Bacolod City – Negros Occidental 5th district Representative Emilio Bernardino Yulo believes that there is no substantial issue to stop the implementation of the Negros Island Region, following the filing of a petition questioning its validity, before the Supreme Court.
In seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court, petitioners Rev. Fr. Hendrix Alar, Lina Eparwa, Wilfredo Magallano, Marcelino Maxino, Jose Imaculado Palmitos, and Grace Sumalpong claimed that the creation of NIR was illegal, as it was not submitted to the people through a plebiscite, nor was a public consultation held.
The provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor used to be with Region 7, with Negros Occidental previously under Region 6, are now composing the NIR.
While he respects the rights of petitioners to seek the help of the Supreme Court, Yulo maintained that there was a consultation, while NIR was being deliberated in Congress, with the presence of representatives of three provinces.
He added that there is no law requiring a plebiscite in creating an administrative region, except in the creation or settlement of boundaries among local government units.
Negros Oriental Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria said he will leave it up to the Supreme Court to decide, stressing also that he understands the sentiments of petitioners, and he respects it.
But Sagarbarria countered the claims of insufficient public consultation, stating that the rebirth of the NIR only involved adding the island-province of Siquijor to the previously established NIR. He also said that public consultations had taken place before the initial creation of NIR by the late President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, through Executive Order No. 183, although when he was succeeded by Rodrigo Road Duterte, NIR was dissolved.
Eleven solons of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siqujior, as well as Abang Lingkod Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano co-authored the creation of NIR, which was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June this year.
The petitioners argued that the NIR must be declared unconstitutional because it runs contrary to the Ordinance appended to the 1987 Constitution.
The Ordinance appended to the Constitution apportions the seats of the House of Representative to the different legislative districts in provinces and cities. Thus, the provinces and cities were identified and grouped into regions, they said.
“Considering that Regions VI and VII have already been defined in the Ordinance, which, together with the Constitution, has been ratified by the people in a plebiscite, the creation of the NIR cannot simply be accomplished without significant difficulty. There is no NIR in the Ordinance appended to the Constitution,” they added.
Catholic Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete also opposed the NIR creation.
“The primacy of the fundamental law was flagrantly violated and the people were deprived of their fundamental rights to suffrage and information,” the petitioners further said. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star)