Businessmen in Negros Oriental supporting the proposed Negros Island Region said they want a transition period first, instead of government spending P40 billion to set up a regional center.
Edward Du, president of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said during a forum Tuesday in Dumaguete City with Sec. Mar Roxas of the Department of Interior & Local Government that a transition period of perhaps three years will allow the two Negros provinces time to adjust to the new regional structure.
Roxas has endorsed the Negros Island Region proposal to President Aquino III but he had visited Dumaguete City for another public consultation before proceeding to Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, to inspect the proposed site for the regional offices.
Du said the NOCCI is pushing for the transition period where existing offices in both Dumaguete City and Bacolod City can be utilized first so that there will be no cost on the part of the national government.
Of the 40 national government agencies in the Philippines, around 30 have provincial offices in both capital cities.
Du said that once the Negros Island Region is in full swing, it may not be practical to travel to Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, or Mabinay, Negros Oriental, where the regional government offices are to be located.
A businessman who wants to do some transactions at the regional center can only access it by land as there is no airport or seaport there, he added.
On the opposition to the proposal, Du said the protesters should convince their elected officials to represent their voice in the deliberations.
“The presumption is that when you elected them, they are your representatives. If you are against the One Island Region, you should go to your elected officials. That is the process of democracy,” Du said.
So far, based on the consultations he had attended, Du said he has not heard of a “very strong opposition” to the One Island Region.
Up to now, he said, he has not seen any position paper on the disadvantages of the proposed Negros Island region, he added.
“We are not closing our doors to the possibility of a one island-one region. But, not at this moment”, Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo said Tuesday as he again explained his stand on the need for further consultation with the people of Negros Oriental.
He said there are specific matters to be thoroughly discussed to ensure that the people in Negros Oriental will not be dehado (at a disadvantage).”
Degamo and Secretary Roxas spent at least an hour in a closed-door meeting in Dumaguete City on the proposed Negros Island Region.
The meeting drew public attention to the fact that Roxas appeared to give Degamo “importance” in choosing to stay longer with him.
“I am very grateful that Secretary Mar gave me more than an hour for a private meeting when I had only requested about two to three minutes with him, and that has made me feel important,” Degamo said.
The meeting was held with hundreds waiting for Roxas in another venue where he was scheduled to meet with local chief executives and other sectors at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the multi-purpose hall of Silliman University.
Asked what transpired in the meeting, Degamo said it was mainly on the proposed Negros Island Region that Roxas had recently endorsed to President Aquino III.
He said he reassured Roxas that in case the latter runs for President, he will support him as he has the potential to lead the country.
Other concerns discussed were budget requirements for some development projects in Negros Oriental, like the P300-million road project to Tamlang Valley in Sta. Catalina town, that straddles the boundaries of nearby municipalities, he said.
Roxas asked for a program of work for the project, and the Governor said he will submit it within the week.
Meanwhile, a group of protesters rallied against the Negros Island Region and picketed peacefully while the forum/consultation at Silliman was going on.
Tricycles carrying professionally-printed placards lined the streets and, their drivers used a bullhorn to air their sentiments against the proposal.
Their press statement said they were “outraged by the greedy move of Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and his cohorts to make Negros Island as a region, citing this as a greedy intent at the expense of the people.”
Progressive groups from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros Oriental, Piston-Negros Oriental, ND Motors Piston Kaugmaon-KMP, Banika-Amihan, Anakbayan, Padayon and Sinagbayan participated in the protest caravan.
They said Roxas deliberately skirted the protest area, and went straight to the venue. But they said the people of Negros Oriental are hopeful that their position against the Negros Island Region will “not fall on deaf ears”.
