Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) said he filed House Bill 330 seeking the restoration of the NIR on Friday, July 1.*
Two Negros Occidental representatives have filed bills seeking the restoration of the Negros Island Region, while a third version is set to be filed in the House of Representatives this week.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said he is also filing his counterpart measure in the Senate on Tuesday, July 5.
Rep. Alfredo Marañon III (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) said on Monday, July 4, that he filed House Bill 330 seeking the restoration of the NIR, which will include Negros Occidental and Oriental, on Friday, July 1.
Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said he has not filed his version of NIR bill that will include the two Negros provinces and Siquijor yet.
He is still waiting for the signatures of the Negros Oriental representatives who will co-author the bill, Benitez said.
Rep. Juliet Marie Ferrer (Neg. Occ., 4th District) has also already filed her bill seeking the creation of the NIR, he said.
All of the bills seeking the creation of the NIR will be consolidated at the committee level for deliberation, Benitez said.
Marañon said the bills seeking the creation of the NIR are likely to be approved by the House since the ten Negros Island representatives and others from the Visayas are supporting it.
He also said if Siquijor wants to join the NIR it is okay with him, it will be good.
Members of the Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives are supporting the bill seeking the creation of the NIR, Benitez said on Friday.
All of the representatives from Cebu and Iloilo registered no objections during the Visayan bloc meeting at the end of the 18th Congress, he said.
Negros Occidental is currently under Region 6 (Western Visayas) and Negros Oriental and Siquijor are under Region 7 (Central Visayas).
Then President Benigno Aquino III issued an executive order creating the NIR that existed from May 29, 2015 to Aug. 9, 2017. It was abolished by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez earlier said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. may issue an executive order reestablishing the NIR ahead of the passage of the bill creating it.*