The bill which shall be known Negros Island Region Act is sponsored by Negros solons namely; Juliet Marie Ferrer (Fourth District), Alfredo Marañon III (Second District), Benitez, Joseph Stephen Paduano (Abang Lingkod party-list), Gerardo Valmayor Jr. (First District), Emilio Bernardo Yulo (Fifth District), Mercedes Alvarez (Sixth District), Greg Gasataya (Lone District of Bacolod).
The solons in the bill stated that Negros Island will be composed of provinces, including the cities, municipalities and barangays located in Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Bacolod City; and Siquijor.
A Negros Island Technical Working Group composed of the Office of the President (OP), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the representatives of the Office of the Governor of the provinces of Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Siquijor, and all the elected members of the House of Representatives of said provinces, including Bacolod City, is hereby constituted to form a Technical Working Group (TWG).
The TWG will be tasked to formulate a roadmap to put in place the institutional arrangements for the NIR; recommend to the OP the preferred Regional Center; arrange the requirements for the organizational development, staffing, and budgeting of regional line and regulatory agencies, as well as the imperatives for the development planning and investment programming.
“Notwithstanding the activities of the NIR-TWG, and to ensure the smooth transition of basic services, the DILG is hereby designated as the secretariat until the TWG has completed its task. The final report and recommendation of the TWG shall be approved by the President, who shall have the final decision,” the bill stated.
All departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities of the national government, including government-owned or controlled corporations and government financial institutions, are hereby directed to extend full assistance to the NIR-TWG in support of its functions and activities.
The amount necessary to implement this act, including the cost for the conduct of the NIR-TWG, shall be charged against the current budget of the implementing agencies. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be in the annual General Appropriations Act, the bill further stated.*
