President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the Negros Island Region (NIR) Act into law on Thursday uniting the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor under a single administrative region.
Previously, Negros Occidental belonged to Western Visayas (Region 6) while Negros Oriental and Siquijor were part of Central Visayas (Region 7).
In his speech during the ceremonial signing of the law, Marcos said the union is long overdue and "makes very practical sense" for those living in the island.
"For decades now, Negrenses have endured the rigors of sea travel, unnecessary expenses, bureaucratic red tape, and inefficiency that this arrangement has brought," Marcos said.
“People are located on one island but governed under separate administrative regions. This resulted in sea travel, expenses, and bureaucratic red tape, especially when needing services from regional centers on other islands,” Marcos added.
Former President Benigno Aquino III established the Negros Island Region—Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental—by executive order in 2015.
Marcos' predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, dissolved the administrative division because it ''needs large appropriation to be fully effective, thereby competing with government priority programs and projects for money.''
However, the geographical separation reportedly caused inefficiencies, particularly when residents needed to access government services located on separate islands.
Marcos also noted the financing gap and uneven growth between provinces that share natural resources and businesses like sugar, tourism, and renewable energy.
“The two provinces share similar resources and industries. This new region will create a bulwark for growth and allow for more efficient service delivery,” Marcos said.
Marcos added that the National Government pledged to help the Negrenses "up to speed as quickly as possible." The NIR Act was a priority initiative of the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC).
“We expect the NIR to accelerate socioeconomic development for millions of Negrenses. The region will be a strategic point for resources, investments, and economic planning,” Marcos said.