THE Provincial Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Council of Negros Occidental passed a resolution supporting the full implementation of the executive order creating the Negros Island Region (NIR).
MSMED Chairman Mary Ann Colmenares, during the council’s planning-workshop held at the Business Inn Hotel in Bacolod City on Friday, said the resolution is in response to the request of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
She said it embodies the stand of the provincial council urging the National Government to recognize NIR as a region.
“Full implementation means it has to have its own budget,” Colmenares said, stressing that integrating the two Negros provinces as a one-island region could really bring further development to tourism sector, its enterprises, and the local industry as a whole.
It will also provide an integrated development planning, maintenance of peace and order, disaster risk reduction, and environment management, and easy access to regional offices, Colmenares added.
The Provincial MSMED Council has membership of the different government agencies, non-government organizations, and micro to medium enterprises.
Its resolution stated that NIR is aimed at ushering in a unified and coordinated island development planning that will accelerate the transformation of Negros as a showcase of economic progress.
The council pointed out that the full implementation of NIR will facilitate mobility of people doing government transactions with lesser expenses, comprehensive infrastructure projects, and accelerate growth of agriculture and tourism sectors of both provinces.
“Thus, it is thereby requesting for the allocation of appropriate funds starting calendar year 2017 to fund the proposed development of the newly-created region,” the resolution added.
DTI-Negros Occidental Director Lea Gonzales said they already submitted the council’s resolution, along with a supporting report from the provincial government, to the agency’s regional director Asteria Caberte.
Based on the instruction of DTI-NIR, Gonzales said these documents were requested to be used during the cabinet meeting last Friday.