BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo has apparently changed his stand on the proposed permanent site for the regional centers of the newly-created Negros Island Region.
This was revealed by Kabankalan City Mayor Isidro Zayco, who met with Degamo and heads of different agencies for the NIR meeting at the Central Philippines State University last Wednesday.
Zayco said he and Degamo talked and the latter was “already okay with it,” adding that there was no apprehension on the part of the Oriental governor anymore.
Earlier, Degamo said he would rather have the permanent sites put up in Bacolod City in Negros Occidental and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental than set it up in the border of Mabinay town (Oriental) and Kabankalan City (Occidental).
At least 16 regional offices will hold their interim offices in Dumaguete City while Bacolod City in Negros Occidental will temporarily house 14 regional offices, which are all expected to partially operate in October and be fully operational in January next year.
Provincial offices of the national agencies in the two provinces will serve as interim regional offices during the three-year transition period.
Degamo said at the time he was not amenable to the Mabinay site because it is two hours away from Dumaguete. After his meeting with Zayco, however, the governor had shifted position and, according to the mayor, was already agreeable to it.
Zayco meanwhile said a geo-hazard mapping to assess the site was also conducted early this week. He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has proposed to CPSU to donate the latter’s 500-hectare property, instead of the initial 50-hectare plan, out of the university’s 4,500-hectare property. (FREEMAN)