By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

As Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo had been formally laid to rest on Thursday, March 16, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson would resume talks about the Negros Island Region (NIR) as soon as he gets in touch with his new counterpart, Negros Oriental Governor Carlo Jorge Joan Reyes.

Lacson said it is possible that Reyes may have reshuffled some of his staff in the governor’s office.

He hopes that he would be able to talk with Reyes at the soonest available time, even if it should be made via phone call.

Prior to his assassination on March 4, Degamo expressed his opposition to the re-establishment of the NIR.

Among the factors he pointed out as to why he is against the NIR revival are unequal voting within the Regional Development Council (RDC) should the region be established, political dominance of Negros Occidental, and a “cultural barrier” between the two Negros provinces.

The late Degamo did not fully object to reestablishing the region, but he forwarded a counter-proposal to create another province in Negros to address the unequal voting in the RDC.

Degamo’s counter-proposal raised eyebrows among lawmakers in Negros.

Business leaders in Negros Occidental also proposed giving the RDC chairmanship to the late governor.

The NIR bill has already passed for final reading in the House of Representatives and it was forwarded to the Senate for action.

If enacted, the NIR would be an amalgamation of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces./DGB, WDJ