PHILIPPINE-CONTEMPORARY-LEGISLATION.docx

***PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY LEGISLATION*** ***REPUBLIC ACT NO. 12000*** **"AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE NEGROS ISLAND REGION"** **GARRO, GINA** **EBASCO, PRECIOUS** (AB POLITICAL SCIENCE 4B) SUBMITTED TO: **DR. MARY JOY BORJA** *(FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE)* **SEPTEMBER 12, 2024** I. **INTROD...

***PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY LEGISLATION*** ***REPUBLIC ACT NO. 12000*** **"AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE NEGROS ISLAND REGION"** **GARRO, GINA** **EBASCO, PRECIOUS** (AB POLITICAL SCIENCE 4B) SUBMITTED TO: **DR. MARY JOY BORJA** *(FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE)* **SEPTEMBER 12, 2024** I. **INTRODUCTION** The creation of the NIR has been a pipe dream for lawmakers in the region, as they believe that it is necessary for economic growth to redound to the benefit of the people through the close economic coordination of the two Negros provinces. Senators in the Philippines are optimistic that the NIR will bring positive changes. They believe the new region will lead to improved delivery of government services and create a more conducive environment for businesses to flourish. The law, which brings up the country's total number of 18 regions. ***WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?*** Republic Act No. 12000, also known as the \"Negros Island Region Act,\" - Passed into law on June 11, 2024, mandates the establishment and unification of Negros Island Region (NIR) which shall composed of the following provinces, including cities, municipalities, and barangays comprising the provinces: (a) Negros Occidental (b) Negros Oriental (c) Siquijor, (RA 12000, sec. 3) 1. ***AUTHORS OF NEGROS ISLAND REGION BILL*** Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senator JV Ejercito, 119 of 4th Dist. Negros Occidental Representative Juliet Marie de Leon Ferrer; HB 330 by 2nd Dist. Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Maranon III; and HB 1446 by 3rd Dist. Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez, ABANG LINGKOD Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, 1st Dist. Negros Occidental Rep. Gerardo Valmayor Jr., 5th Dist. Negros Occidental Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo, 6th Dist. Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez, and Bacolod City Rep. Greg Gasataya. 2. ***MOTIVE OR INTENT OF THE WRITERS*** With 290 votes, the House of Representatives on March 6, unanimously approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 7355 which seeks the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR) in the Visayas. The creation of NIR is for efficient delivery of government services such as. a. Improved Delivery of Government Services: Residents will have easier access to government services, reducing travel time and bureaucratic hurdles. b. Enhanced Economic Development: The NIR is expected to create a more attractive environment for businesses, leading to increased investment and job creation. c. Streamlined Bureaucracy: The creation of a new regional government will streamline bureaucratic processes and make it easier for businesses and individuals to interact with the government. d. Faster Infrastructure Development: The NIR could lead to more focused planning and resource allocation for infrastructure development projects in the region. e. Greater Local Autonomy: The new region will have more control over its budget and resources, allowing for more responsive governance. 3. ***GAPS EXPERIENCED IN LEGISLATION OR IMPLEMENTATION*** ***WHY IT TOOK FOR SO LONG?*** ***There are many challenges before the implementation of this law since 1980's.* Below are the lists of issues regarding the NIR Act, but we will focus on the language variation in the Negros Region this will also serve as our gap.** a. President Benigno Aquino III signed E.O 183, in 2015 for the creation of Negros Island Region. But President Duterte revoked under E.O 38, citing the bureaucratic redundancy and high cost in establishing the new region. b. Other politicians disagreed for the Negros Region. These reasons could be about power and domination which was demonstrated in the past and are feared to recur in the future with regards to what province and political or economic group would control the resources intended for the common development in the island (see also Cleope 2014, Manalo 2013). But Negros Occidental officials convince their partner province that their goal is to not overpower anybody but to help each other, hand in hand, for the betterment of their respective provinces. c. Language variation within the island of Negros where Negros Occidental spoke *Hiligaynon/Ilonggo* and Negros Oriental and Siquijor spoke *Cebuano* ***Why is there a language variation between the provinces of Negros Occidental and Oriental when these are located in the same island?