NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The small island province of Siquijor will not host regional offices of the national government under the newly formed Negros Island Region (NIR), Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez announced on Monday, March 10.
Benitez, the interim head of the NIR Regional Development Council, said this during the unveiling of a marker for the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office at Carlos Hilado Memorial State University in Barangay Alijis, Bacolod.
He downplayed concerns that Siquijodnons may feel excluded, noting that the island is closer to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, which is accessible by a 40-minute travel via fast craft or a 90-minute travel via roll-on/roll-off vessel.
Clik here to view.
“Embracing modern technologies as an efficient way of transacting business in government nowadays will never alienate Siquijor in Negros Island Region,” Benitez said.
The NIR, created under Republic Act 12000 in 2024, allocated 16 regional offices to Dumaguete City and 14 to Bacolod City.
Regional offices based in Dumaguete include the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Department of Education, and Department of Trade and Industry.
Bacolod will house offices of the Commission on Elections, Department of Justice, and NEDA.
However, the locations for the regional offices of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Migrant Workers have yet to be determined.
Maximo Maxino, lawyer and spokesman for the group Barug Negros ug Siquijor, criticized the setup, arguing that the NIR’s implementation was premature given the group’s pending petition with the Supreme Court, opposing the region’s creation.
“As far as we are concerned, all regional offices set up for NIR are considered illegal since there’s no decision yet as to our pending petition,” Maxino told Rappler on Tuesday, March 11. “It is putting the cart before the carabao.”
The Barug Negros ug Siquijor group, composed of Negrenses and Siquijodnons opposed to the NIR, filed the petition in September 2024 seeking a temporary restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction against the NIR Act.
The group asserted that the law, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on June 13, 2024, bypassed public consultations or a plebiscite required by the Constitution.
The high tribunal referred the petition to the Office of the Solicitor General for comment late last year, but there have been no updates from either of the two since then.
San Juan, Siquijor Mayor Wilfredo Capundag Jr. previously called for greater inclusion, arguing that Siquijor should be actively engaged in the new region’s activities.
Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela had suggested holding the first Regional Development Council meeting in Siquijor to foster inclusivity, but the meeting took place in Bacolod on March 7 instead.
During the gathering, officials said the NIR’s organizational structure was nearly complete, though funding remained unresolved.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the new region is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
Socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan vowed that no Negrense would be left behind with the establishment of NEDA’s regional office in Bacolod.
“We are committed to providing all-out technical support to amplify the impact of NEDA’s 16th regional office in Bacolod,” Balisacan said.
Balisacan joined Benitez, Lacson, and Negros Oriental 1st District Representative Jocelyn Limkaichong at the marker’s unveiling ceremony on Monday. – Rappler.com