President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday hinted at his approval for the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) that would combine Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor into a single region.

The said bill has already been passed by both houses of Congress and is now awaiting Marcos’ signature.

Negros Occidental is currently under Region 6 or Western Visayas while Negros Oriental and Siquijor are under Region 7 or Central Visayas.

In a media interview in Bacolod City, Marcos acknowledged the challenges faced by Negros Oriental and neighboring regions in accessing services from the current regional centers.

He highlighted the long-standing issue and the potential benefits of consolidating the provinces under a single region with its own dedicated offices.

“I think it makes sense because it’s very difficult for (Negros) Oriental to be, and be serviced in a regional center. So, it really needs to be fixed,” Marcos said.

“It’s very hard to bring government services to the people. That’s the reason behind the push for making it a single region, so that it has its own regional office,” Marcos added.

When directly asked if he would sign the bill, President Marcos replied, “Yeah, I think, I will sign it.”

In 2015, under the term of late President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III’s, the Negros Island Region was established through executive order, citing similar rationales.

Two years later, President Rodrigo Duterte dismantled the region in 2017, arguing that setting up regional offices for the NIR would divert funding from other government initiatives.