The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry has written President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to ask that he turn down the position of the Dumaguete Diocese and proceed to sign Senate Bill 2507 creating the Negros Island Region. (See NOCCI’s letter here)
The five-page petition dated Thursday, April 18, rebutted the points raised by Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes in an earlier petition submitted to the President.
NOCCI President Edward Du branded as “misleading” the allegation of absence or the lack of comprehensive information dissemination and meaningful public consultations regarding NIR.
Du said President Noynoy Aquino signed Executive Order 183 on May 29, 2015 only after a series of province-wide public consultations were made by our political leaders on the pros and cons of the NIR. There were consultations held Bayawan City, Mabinay, Guihulngan City and twice in Dumaguete with then DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas.
The NIR, however, was short-lived as President Rodrigo Duterte abolished it in August 2017.
But Du said that during the two years that the NIR was successfully being implemented, the Diocese of Dumaguete never complained about the major accomplishments and historic milestones from 2015-2017. (read the full text of the NOCCI letter to the President on p. 5)
On the allegation of the lack of The five-page petition dated Thursday, April 18, rebutted the points raised by Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes in an earlier petition submitted to the President.
NOCCI President Edward Du branded as “misleading” the allegation of absence or the lack of comprehensive information dissemination and meaningful public consultations regarding NIR.
Du said President Noynoy Aquino signed Executive Order 183 on May 29, 2015 only after a series of province-wide public consultations were made by our political leaders on the pros and cons of the NIR. There were consultations held Bayawan City, Mabinay, Guihulngan City and twice in Dumaguete with then DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas.
The NIR, however, was short-lived as President Rodrigo Duterte abolished it in August 2017.
But Du said that during the two years that the NIR was successfully being implemented, the Diocese of Dumaguete never complained about the major accomplishments and historic milestones from 2015-2017. (read the full text of the NOCCI letter to the President on p. 5)
On the allegation of the lack of due process, Du said all Negorenses were represented by their duly-elected congressmen and congresswoman, who authored the creation of the NIR in Congress. In fact, the main reason why the Negorenses voted and elected their three (3) Representatives and 24 Senators is for them to represent all Negorenses in the creation of NIR under SB 2507. He said the Diocese of Dumaguete had all the chances to oppose the creation of NIR when Congress was still crafting the NIR Bill, but they kept quiet and did not lift a finger.
Du did not refute the findings of a 2014 survey conducted by Silliman University that showed that 43.34% opposed and only 25.83 % supported while 30.83 were undecided. He said it was on this basis that the public consultations were conducted and after the consultations, majority of those in attendance supported the NIR.
On the alleged economic disadvantage of Negros Oriental under the NIR and the alleged dominance of Negros Occidental in budget allocation and resource distribution, Du said such fears are unfounded and unfair and never happened during the two-year successful implementation of the NIR.
On the fear of the Church that cultural and linguistic differences would work against the NIR, Du cited the example of Region 8, where Warays and Cebuanos of Leyte and Samar have lived peacefully for the past 50 years. Another example of cultural differences that he cited are the Muslim community in Negros Oriental who have lived peacefully and preserved their unique heritage and identity for the past 100 years.
“However, just to address the linguistic difference, the business community is proposing that if the Regional Director is Cebuano speaking, the Assistant Regional Director should be Ilonggo speaking and vice versa,” Du said.
On the allegation that the NIR creation is politically driven, Du said that while the NIR was initiated by politicians, the business sector and other sectors, including the academe endosed the creation of the NIR.
Du also said that during the two years of the NIR’s successful implementation, the government was able to attain its objectives without spending billions of pesos, proving that it can operate without a big budget.
On the allegation that the creation of the NIR requires a plebiscite, Du said that a plebiscite would only be needed when it involves an alteration of boundaries.
“In the case of the NIR, the not a single inch would be altered or modified if SB 2507 becomes a law.”
Du also said that if the Diocese would insist in holding a plebiscite, they can try to secure an Injunction Order from the Supreme Court.
On the allegation that the creation of NIR is anti-poor, Du said poverty decreased substantially during the two years that the NIR was implemented.
But Du said the most important question that the Diocese has not answered is, “what is the disadvantage of opening 16 new regional offices in Dumaguete City under NIR compared to zero regional office under Region 7?”
On the basis of the NOCCI position, Du asked the President that the request of the Diocese of Dumaguete be denied and ignored in toto. (AP)
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Photo Caption: Businessman Edward Du, president of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce, reminds local critics that several consultations were conducted around the Province, prior to the creation of the Negros Island Region, such as this one held at Silliman University in 2015 when Mar Roxas was then DILG Secretary.
