By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A lawmaker said she would study the Negros Island Region (NIR) bill if it is a good idea before committing it.

Senator Imee Marcos said she hasn’t studied the NIR bill yet, but she has already heard about it.

Marcos added she is not in a position to either say yes or no to the passage of the bill.

However, she pointed out that the NIR is a good idea as it would improve the delivery of goods and services from the government.

Marcos also commented that the bill will serve as a good opportunity for the Negrenses to stick together and have a louder voice in the sugar industry, infrastructure division and government efforts to extend safety nets to the poor and marginalized sectors.

Earlier this week, the NIR bill passed the third and final reading in the House of Representatives.

The law has now been forwarded to the Senate for appropriate action.

If enacted, the NIR will be comprised by the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

The NIR Act of 2022, or Senate Bill 1236, was already cleared in the Committee on Local Government in December last year.

Meanwhile, the talks about NIR re-establishment have been put on hold following the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo last Saturday, March 4.

Degamo previously voiced his opposition to the NIR revival, and said he wants to form a third province on Negros Island first prior to agreeing to the law.

Some reasons the late governor gave were Negros Occidental’s “political dominance,” unequal voting within the Regional Development Council meetings, and the “cultural barrier.”

NIR was first established through an executive order issued by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2015.

It was dissolved by his successor, then President Rodrigo Duterte, in 2017 due to the high cost of maintaining the region./DGB, WDJ