The fund allocation for the newly-established Negros Island Region (NIR) is not included in the national budget for 2025.

This was revealed by presidential sister, Senator Imee Marcos.

According to Marcos, even before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the law establishing the NIR in June of this year, the 2025 National Expenditure Program was planned and completed.

Marcos said NIR’s proposed P3.6 billion budget allocation for three years did not meet the deadline.

“While the P1.2 billion budget for each year, within a period of three years, is embedded in the law, it is nowhere to be found in the proposed 2025 budget,” Marcos said.

The budget was supposed to be used to build regional offices for government agencies.

“We need to come up with a game plan so that we can include it in the [budget] deliberations,” she said.

“I am hopeful that we can discuss it with the President,” the senator added.

Last week, Malacañang submitted the P6.352 trillion budget proposal for 2025 to Congress.

Senator Marcos was in Bacolod City on Thursday, August 1, as she was invited as guest speaker at the assembly of the Philippine Councilors League.

The senator also discussed the concern with Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer and Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria.

‘Birth pain’

Meanwhile, Sagarbarria said that the budget non-inclusion is a “birth pain” of the newly-established NIR, stating that it’s not going to be instant.

“I hope the budget will really come, since the P1.2 billion for each year is included in the law,” Sagarbarria said.

He said he anticipates more economic developments in NIR during the transition period, which may take about three years.

The first meeting of the technical working group, which will draft the implementing rules and regulations for NIR, is scheduled next week./WDJ