Two senators who authored the landmark law that created the Negros Island Region denied on Sunday, Sept. 1, the claim that it is unconstitutional, and said they hope those opposing it instead see the benefits that the NIR will bring.
Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Joseph Victor Ejercito, principal authors of Republic Act 12000 (Negros Island Region Act) that unifies the provinces of Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor into one administrative region, were reacting to a petition filed before the Supreme Court on Friday, August 30.
Six Negros Oriental and Siquijor residents in their petition asked the SC to halt the implementation of the NIR Act, and to declare it unconstitutional.
“I still have to read the objections of the petitioners but when we legislate measures, we always make sure of the constitutionality of each piece of legislation,” Zubiri told DIGICAST NEGROS.
The NIR is not only constitutional, it is necessary to bring in more development to the region, he said.
“As the principal author and sponsor of the Bangsamoro Organic Law which created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, I strongly believe that the NIR is constitutional and implementable. We appeal to the naysayers to give it a chance for the development of our beloved Region,” Zubiri said.
Ejercito told DIGICAST NEGROS that it is sad that some people are trying to block the implementation of the new region since the aim in creating it is to make government services more efficient and more accessible to the people in the provinces that comprise the NIR.
“The NIR is expected to stimulate economic growth as it will definitely attract investments by making ease of doing business a reality,” he said.
“I am hoping that this would be realized by those who oppose the landmark law,” Ejercito added.
This is a landmark measure for Negros and Siquijor, and its sad that some people refuse to see the benefits, he said.
The petition seeking to nullify the NIR was filed versus the Republic of the Philippines through the Office of the Solicitor General by petitioners Fr. Hendrix C. Alar, Dr. Maria Lina R. Eparwa, Engr. Wilfredo L. Magallano and lawyers Marcelino C. Maxino, Jose Imaculado L. Palmitos, and Grace A. Sumalpong.
The 65-page petition seeks the issuance of a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction on the implementation of the NIR and for it to be declared unconstitutional.
“The people of Negros Oriental and Siquijor are being legally compelled to accept a law that materially alters their way of life, unduly burdens their local government units, and forces them to be part of an aggrupation with people they have little historical or cultural affinity with,” the petitioners said.
The creation of the NIR would place the petitioners and the people of Negros Oriental and Siquijor at a serious disadvantage, they said.
Negros Occidental previously belonged to Western Visayas (Region VI) and Negros Oriental and Siquijor to Central Visayas (Region VII).
The creation of the NIR regional offices has started and the new region is expected to be fully operational by next year.*