NEDA Regional Director Arecio Casing Jr. and Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson with the NIR regional directors on Wednesday.*
The Negros Occidental provincial government offered two of its properties as sites for the regional offices of the Negros Island Region (NIR) at the first coordination meeting of its regional directors convened by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) on Wednesday, March 5.
The NIR coordination meeting held at the Social Hall of the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City was led by NEDA NIR Concurrent Regional Director Arecio Casing Jr. and Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
They discussed the organization of the NIR Regional Development Council (RDC) and budget concerns.
“The fact that we are gathered here, is proof of our commitment to ensuring that the creation of the NIR is not only a milestone on paper but a transformation that will uplift our island and the lives of our people,” Lacson said.
He said it is an essential step in ensuring that governance in NIR will be “efficient, responsive, and truly attuned to the needs of our communities”
During the meeting Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz presented the offer of the Negros Occidental provincial government for the use of its 25-hectare property in Matab-ang, Talisay City, as a site for the NIR regional offices.
If they opt to use the Talisay property the provincial government will develop the site for the regional offices through usufruct agreements, he said.
Another site being offered is a P6 billion 28-storey building to be built by the provincial government through a public private partnership build-operate-transfer program at its 7,500 square meter property at Cottage Road in Bacolod City, Diaz said.
The establishment of regional officers on provincial government property could take place after 2026, Diaz said.
The governor is offering these properties because if the regional offices are in one area it would be like a “one-stop-shop”, Diaz added.
NEDA discussed the NIR establishment in phases from transition, partial establishment and full operation by January 2027 at the meeting.
The soon to be RDC member agencies were also urged to submit Programs, Activities and Projects (PAPs) for NIR project prioritization.
The NEDA said that the establishment of the Regional Development Council will be after the May elections.*