“Give it a chance. Allow Negros Island Region [NIR] to be implemented.”
This was how Negros Occidental 6th District Representative Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang reacted after six petitioners from Negros Oriental and Siquijor sought a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court (SC) on the recently enacted law establishing the NIR.
“All we want is that the services of the national government will be more efficient,” Alvarez, one of the authors of the NIR Law, said yesterday.
She pointed out that they did not create new political positions or a new local government unit in the newly established region.
“We followed all procedures,” Alvarez said.
“No need for a plebiscite. It is only the administrative aspect of government,” the lawmaker added.
Meanwhile, 5th District Representative Emilio Bernardino Yulo believes that there is no substantial issue to stop the implementation of the NIR.
Yulo said that there was a consultation before NIR was enacted into law.
“There is no law requiring a plebiscite in creating an administrative region, except in the creation or settlement of boundaries among local government units,” Yulo said.
Both Negrense lawmakers said they respect the rights of petitioners to seek SC’s help if they believe that NIR’s enactment is “unconstitutional.”
Earlier, six petitioners sought a temporary restraining order from the SC on the implementation of NIR.
Petitioners Rev. Father Hendrix Alar, Lina Eparwa, Wilfredo Magallano, Marcelino Maxino, Jose Imaculado Palmitos, and Grace Sumalpong sought a writ of preliminary injunction and a status quo ante order from the SC on Friday afternoon, August 30, which aims to restore the previous setup of the region before the enactment of the NIR Law.
They claimed that the establishment and revival of NIR was “illegal” due to its lack of public consultations and failure to follow standard legislative processes.
The petitioners said they are left with no other recourse “but to seek urgent relief from the Honorable Court to halt the implementation of this unconstitutional act.”/WDJ