NIR needs own funding to be fully operational

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BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Island Region (NIR) will only be "operational" if it has its own budget.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson made the statement on Friday, adding that the new administrative region has been drawing funding from Regions 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas).

The NIR, created under Republic Act (RA) 12000 (NIR Act), will be "fully functional" in 2026 when its budget is included in the 2026 General Appropriations Act, said Lacson.

On June 13, 2024, Marcos signed the NIR Act into law, creating a new administrative region comprising the provinces of Negros Occidental, including the highly urbanized Bacolod City, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Some of the agencies that have already established their regional offices in NIR are the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, De-partment of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agrarian Reform, Commission on Elections, Office of Civil Defense and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Initially, the previous technical working group identified 16 regional offices that will be located in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, while 14 regional offices in the Occidental side.

The 16 regional offices that will be located in Negros Oriental include the Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Devel-opment Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Commission on Higher Education, Civil Service Commission, Philippine Statistical Authority, Professional Regulation Commission, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Department of Transportation and Communication.

Meanwhile, the 14 regional offices that will establish their regional offices in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, include the Department of Agri-culture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, De-partment of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Department of National Defense, Office of the Civil Defense, Department of Budget and Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Commission on Audit and Commission on Elections.

Earlier, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, the outgoing chairperson of the Western Visayas Regional Development Council, said that the newly formed administrative region will be officially operational after Feb. 18, following the publication of RA 12000, which establishes the NIR.

Benitez said a meeting has been scheduled on Feb. 17 for all regional directors and officials of national government agencies to discuss the as-signment of personnel and the set-up of facilities.

With the signing of the law's IRR, Benitez reiterated his stand that all national government agencies should have their offices in all provinces of the region.

Whether it's satellite, virtual or any method that will allow transactions to take place in all the provinces within the NIR, the mayor said.