IT'S interesting that Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo has a change of heart regarding the revival of Negros Island Region (NIR).
The Oriental governor reportedly said that he has no problem that his province will continue to be part of the Central Visayas region.
He cited the cultural differences between the two Negros provinces.
He stressed it should not be done hastily because there are a lot of pros and cons in the creation of NIR.
Negros Occidental belongs to Ilonggo-speaking Western Visayas or Region 6 while Negros Oriental is part of Cebuano-speaking Central Visayas or Region 7.
In 2015, the late president Benigno Aquino III issued Executive Order (EO) No. 183 creating NIR, but it was rescinded by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2017.
Duterte had signed EO 38 dissolving NIR for competing with the government priority programs and projects for funding, as a substantial appropriation is needed for it to be fully operational.
The short-lived NIR has unified Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental into one region, with its regional offices situated in the cities of Bacolod and Dumaguete.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had earlier expressed his support for the NIR revival.
Senate committee on local government has approved a bill that seeks to create the NIR, while several Negrense congressmen have also filed bills for the revival of the NIR which are expected to be given priority when they resume session after the holiday break.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Lacson is also expected to reach out to Degamo to convince him to change his position on NIR revival just like what his predecessor, the late governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., did before.
Quo vadis, Negros Oriental?*