Rep. Mercedes Alvarez (Neg. Occ., 6th District) on Thursday, February 23, said she expects the Lower House to approve the bill seeking the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) and then they will lobby for its passage in the Senate as well.
She said with the House Committee on Appropriations approval of the NIR bill, it will be endorsed to the Committee on Rules for scheduling for second reading in plenary.
If there are no objections it can then be passed on third and final reading and forwarded to the Senate, Alvarez added.
The Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday approved the allocation of funds, which will be taken from the Department of the Interior and Local Government budget, for the Technical Working Group (TWG) to formulate the NIR roadmap, she said.
The DILG will be the secretariat of the TWG headed by the Office of President with the governors, mayors and representations of the three provinces as members.
Alvarez said Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo has not submitted his opposition to the NIR to the Lower House.
She said she respects Degamo’s position but hopes he also respects the fact that all of the representatives of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor are principal authors of the bill seeking the creation of the NIR.
If President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issues an executive order creating the NIR it will be in their favor because it will show that he is supportive of their bill, Alvarez added.*