If the Supreme Court issues a temporary restraining order on the Negros Island Region, it would delay the timeline for its full implementation, Rep. Emilio Yulo III (Neg. Occ., 5th District) said.
It will really be up to the SC to decide on the petition of six Negros Oriental and Siquijor residents before the SC to halt the implementation of Republic Act 12000 or the Negros Island Region Act, and to declare it unconstitutional, he said.
Yulo, co-author of the bill creating the NIR, reiterated that consultations were conducted and the creation of the new region is not unconstitutional.
“The NIR is a dream come true for us,” he said.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Rep. Greg Gasataya on Wednesday also said it will be up to the SC to decide on the petition.
Benitez said it will be up to the group in Negros Oriental to explain and raise awareness on the benefits of the NIR, since the petitioners who are against the new region come from that side of the island.*