Talks set to create One-Island Region for 2 Negros provinces

BACOLOD CITY , Philippines   â€” The almost two-decade old proposal to create a One-Island Region for Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental is now gaining ground, with a summit among officials of the two provinces to be held soon.

Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. said they are planning to have a summit of provincial officials, congressmen, and mayors of both provinces to discuss the realization of the proposed region.

Negros Occidental now belongs to Region 6, or Western Visayas, the regional offices of which are in Iloilo City, while Negros Oriental is part of Region 7, or Central Visayas, with regional offices in Cebu City.

When the Negros Island region is created, the regional offices will be located within the border of Occidental and Oriental, or somewhere in Kabankalan City and Mabinay town, Marañon said, adding that officials of the island-province of Siquijor have also expressed interest in joining the proposed region, and will attend the summit.

The governor said the date of the summit has not been set yet, as the congressmen of both provinces were still being consulted on the availability of their schedules.

Marañon said it seemed that money has been the only problem raised by national agencies in opposing the plan. During its initial plan in the early 1990s, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) had disapproved it due to budgetary constraints.

NEDA contended that the national government will have to set aside a large bulk of its budget to create regional offices of all national agencies for the Negros region. If this has been NEDA's cause for objecting to the proposal, the regional officials will find the money for it, Marañon countered.

Marañon said at least 14 Negros congressmen, including those from party-list groups, can share a minimum of P10 million of their Priority Development Assistance Fund to establish a regional center.

“We can get P140 million a year, or P420 million in three years and that would be enough for a good regional center,” he said, hoping that, as times have changed, NEDA may no longer object to the proposal anymore.

NEDA-6 regional director Ro-Ann Bacal however, during her recent visit to this city, suggested that the proposal for a One-Island Region needs the strong lobbying of Regional Development Councils (RDC) of both provinces.

Bacal said it will be the governors of these councils who will decide if they will be amenable to the proposal, such that Region 6 governors will allow Negros Occidental to be taken from them, and Region 7 governors will likewise allow Negros Oriental to be taken from them.

But Marañon said the creation of a new region lies in the people and not with the RDCs. He added that it will need an act of Congress; not an RDC approval.

The One-Island Region proposal was revived during the recent meeting of Negros Oriental Reps. Pryde Henry Teves and George Arnaiz with Marañon at the Negros Occidental Capitol. The governor later told the media that it has the support of the majority of provincial officials and congressmen of both provinces.

This idea started in the early 1990s during the administration of then Governors Rafael Coscolluela of Negros Occidental and George Arnaiz of Negros Oriental.  (FREEMAN)