• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The soon to vacated offices of the Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center at the Paglaum Sports Complex in Bacolod City, can be used temporarily as regional offices of Negros Island Region, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson disclosed yesterday.
That was the response of Lacson to the request of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, the principal author of the NIR act in the Senate, for the NIR provinces to identify possible locations of regional offices in their respective areas.
Lacson said the NOLITC is up for transfer to its campus in Talisay City.
Agencies that will hold regional offices in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental include the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Department of National Defense, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission on Audit, and Commission on Elections.
The remaining regional offices, according to Zubiri and Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, will be stationed in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Alvarez said she is hoping that DA will have its regional office at the Central Philippine State University (CPSU) area in Brgy. Tagukon, Kabankalan City, which is an agricultural school with a vast reservation area.
Mayor Benjie Miranda earlier said that a 500-hectare area inside the CPSU reservation is still available as a site for the regional offices of NIR.
Zubiri also disclosed on Wednesday that he is willing to assist various government agencies in putting up their respective regional offices.*
