By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The local business sector in the Negros Island Region (NIR) appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to not close down the various regional offices which have already set up shop in the region.
Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) President Edward Du said they are urging the president to convert regional offices into satellite offices, in order to alleviate the need for residents to cross to Iloilo City or Cebu City to secure government papers.
Du added, the move will also save the jobs of government officials who would be affected by the executive order abolishing the NIR.
NOCCI, along with the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), will be forwarding a position paper to the Office of the President in order to make the request.
In all there are 32 NIR government offices, with 14 located in Bacolod City, while 16 are in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental.
Last week, Duterte signed Executive Order No. 38, which dissolved the NIR.
The dissolution stemmed from Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s claim the region’s retention would cost the national government P19 billion.
NIR was originally created following an executive order signed by former President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2015./WDJ