Two interim regional directors for Negros Island Region (NIR) that will be based in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental have been named and have started their first day in office in Dumaguete.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 7 Assistant Regional Director Shalyn Marie Sun-Lucero and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional director Aster Caberte paid a courtesy call on Gov. Roel Degamo Thursday morning to introduce themselves as interim regional directors.
Lucero has roots in Dumaguete, having been born, raised and studied here while Caberte will be OIC regional director in a concurrent capacity in Region 18 in addition to her position as DTI Region 7 regional director.
Both officials say they will come to Dumaguete once a week to conduct meetings with their counterparts in Negros Occidental.
Lucero and Caberte assured the governor all the basic services intended for Region 7 of which Negros Oriental is still a part of will go on and will continue unhampered under existing budgets, while the budget for the NIR is still being deliberated in Congress.
said it will be an “as is, where is” basis for now for both provinces, while it is starting to organize a core group for Region 18.
Lucero said implementation of the Kalahi CIDSS, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), sustainable livelihood programs, supplemental feeding program, assistance for medicines, and all other services will continue despite the setting up of the interim offices.
For her part, Caberte said “we will already put on board Negros Occidental in our planning for a more effective complementation to muster the strength of Negros Island.”
Caberte said DTI region 7 is here for a series of meetings to already include Negros Occidental and that she will make herself available ones a week in the province for such purpose.
“I will deliver his expectations as per my instructions, and I know I can work very well with the governor–the working relationship has been there, will just harness it,” says Caberte.
Gov. Degamo, on the other hand, was a little surprised upon learning that interim regional directors have been named by their respective secretaries.
The governor was expecting for the approval first of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the NIR prior to the designation, since there is still no budget to speak of.
However, he was hoping the NIR will be fully operational starting January next year as promised by former Sec. Mar Roxas of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
A regional office of the DSWD was number one in the list of agencies in government that Gov. Degamo wanted to be established in Negros Oriental particularly in Dumaguete City. (PNA)
