decide on the petition to nullify the Negros Island Region Act, which was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
A group of Negros Oriental and Siquijor residents led by Rev. Fr. Hendrix Alar have filed a petition for the issuance of a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court (SC), claiming that the creation of NIR was illegal, as it was not submitted to the people through a plebiscite, nor was a public consultation held.
It’s a free country. Anybody can file a petition before the SC when they want to. But it will be up to SC to decide what is best, and how to treat that petition, Lacson said.
Stressing that the required procedures have been strictly followed, Negros Island Representatives Mercedes Alvarez, Emilio Bernardino Yulo, Jocelyn Limcaichong, and Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria have defended the formulation and approval of Republic Act 12000, or the Negros Island Region.
The NIR Internal Rules and Regulations (IRR) are being readied for signing by Lacson, Sagarbarria, Siquijor Gov. Jake Vincent Villa, and Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr.
Contrary to the claims, many are saying that NIR is good for the three provinces, Lacson said.
Sagarbarria earlier disputed claims of insufficient public consultations, stating that the rebirth of the NIR only involved adding the island-province of Siquijor to the previously established NIR.
He also said that public consultations had already taken place before the initial creation of NIR by the late President Benigno Simeon Aquino III through Executive Order No. 183.
Alvarez said that the purpose of creating the NIR is more for efficiently bringing services from the national government to the people.
Yulo also believes that there is “no substantial issue to stop the implementation of the NIR.”*
