“My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.” – Adlai E. Stevenson
On the 13 of June this year President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law the Negros Island Region – a rebirth. The journey of the NIR was exciting and solicited curiosity among us.
It is an eye opener for me knowing that NIR dates back in the 1980’s, pursued by former governors Bitay Lacson and Emilio Macias II. Their reason: it was unfair and unjust that both provinces are geographically united but administratively separated. However, this pursuit was met with opposition, but later on gained positive feedback and hit a momentum.
CONTINUING PURSUIT AND REBIRTH
The post Lacson-Macias push for NIR did not stop as former governors Rafael Coscolluela and George Arnaiz also followed the two former governors’ advocacy for the creation of the NIR but, again, this was shut down by NEDA saying it was not economically feasible as it required huge budget which the government did not have then, so it did not reach any milestone.
Despite this, proponents of NIR continued underlining its benefits, such as processing of documents with government agencies. Currently, most of government if not all, regional offices in Western Visayas (Region 6) are based in Iloilo, but later some of these established satellite offices in Negros Occidental. This takes time and resources. Also, having a regional office at the center of the island is much easier and convenient defraying bigger expenses and provides bigger opportunities to focus on major concerns in the island such as tourism and agriculture, with an improved planning and administration and efficient and more transparent governance.
Not long enough, on May 29, 2015, then President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order 183 creating the NIR making it the 18th region in the country. But barely a little more than two years as a region, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed his own executive order and effectively abolished the Negros Island Region. Others have opined that this action was a political move because he lost to Mar Roxas in Negros during the 2016 presidential elections. But June 13, 2024 marked the rebirth of NIR making it more solid since its creation is by way of Congress as a Republic Act and not as mere executive order.
FORESEEN IMPACTS
The business sector considers the NIR as a “boon for business” that will enhance businesses, especially tourism and the importance of the ports – both sea and air. These are very much anticipated.
More importantly, I am more curious rather than excited on how agriculture would shape up under NIR. Our major crops – rice and sugarcane, including fisheries, I must expect will play major roles in reshaping the economy of the island of Negros. We have almost half a million hectares of sugarcane production area and approximately a little less than 300,000 hectares of rice production fields.
With the recent SONA of the President underlining the agriculture sector, the NIR should stand tall with the rest of the major agricultural provinces in the country. It is expected therefore that rural development by way of gradual modernization and industrialization must be on their way. An increase of at least 10% to 15% yield annually is expected from rice and sugarcane which means more investments are in order. And, one of the important aspects of our agricultural products is the value added factor for processing and marketing of the products while espousing the continuing mantra of “support local.”
DOWNSIDE
One handicap of the NIR as we speak is that its IRR is still being crafted. However, it was expected that its full implementation will be around the second quarter of 2025, on a more feasible note. While we wait, others just cannot help but complain that it is a delayed process. Secondly, during the last SONA of the President there was no mention of NIR and that its budget shall be taken from the existing NTA’s and local generated income of the three provinces. It is literally the pulling of resources, mainly financial resources.
Also, major infrastructures are an imperative, especially in the centers of the region’s public administration, expectedly Kabankalan City. But more importantly, one of the major economic drivers of NIR must take a head start, agriculture towards rural development. There, infrastructures are a must.
In summary, the NIR’s rebirth is a challenge and an opportunity. A promise to reshape the new region’s future and roll towards development of the three provinces.*
