• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Aiming to make Negros Island Region fully operational in the first quarter of next year, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday said that he will work for a substantial budget for it in 2025, in tandem with the solons of the newly created region.
During the 2025 budget hearing, Zubiri, who principally authored the NIR act in the Senate, said he will ask every department of their specific plans for the new region, in compliance with the NIR law, including their proposed budgets for regional offices.
On Tuesday, President Marcos approved the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which reflects the administration’s priorities, such as food security, social protection, health care, housing, disaster resilience, infrastructure, digital connectivity, and energization.
Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House of Representatives targets the approval of the proposed PHP6.352-trillion 2025 national budget by the end of September this year.
Zubiri said he will ensure that NIR will have a budget allocation for 2025, as he asked Negros Occidental 6th District Rep. Mercedes Alvarez to include him in the meeting of NIR Technical Working Group, who will formulate the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the implementation of the new region, specifically on its budget deliberations.
The membership of the TWG is composed of the Departments of Interior and Local Government, as well as Budget, National Economic Development Authority, governors of the three NIR provinces, and the new region’s solons.
Alvarez said the TWG will have a meeting within this month to discuss the roadmap of the NIR, as the IRR should be formulated within 60 days.
Zubiri said he is also willing to assist various government agencies in putting up their respective regional offices, as he also requested the NIR provinces to identify possible locations of regional offices in their respective areas.
Should there be locations for them, as Zubiri said he will extend some budget for the refurbishment, renovation or construction of the regional offices.
“We need to hit the ground running,” he stressed.
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 Alvarez, will be stationed in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental.
Zubiri and NIR lawmakers also assured Siquijor that they would not be left behind once the new administrative region becomes fully operational by 2025, in response to opposition from some quarters of the inclusion of island province in the new region, citing the alleged lack of consultation and cultural differences.
“I see no reason (to oppose). I’m appealing to them. I’m asking for an apology. Give it a chance, and you will see the difference. If they were not included, they still had to travel all the way to Cebu City (to transact with the regional offices). Imagine how far and dangerous the travel will be,” Zubiri said.
The NIR Act, which aims to promote administration decentralization, strengthen local autonomy, and accelerate economic, cultural, and social development, separates Negros Occidental from Western Visayas (Region 6), and Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Central Visayas (Region 7).
Zubiri, whose paternal side originates from Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, said this time it would only take 20 minutes for Siquijodnons to travel to Dumaguete City, the provincial capital of Negros Oriental that will host the regional offices under the human development and infrastructure clusters.
“Imagine, all the livelihood projects, programs, and funding will be 20 minutes away. These are top-tier departments,” he added.
“Definitely, no province of this new region will be left behind. That is precisely the reason why we came up with this bill that eventually became law – because we believe these three provinces also deserve that much attention from the national government. Rest assured, Siquijor will not be left behind, the same with Negros Oriental and Occidental,” Alvarez said.* with PNA report
