The House of Representatives has adopted Senate Bill 2507 creating the Negros Island Region, which specifically designates where regional offices will be established, Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) said Saturday, March 16.
The NIR will be composed of Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Siquijor.
Benitez said with the adoption of Senate Bill 2507, the measure will no longer need to pass through the Bicameral Conference Committee but will have to be officially enrolled in both Houses of Congress.
It will then be sent in about two weeks to the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature, Benitez added.
The Lower House’s version did not dictate where the regional centers would be located but left it open to the transitional team to decide. However, the Senate decided to put the specific assignments of the regional offices in its version of the bill, he said.
Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria (Neg. Or, 2nd District), House Committee on Local Government chair, on Sunday also said there will no longer be any Bicameral Conference Committee meeting, the NIR bill will be transmitted to Malacaָñang already.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Saturday that the placement of the specific assignments of the regional offices in the Senate bill leaves no flexibility in the future.
Rep. Benitez said it may not be the best kind of legislation without the flexibility so what is being discussed now is the establishment of satellite offices in Bacolod for regional offices assigned to Negros Oriental.
Holding a Bicameral Conference Committee process on the assignment of the regional offices will mean the passage of the bill into a law will take longer, the congressman said.
Senate Bill 2507 states that the NIR regional offices assigned to Negros Occidental will be the following:
*Agriculture and Land-Related Cluster that includes the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agrarian Reform; and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development;
*Peace and Order and Security Cluster that includes the Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police and
Department of National Defense; and
*Governance Cluster that includes the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission on Audit and Commission on Elections.
Senate Bill 2507 assigns the following regional offices to Negros Oriental:
*Human Development Cluster that includes the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education, Civil Service Commission, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Department of Labor and Employment;
*Infrastructure Cluster that includes the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation, Department of Information and Communications Technology and Department of Energy;
*Industry and Labor Cluster that includes the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Tourism, Department of Science and Technology and DOF – Securities and Exchange Commission.
Provincial or satellite offices will be put up in Siquijor, Rep. Benitez said.
The Senate bill states that on the approval of the NIR Act, a technical working will formulate the plan or roadmap to put in place all institutional arrangements for the Negros Island Region.*