Talks on one-island Negros region proposal to resume

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  â€” Officials of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental are set to meet at a resort in Talisay City today for the renewal of talks on the proposed One-Island Region.

Negros Oriental Vice Governor Edward Mark Macias, who was with Governor Roel Degamo and PB members during the 21st Panaad sa Negros Festival in this city yesterday, said the proposal needs a congressional act to join the two Negros provinces into one region.

Negros Occidental now belongs to Western Visayas (Region 6) while Negros Oriental is in Central Visayas (Region 7).

However, Macias pointed out that creating a new region will incur big cost to the national government, but he said it will be advantageous to both Negros provinces since Occidental people would no longer travel to Iloilo City, while the Oriental people doesn’t need to go to Cebu City, to process transactions in the regional offices.

Macias said the center of the One-Island Region of Negros would be at the boundary of Mabinay town in Oriental and Kabankalan City in Occidental.

Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. had been urging the congressmen from the two Negros provinces to push an act on it in Congress because the One-Island Region would be a practical move.

The One-Island Region was conceptualized more than two decades ago during the administration of then president Fidel Ramos, but it did not materialize since the National Economic Development Authority was very reluctant to endorse the creation of new regional offices because of budgetary constraints.