*** The linguistic differences between northern and southern Leyte must have not created communication problems in addressing development issues and challenges. **They belong to the same region, so why cannot Negros Oriental and Occidental make it happen too?** One of the major arguments of certain sectors in Negros Oriental for their opposition to the one Negros Island Region proposal, which is the concern of this paper, is the perceived language barrier. (Oracion, E. 2015.) *After 20 years with no promise of one island region in the offing, the Negros Occidental leaders became more aggressive about the proposal which aims "to ensure the cohesive development and growth of both provinces" (Gomez 2015) with development agenda, funds, facilities, and services that are solely intended or designed for the island. In the past, the Occidental leaders had taken the initiatives for this purpose while their counterparts in Negros Oriental were evidently divided over this matter since the beginning due to a complexity of reasons, including the disadvantages (Espina 2014; Flores 1999; Gallarde 2014). Briefly, the opposition to the merger says that it is not necessary, beneficial, and practical to the people of Negros Oriental (Arbon 2015).* **To cut this short the Negros occidental spoke Hiligaynon/Ilonggo and the Negros Oriental and Siquijor spoke Cebuano.** *However, research says that theoretically speaking, migration and other forms of cultural contacts between accessible places result to linguistic fusion and this explains the similarities and differences in languages in Negros Island with other Visayan islands (Hutterer 1982).* **But regardless of the issues that was mentioned above, it is important to consider the public interest and the easier access of the people from government services for the development of the provinces mentioned. Collaboration and Cooperation is also a very important factor to achieve the objectives of this law most especially to negros oriental which still belonged to top 10 poorest provinces in the country***.* **Development planning and implementation may be more convenient and responsive to the conditions in the island.** 4. ***POLITICAL ANALYSIS*** ***WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR A NEW REGION?*** 1. For decades, Negrenses have endured the rigors of sea travel, unnecessary expenses, bureaucratic red tape, and inefficiency that this has brought, especially when there is a need to urgently access government services from regional centers on the islands. Negros Occidental previously belonged to western Visayas, while Negros Oriental and Siquijor were part of Central Visayas. Before, in the case of Negros Occidental they have to cross by ferry to get to the regional offices located in Iloilo City and Negros Oriental and Siquijor have to cross going to Cebu city proper for their concerns. 2. Both provinces also share many cultural resources and industries such as sugar tourism and renewable energy. Therefore, the creation of the NIR can improve more the whole region and accelerate economic efficiency and transformation of Negros and Siquijor. Moreover, it can also give an easier and faster access to services. ***MAP OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, ORIENTAL AND SIQUIJOR*** ***AFTER the IMPLEMENTATION*** *\*EFFECTS IN Western and Central Visayas* The economic resources in the Central Visayas and Western Visayas region will be greatly reduced. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (2022), Negros Occidental has 246 billion Pesos economic values, Negros Oriental has 166 billion pesos and Siquijor has 12 billion pesos. *\* ADVANTAGES* The law is expected to further improve socioeconomic growth throughout the newly established region for the benefit of the Negrenses. Additionally, this is to promote administrative decentralization and accelerate the economic, cultural, and social development in the region (RA 12000, sec 3). The creation of this law may also boost the economic growth of our country because the NIR will be the XVIII region in the Philippines and the negros island is also famous for their tourist destinations. This may also serve to unite the division between political parties in the region. Perhaps, they have their own political beliefs because they came from different cultural background, but this may also lead them to cooperate, collaborate and work as one region. Making the Negros Island Region as one the best and competitive region in the country, they may share different culture, beliefs, and language but they must be united region for common good. *REFERENCE: Rappler.com, ONE NEWS P.,, PhilStar, LGU of Bacolod City and a Research conducted by Oracion, E. (2015)*