Saturday, October 29, 2016
By MARCHEL P. ESPINA

NEGROS Occidental Third District Representative Alfredo Benitez is optimistic the House committee hearing on November 8 will answer the contentious issues regarding the Negros Island Region (NIR).

He said the Special Committee on Visayas Development, a newly-formed committee in the 17th Congress, will invite the directors of regional line agencies to discuss the status of NIR.

Benitez added that Governors Alfredo Marañon Jr. of Negros Occidental and Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental were also invited together with the officials of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the National Economic and Development Authority.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno had earlier expressed reservations on the continuation of NIR due to budget constraints, adding that the executive order abolishing NIR is ready to be signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Benitez said the objective of the hearing is to let the DBM know that the NIR has already been constituted and that the regional directors have already hired personnel in their respective offices.

“We will push for the status quo, pending the decision of the composition of federal states,” he said.

He added that even if the national budget was already approved in the House of Representatives, “it’s not yet final because we’re still waiting for the Senate version.”

The Special Committee is chaired by Negros Occidental Fifth District Alejandro Mirasol while its members are congressmen from the Visayas.

“This would be the first hearing of the committee. If we’re satisfied with the answers, then we will close the issue. Otherwise, we will continue,” Benitez added.

In a letter addressed to Marañon dated October 20, Mirasol said the committee jurisdiction is on all matters directly and principally relating to policies, programs, and related initiatives affecting the economic, social, political and cultural development of municipalities, cities, and provinces in the Visayas regions.

It added that the committee would be working in partnership with various government institutions in order to attain its goal.

Earlier this week, officials of NIR led by Marañon and Degamo signed a manifesto asking Duterte to save the region as they appealed to him not to sign the EO abolishing Negros Island.

Various sectors also passed resolutions supporting NIR.

Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Paolo Benigno Aquino IV also expressed their opposition to the abolition of NIR.

On May 29, 2015, former president Benigno Aquino III signed the EO creating NIR.

Negros Occidental separated from Western Visayas and Negros Oriental left Central Visayas to form the region.