Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Tuesday, April 9, said he is totally elated and thanks President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his wholehearted support for the Negros Island Region (NIR).
Marcos, who was in Bacolod Monday, said he is signing the bill creating the NIR into law to unify the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor into one administrative region.
“His signature and approval will fix into the country’s history books the outcome of years of hard work and consultation with the people of the islands of Negros, Siquijor and the remaining provinces of Regions 6 and 7,” Zubiri, principal author of the NIR bill in the Senate, told DIGICAST NEGROS.
“It culminates the dream of so many who want to taste the services of the national government closer to home,” said Zubiri, who thanked Marcos for his support “for this beautiful dream of ours”.
Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, who co- authored the NIR bill, said “that is very good news”.
Zubiri and Ejercito have roots in Negros Occidental.
Malacañang in a press statement Tuesday also said Marcos vows to sign the Negros Island Region Act into law.
“It is expected to contribute to the region’s ease of doing business by empowering residents and instilling investor confidence in its capacity to facilitate efficient government transactions,” the Palace statement said.*