Bacolod City – Third District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez is hopeful that the creation of Region VI-B, or the expanded Negros Island Region and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge, will be tackled by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his first State Of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25.
Obviously, NIR is the foremost on the minds of Negrenses, Benitez said, as he recalled that it was a political issue during the recent campaign period.
Benitez said he is hoping that the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge will be included, either in the continuation of “Build, Build, Build” projects or the PPP (Public-Private-Partnership) model.
Rep. Benitez and other Negros Island solons co-authored House Bill 1446 seeking the creation of Region VI-B, which will include the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siqujior.
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, who is close to the Marcos family, earlier said that the President and DILG Secretary Ben Hur Abalos are supporting the creation of NIR.
Rep. Benitez said the proposed bill will be tackled in the plenary for its first reading during the opening of 19th Congress next week.
Since it was sponsored by majority of the Negros Island solons, Benitez said the discussion of NIR will be fast tracked, and will be tackled either by the House Committee on Re-organization of Local Governments, or the Visayan Development Committee.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri also sponsored a Senate bill for the creation of NIR.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer said that the creation of NIR and the construction of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge are on the top of their wish list. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)
Kudos to all politicians supporting the NIR.