Negrosanons to Duterte: Save NIR

BACOLOD CITY,, — “Have pity on us. Don’t dissolve Negros Island Region,” came the pleadings of local government officials of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental to President Rodrigo Duterte.

At least 160 NIR local officials—led by Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo—on Monday signed a manifesto asking Duterte to retain the newly created region, while they expressed their support to his advocacy for federalism.

In the manifesto, they said: “Mr. President, we are here to ask your help to allow the Negros Island Region to continue to exist and flourish. As Negrosanons, we need to reinforce our cultural identity which has long been divided by mountains, language, and by the political division of Regions 6 and 7. The Ilonggos have their Panay and Guimaras. The Cebuanos have their Cebu. We plead with you as Negrosanons for us to have our Negros.”

Ten NIR congressmen earlier signed a position paper supporting NIR retention, following statements from Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno that President Duterte is set to repeal former president Benigno Aquino’s executive order (creating the NIR), because of budgetary constraints.

Degamo, who is also the regional chairman of PDP-Laban in the NIR, said, “ we are not appealing for budget but for the existence of NIR.”

Stressing that the voice of the people is the voice of God, Marañon urged Negrosanons to continue on praying that NIR will not be dissolved, and to give the President a clear view, amid opposition by some against the continued existence of NIR, with claims that it will only entail additional burden to the government.

With the appeal, Marañon said he believed that the President “will think twice before signing the dissolution of the NIR.”

The signing of the manifesto, during a consultation forum on Monday at the Negros Occidental Capitol’s social hall, was attended by Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Jesus Hinlo Jr.

It also stated: “We are now experiencing easy access to our regional offices and a more focused and integrated development planning and implementation of programs and projects in order to speedily alleviate the plight of our poor, improve connectivity within the island, promote peace and order and public safety, and enhance agricultural productivity and overall economic performance.

“We believe that the continued existence of NIR will not incur additional cost to the national government and we assure the President that we will be able to effectively function with the status quo on the budget.

“We trust that NIR’s continued existence would level the playing field in terms of development management in the Visayas regions and accelerate the transformation of Negros Island as a showcase of socio-economic progress, in turn encouraging reverse migration and decongestion of Metro Manila.”

Hinlo, who also expressed his support to NIR retention, said he will convey the sentiments of Negros officials to DILG Secretary Ismael “Mike” Sueno, who will personally relay it to Duterte. He also noted that Negros leaders are unanimous for NIR retention.

While Sueno favors the retention of the NIR, Hinlo admitted that there are some in the Cabinet who are for its abolition. Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino filed a resolution Monday directing the appropriate Senate committees to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the national government plans for NIR and its people.

Beyond the short term budget concerns as raised by Secretary Diokno, the senator said there is a need for the national government to consider and assess the broader potential and long term impact of having an administrative center in Negros Island, enabling greater efficiency in the planning and implementation of development projects, and better as well as faster delivery of government services to the Negrosanons.

Abolishing the NIR now would not only disregard and render futile the plans and commitments already made in fulfillment of this aspiration, but also deprive the Negrense people of a critical pathway to economic development and poverty alleviation in the region, Senator Aquino added.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said he will file a bill in the Senate creating by law the Negros Island Region. He said the fight for NIR’s survival will be in the House of Representatives, as he assured that he can muster a majority in the Senate to support the bill.

Representative Arnulfo Teves (3rd district, Negros Oriental), who also attended the NIR consultation, for his part said he will also file a counterpart bill in the Lower House. “Other than our representatives from the NIR, we can readily ask the help of the Visayan bloc,” he said.

The 40-strong Visayan bloc “is more than 10 percent of the House membership,” Teves said, adding that he “does not see any reason why his colleagues in Congress will not support the creation or retention of the NIR.”

NIR was created through Executive Order (EO) 183 signed by then president Aquino on May 29 last year. The establishment of NIR separated Negros Occidental from Western Visayas (Region 6) and Negros Oriental from Central Visayas (Region 7). (FREEMAN)