Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and JV Ejercito
BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Two senators who authored the legislation that created the Negros Island Area (NIR) maintained it’s each “constitutional and implementable.”
Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and JV Ejercito, principal authors of Republic Act No. 12000 or the NIR Act that unified the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, hoped that these towards the creation of the brand new area would as an alternative see the advantages the NIR would convey.
“I strongly consider that the NIR is constitutional and implementable. It’s vital to herald extra growth to the area. We enchantment to the naysayers to provide it an opportunity for the event of our beloved area,” Zubiri instructed the Inquirer in a textual content message on Sept. 1.
READ: Unified Negros Island Area: What’s subsequent?
He stated he nonetheless needed to learn the objections of the Negros Oriental and Siquijor residents who introduced the matter to the Supreme Court docket.
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“However once we legislate measures, we all the time ensure that of the constitutionality of every piece of laws,” Zubiri stated.
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Ejercito, for his half, discovered it unhappy that some folks have been attempting to dam the implementation of the brand new area, since its creation was geared toward making authorities providers extra environment friendly and accessible to the folks within the provinces that comprised the NIR.
“The NIR is anticipated to stimulate financial development. I hope that this is able to be realized by those that oppose the landmark legislation,” he stated.
No session
Final Friday, two teams composed of residents of Negros Oriental and Siquijor filed a petition earlier than the Supreme Court docket, searching for to nullify the legislation creating the NIR.
The petition was filed by the Barug Negros Oriental and Siquijor, represented by Fr. Hendrix Alar, Dr. Maria Lina Eparwa, engineer Wilfredo Magallano and lawyer Marcelino Maxino; and Tingog Siquijodnon, represented by attorneys Jose Imaculado Palmitos and Grace Sumalpong.
They requested the excessive courtroom to difficulty a brief restraining order or a writ of preliminary injunction on the implementation of the NIR and for it to be declared unconstitutional.
They argued that RA 12000, which was signed by President Marcos on June 13, “was by no means submitted to the folks via a plebiscite as constitutionally required, neither was there any public session.”
The primacy of the elemental legislation, they added, was violated and the folks have been disadvantaged of their basic rights to suffrage and data.
Negros Occidental beforehand belonged to Western Visayas whereas Negros Oriental and Siquijor have been a part of Central Visayas.
The creation of the NIR regional workplaces has began and the brand new area was anticipated to be absolutely operational by subsequent yr.