One-Negros island region 15 Visayas biz groups back plan

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  — At least 15 business groups in the Visayas have committed support on the plan to merge the two Negros provinces-Occidental and Oriental-into one region, according to Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Carbon made this declaration after he and Edward Du, president of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, signed a resolution calling on Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to endorse the proposal favorably to President Benigno Aquino III.

The resolution stated that the members and officers of NOCCI and MBCCI jointly implore Roxas to endorse favorably to Aquino the urgent call of the community of the two provinces to create the One-Negros Island Region.

Carbon said the same resolution will also be endorsed by their counterparts in the Visayas region, including those in the cities of Cebu and Iloilo.

A joint resolution will be endorsed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry to Aquino in October, during the Philippine Business Conference, he said.

Carbon said there are about 200 business groups nationwide, and these groups have signified their interest to support the proposal. "This is big," he said, as he remained optimistic that the plan will be materialized.

Meanwhile, Vice Governors Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental and Edward Mark Macias of Negros Oriental said they were one with the call of the business groups in asking Roxas to act on the one-island proposal.

Lacson said that "as long as we are ready to present the data to support the one-island region," while Macias said that he is hoping that there will be enough time for the creation of the new region before the term of Aquino ends in 2016.  (FREEMAN)