By JEN BAYLON

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will sign the Negros Island Region (NIR) bill into law “within a few days,” Senator Imee Marcos said during the launch of the 28th Panaad sa Negros Festival at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City on Monday, April 15.

Imee said the NIR will bring services closer to Negrenses, as “things will only get better for Negros.”

The senator believes that the proposed region will proceed as planned, amid opposition from the Diocese of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental.

She added that the issues raised by the diocese have been addressed.

“I think those qualms, doubts, assertions have really been laid to rest,” she said.

Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete, in his letter, urged Marcos to veto Senate Bill 2507, establishing the NIR, due to “lack of information dissemination and the absence of public consultation with diverse sectors and stakeholders.”

They also cited reasons for opposing the NIR establishment, such as “disproportionate impact” on less privileged sectors, unequal distribution of resource allocation and representation, and the threat to exacerbate existing inequalities.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson was confident that Marcos would sign the NIR bill into law.

Lacson said the diocese in Negros Oriental should be provided with all the necessary information about the NIR bill to make an informed decision.

He noted that the diocese’s position seems similar to their initial concern about Negros Oriental being considered inferior to Negros Occidental.

The Senate passed the NIR bill on the third and final reading in March of this year, creating a new region consisting of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor./JB, WDJ