Brief on NIR Prepared for Cabinet Meeting
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Central Office has asked for materials to be included in the briefer that they are preparing to give to President Duterte which will be presented during the Cabinet meeting on December 3 wherein DILG Secretary had promised to make a move for the retention of NIR.
Negros Occidental Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Ma. Lina Sanogal said that the briefer will contain information on the real status of the NIR and will not only focus on the P19 billion budget which is already included in the regions where the two Negros provinces originally belong. Development has been fast-tracked since the creation of the region through an executive order signed by then President Aquino in 2015 wherein regional offices were established and mandated councils were also convened. Latest reports from the Commission Audit also revealed that the two Negros provinces are among the richest in the country.
A congressional hearing regarding this matter was conducted last November 8 by the House Special Committee on Visayas Development chaired by Representative Alejandro Mirasol (5th District, Negros Occidental) where regional directors of NIR line agencies presented their accomplishments. The hearing, also attended by congressional representatives from the Visayas, ended on a positive note
A manifesto signed by Governors Roel Degamo of Negros Oriental and Alfredo Marañon is also circulating in the Negros island to gather more support for the retention of NIR. Sanogal added that President Duterte’s postponement in signing the executive order abolishing the NIR is a good sign that he is willing to listen further before reaching a decision on this matter.
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