Senate assures NIR passage

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Juan Victor Ejercito on Tuesday assured that the proposed Negros Island Region (NIR) has a big chance to be approved in the Senate.

Ejercito, chair of the Senate Local Government committee, told reporters that his committee will start the hearing next week of the proposed NIR, which is also co-authored by several senators.

Zubiri said the proposed NIR is among his 10 priority bills in the chamber.

Negros Occidental 2nd district Rep. Alfredo Maranon III, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer are also pushing for the creation of one island Negros region, while Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez wants to include Siquijor in the new region.

Zubiri and Ejercito said that they will do their best to approve it at the committee level by the first quarter of next year.

“I will prioritize it, since my mother, who is a Negrense, will be angry with me,” Ejercito said in jest.

Both Zubiri and Ejercito have family roots in the cities of Kabankalan and Silay, respectively.

Negros Occidental 6th district Rep. Mercedes Alvarez earlier said that she will study the proposal of the Department of Budget and Management, as well as the National Economic Development Authority to create sub-regions for Regions 6 and 7.

As proposed by DBM and NEDA, Negros Occidental will compose Region 6A, while Negros Oriental and Siquijor will belong to Region 7A.

But Alvarez said the proposal has yet to be brought up with the Technical Working Group that she chairs.

The TWG was tasked by the House committee on Local Government to consolidate all the proposed NIR bills.

Marañon earlier disclosed that the TWG is still discussing the consolidated NIR bills, which he initially called the Siquijor, Negros Region (SNR).