By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

During a recent speech at the SMX Convention Center, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino said development projects for the Visayas are on the way, including some for the Negros Island Region (NIR).
Aside from housing plans for low-income families, construction and maintenance of infrastructure projects, and additional benefits for law enforcement and military stationed in the region, there are also flood control plans for Bacolod City and San Enrique and an irrigation project for Bacong in Negros Oriental.
Dino noted, under the previous administration, both the Visayas and Mindanao received a “meager cut” from the national budget, with the Visayas reportedly allocated nine percent.
The presidential assistant also managed to lobby for the inclusion of Metro Cebu under the Transportation Crisis Act of 2016, which is an emergency power sought by President Rodrigo Duterte in order to respond to traffic problems, he pointed out.
Under the said act, Metro Cebu is slated to receive its very first light railway line and a subway system connecting Cebu City with Mactan-Cebu International Airport./WDJ