By JEN BAYLON

The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Negros Island Region (NIR) are scheduled to be signed this August.

Negros Occidental 5th District Representative Emilio Bernardino Yulo said the IRR is targeted to be signed by the governors of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor in the third week of this month.

The signing will take place in Siquijor.

The IRR, which includes the NIR roadmap, was finalized during the Technical Working Group’s (TWG) meeting at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Friday, August 9, attended by governors and representatives from Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

The officials also agreed during the meeting on the proposal to establish satellite or sub-regional offices in the three NIR provinces.

Yulo said the designation of regional government agencies will depend on its secretaries.

Upon IRR signing, the transition plan will be implemented and submitted to the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the TWG.

Yulo noted that the IRR includes provisions for budgetary needs, which may involve temporary funding from existing budgets of government agencies or exploring additional funding sources.

He said they may still use their allocations from Western and Central Visayas, since no budget was allocated for NIR in the proposed 2025 national budget.

Earlier, Yulo recommended NIR’s previous setup — during its first implementation in 2015 — for the transition period.

The NIR was initially established in 2015 through Executive Order (EO) 183 by former President Benigno Aquino III, but it was abolished by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017 through EO 38./JB, WDJ