Negros Occ. officials confident Marcos Jr. will sign NIR Bill

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – Leaders of Negros Occidental are optimistic President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will enact the bill reinstating the Negros Island Region (NIR).

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, addressing reporters, conveyed his hope that “the President will sign that into law before his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this year.” He considers the Senate’s unanimous consent, led by Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, as “a promise fulfilled.”

Acknowledging the Senate’s approval as a positive step, Lacson noted that “we all know there will be a lot of work to be done,” including determining the locations for the regional center and national government agency offices.

He envisions that “initially we will have temporary sites but eventually we will have permanent sites,” referencing a potential site on a 25-hectare provincial government property in Talisay City.

Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer shared his positive outlook, saying, “As far as its passage into law is concerned we are already at 98 percent and I am really hopeful the President will sign it into law.”

Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, president of the Association of Chief Executives in the province, was also confident, expressing his anticipation for the presidential signature: “We are really hoping that His Excellency President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign it into law,” buoyed by the bill’s Senate success.

Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, the mayor’s uncle, echoed this sentiment, saying over the weekend, “I’m assuming the President will sign. I hope he does.”