By JEN BAYLON
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson announced that the Negros Island Region (NIR) is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
This statement was made after a recent coordination conference hosted by Negros Occidental, where regional directors of various government agencies in NIR gathered.
According to Lacson, the meeting directed regional directors to finalize their operational manuals in preparation for the first Regional Development Council meeting, which is set to take place after the May 12 midterm elections.
“The regional directors are given a task to repair their respective manual operations, which they have to finish by the second quarter,” Lacson explained.
He noted that the target is to fill the required 50 percent of the personnel for regional offices by 2026 and complete the staffing by 2027.
Almost all agencies have appointed regional directors for the NIR.
“In 2027, that is when the personnel of each department will be fully occupied,” Lacson said.
Currently, NIR is functioning but still relies on funding from Western and Central Visayas.
The IRR of Republic Act (RA) 12000, which established NIR, was published last February 3, and was formalized on February 18.
RA 12000, or the NIR Act, separates Negros Occidental from Western Visayas, as well as Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Central Visayas, following its enactment in June 2024.
Among the government agencies that have already established their regional offices in NIR are the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Commission on Elections (Comelec), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Initially, the technical working group for NIR said 16 regional offices would be located in Negros Oriental’s Dumaguete City.
These are the Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, DOH, Commission on Higher Education, Civil Service Commission, PSA, Professional Regulation Commission, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Department of Transportation.
Meanwhile, 14 regional offices will be established in Negros Occidental, which include DA, DAR, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, Department of Justice, DILG, Philippine National Police, Department of National Defense, OCD, Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Commission on Audit, and Comelec./JB, WDJ