BACOLOD CITY – The transition to the newly established Negros Island Region (NIR) is gaining momentum, with full operations anticipated to commence on February 19, just 15 days after the release of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) on Monday. Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, who is stepping down as chairman of the Regional Development Council-Western Visayas (RDC-6), has organized a meeting for regional directors and national government agency officials to finalize personnel assignments and facility setups. Benitez suggested a tentative date of February 17 for this meeting, with the aim of being fully operational by February 18. The NIR technical working group (TWG) has proposed that the RDC-NIR be established by year’s end, though Negros Oriental 1st District Representative Jocelyn Limkaichong has pushed for an earlier timeline, possibly within a few weeks after February 18. Last June, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. enacted Republic Act 12000, the NIR Act, which forms a new administrative region encompassing Negros Occidental, Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor. This act separates Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from Western Visayas (Region 6), and Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Central Visayas (Region 7). With the IRR now in place, Benitez emphasized the need for all national government agencies to establish a presence in every province of the NIR, whether through satellite offices, virtual means, or other methods to facilitate transactions. Several agencies, including the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agrarian Reform, Commission on Elections, Office of Civil Defense, and Philippine Statistics Authority, have already set up offices in the region. Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental highlighted that the NIR, with its own Regional Development Council, Regional Technical Working Team, and a population of approximately 4.3 million, is poised to enhance service delivery, spur economic growth, and promote social development.
