Better alternative than Negros Island Region? Urban planners push for inter-island infra links

DUMAGUETE CITY , Philippines  — Urban planners, among them were former Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo and Doctor Efren Padilla, presented to the media what they called a "better option" to the much-touted One Negros Island Region plan.

Remollo is a lawyer from Negros Oriental who served as chief executive officer of Clark Development Corporation under the Aquino administration but left to join a group of master planners in creating economic zones for more jobs for Filipinos in the countryside.

Remollo said that while urban planners were not opposed to the One-Negros Island Region plan, they are looking at a more doable, perhaps less costly and more beneficial plan to boost economic activity on the island.

"The idea is not bad per se but instead of having a new region and spending more money (in creating it), we might as well draw the full potential and benefit from Cebu City, which is the most progressive city outside of Manila, and Iloilo City, where there is currently a huge ongoing development there," Remollo said.

The Remollo proposal is to connect the islands in Region 6 and Region 7 via infrastructures like bridges and a massive "interstate" highway on Negros Island, and provide convenient transport and travel access to and from these islands.

Remollo said building bridges to connect the islands is possible, noting that the nearest point from Sibulan town in Negros Oriental to Liloan town in Cebu is just about four kilometers; from Cebu to Bohol about six kilometers, from Bacolod City in Negros Occidental to Guimaras about 10 kilometers; and from Guimaras to Iloilo about less than two kilometers.

The longest inter-island connection via a bridge in the Central and Western Visayas regions would be that from Siquijor to Dumaguete at 18 kilometers. "Still, this is physically possible because the longest bridge in the world spans around 26 kilometers," Remollo said.

The "tourism corridor" that these urban planners are recommending would also include a wide "trans-central" highway from Basay town in Negros Oriental (the farthest town on the southern tip of the island) and cutting through the middle of Negros Island all the way to its northern tip in Cadiz City of Negros Occidental, he said.

Local government units would benefit from these infrastructures if they would cooperate by also constructing their own feeder roads that would link them to the "trans-central" highway, Remollo added.

"The idea of a strategic economic zone inter-connecting the islands would bolster Negros Island and become a tourism hub, being in the center of the two Visayas regions, aside from generating jobs and benefitting other sectors like agriculture," Remollo explained.

When asked about funding, Remollo said the Philippines has plenty of money, with about P350-billion in savings as declared by President Benigno Aquino III last year.

If a comprehensive master plan of such proposal is submitted to the national government for funding, perhaps the president or national government agencies can be convinced to support the project, he said, adding that it would be a matter of presenting this plan to the leaders and stakeholders of the two Negros provinces.

All this, however, will entail a long and tedious process, such as presenting this proposal to the governors and congressmen of Negros, designing a master plan and holding consultations.

Remollo said he and his group are willing to sit down with the officials and stakeholders to discuss the proposal and in the crafting of a master plan, although he could not give cost estimates for such project yet.

There has not been any clamor from the public for a new Negros Island Region, and only the political leaders have been pushing for this, said Remollo, citing the ongoing consultation on the proposed merger.

Remollo, while still mayor of Dumaguete, had worked with Dr. Padilla, an internationally renowned and United States-based urban and regional planner. (FREEMAN)