Negros execs revive ‘one-island region’ proposal

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The almost two-decade-old proposal to create a “one-island region” for Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental is gaining ground, with a summit to be held soon. 

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

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

Should a Negros Island region be created, Marañon said the regional offices are being eyed to be established at the boundary of Negros Occidental and Oriental, somewhere in Kabankalan City and Mabinay town.

Marañon said officials of the island-province of Siquijor have also expressed interest in joining the proposed Negros region, and would attend the summit. 

He said the date of the summit has not been set yet, as the congressmen of both provinces are still being consulted on their schedules. 

Marañon said it seems that money is the only problem raised by national agencies in opposing the plan.

When the proposal was first presented in the early 1990s, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) disapproved it due to budgetary constraints.

NEDA then argued that the national government would have to set aside a large budget to create the regional offices of all national agencies for the Negros region. 

But Marañon said it is now easy to find funds for the proposal, adding that at least 14 Negros congressmen, including those from party-list groups, can share a minimum of P10 million from 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. 

During a recent visit to this city, NEDA Region 6 director Ro-Ann Bacal said the proposal for a one-island region needs the strong lobbying of the Regional Development Councils of both provinces.

Bacal asked: “What is the bottom line for creating a new region for the two Negros provinces and why would they want to be an island region? Are there matters not being attended to at the moment?” 

“To set up a region, we need to create new regional offices for all national government agencies, the whole gamut of it, so you just conclude from there,” Bacal added.