President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is scheduled to sign the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) into law on Thursday, June 13. Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has been invited to witness the ceremonial signing of Senate Bill No. 2507 and House Bill No. 7355 titled “An Act Establishing The Negros Island Region” at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace at 2 p.m. on Thursday. The invitation was extended to the governor by Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs on Tuesday, June 11.
The NIR will consist of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor. Negros Occidental currently falls under Western Visayas, while Negros Oriental and Siquijor are part of Central Visayas. House Bill No. 7355 was authored by all representatives of Negros Island and Siquijor. Officials and business leaders in Negros Island expressed their anticipation for President Marcos’ signing of the Negros Island Region bills into law on Thursday, considering it as the realization of a long-awaited dream and a significant boost to the local economy through integrated development.
