• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito yesterday said that the Senate Committee on Local Government is set to resume the hearing on the proposed Negros Island Region.
Ejercito, who chairs the Senate local government committee, said that they want to make sure that Negros Oriental is in favor of the creation of a new region.
Former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo had previously opposed the creation of NIR, citing cultural differences, among others.
Under the proposed new region, it be will composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and island province of Siquijor.
The House of Representatives recently approved the NIR bill on its third and final reading. One more hearing, then TWG (Technical Working Group) already, said Ejercito, who co-authored the NIR bill in the Senate.
Newly designated Negros Oriental Governor Carlo Jorge Joan “Guido” Reyes has yet to make public his stand on NIR creation.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier said that he is planning to reach out Reyes, to discuss the creation of NIR.
Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (2nd district, Negros Occ.) earlier said that they will visit the Senate to meet with their counterparts who are also pushing for the creation of a new Visayas region.
The inclusion of Siquijor Province in the proposed NIR, is “logical and practical” due to its proximity and cultural similarities to Negros Island, said the Negros solons, who co-authored the NIR bill.
The NIR bill was among the 23 of 31 bills listed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), as priority under the Marcos administration, according to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The 23 bills approved by the House of Representatives have already been transmitted to the Senate.
Romualdez said 31 LEDAC priority measures, collectively called the Common Legislative Agenda (CLA) of Malacañang, Senate, and the House of Representatives, were drawn up from dozens of legislative measures filed in Congress since the start of the 19th Congress in July last year.
The priority bills, he said, aim to further stimulate economic activities, create job opportunities, reduce poverty and provide better health care services for Filipinos.
“We have done our share in passing important pieces of legislation that will help the country recover from the crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and external shocks that adversely affect the economy and the nation,” he said. “That was our commitment during the series of meetings at LEDAC. That is our continuing commitment to the Filipino people.”
The LEDAC’s priority measures were also among those enumerated by Marcos in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July last year, Romualdez added.* with PNA reports
