Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he did not sign the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 12000 or the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act.
Benitez said his reason for not signing the IRR was the provision did not include the establishment of satellite offices in the provinces.
“We wanted the NIR to be a model region where all departments and agencies would have the capability to do transactions wherever and whenever,” Benitez said.
He lamented that this was not the same as agreed during their meeting regarding the NIR Act earlier.
Benitez said NIR offices should be accessible for residents of the three provinces in the NIR, such as Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
For Benitez, the construction of satellite offices does not require buildings and full manpower.
The regional government offices will use technology to reach people without incurring large expenses.
A satellite office does not have to be a complete office — it can be a desk, which they agreed on, he added.
It could have a physical or virtual presence.
“This can be done without any cost,” Benitez said.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental 6th District Representative Mercedes Alvarez also did not sign the IRR for the same reason.
Alvarez said she pushed for the inclusion of a provision that satellite offices will be set up in the NIR provinces where regional offices of government agencies are not located.
This was approved during their Technical Working Group meeting, she added.
Earlier this month, Negros Occidental Governor Jose Eugenio Lacson, Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria, and other members of the Technical Working Group signed the IRR.
Transition to NIR
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the transition to NIR in Bacolod City is expected to be completed by December.
DILG Assistant Regional Director Teodora Sumagaysay said preparations are ongoing for the transition from Western Visayas and Central Visayas.
The DILG is anticipated to be fully operational in Bacolod by January 2025, she added.
Sumagaysay added that while technical and administrative staff have not yet been finalized, the office is open to designating personnel from their offices in Western Visayas and Central Visayas as supporting staff.
No new positions have been created or filled yet, as President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has not signed the required staffing.
Last June 13, Marcos Jr. signed the NIR Act, creating an administrative region comprising Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The NIR Act separates Negros Occidental from Western Visayas, and Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Central Visayas./WDJ