‘Negros Island Region deserves a chance’

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental 6th District Representative Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang reiterated her support for the revival of the Negros Island Region (NIR), saying it should be given a chance to succeed.

“For me, we should give it a chance. We tried it before, and it worked; there was better coordination,” Alvarez-Lansang told reporters Wednesday evening when asked about the petition filed in the Supreme Court opposing the NIR’s implementation.

She acknowledged that while it is anyone’s right to file a case in court, “we respect that.”

The lawmaker explained that the Supreme Court primarily addresses legal questions and noted that the petition against NIR raised the issue of the absence of a plebiscite for its creation.

“There is no need for a plebiscite because we are not creating a new local government unit. We are just ensuring more efficient delivery of government services,” she said.

Alvarez-Lansang expressed concern that the NIR implementation could be delayed if the Supreme Court issues a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), “which until now they have not.”

She added that the Technical Working Group has agreed to approve the NIR’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) through an ad referendum process to expedite the process.

“It would be hard to have a ceremonial signing because we have to align everyone’s schedule,” she said.

Alvarez-Lansang also emphasized that the IRR includes provisions allowing regional department offices to establish satellite offices in other provinces.

The law, Republic Act 12000, already specifies where the regional offices will be located, but she noted that amending the law later would be difficult.

“We are doing this to ensure smoother coordination and better service delivery,” she said.