Negros Island Region | |||||||||||||
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Former and proposed region of the Philippines | |||||||||||||
Location within the Philippines | |||||||||||||
Capital | Bacolod and Dumaguete (interim joint temporary regional centers for a four-year transition period; Kabankalan and neighboring Mabinay were to be joint permanent regional centers) | ||||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||||
• 2015 [1] | 4,414,131 | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
• Established | May 29, 2015 | ||||||||||||
• Disestablished | August 9, 2017 | ||||||||||||
Political subdivisions | 2 provinces | ||||||||||||
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Today part of |
The Negros Island Region (Hiligaynon : Rehiyon sang Pulo sang Negros; Cebuano : Rehiyon sa Pulo sa Negros), also abbreviated and officially designated as NIR (unofficially Region XVIII), was a short-lived administrative region in the Philippines which comprised the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, both of which cover the island of Negros, currently proposed for re-establishment. It existed from May 29, 2015, to August 9, 2017. Local officials [2] and the Consultative Committee to Review the 1987 Constitution have proposed to reinstate Negros as a region or state of a Philippine federation. [3]
Negros has history as a single province and as a briefly independent republic. [4] The movement for a single-island region started in the 1980s, when officials from both provinces proposed a one-island, one-region unit. At the time, Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental were the only provinces in the Philippines situated on the same island but belonging to two different administrative regions. Their regional offices were located in Panay and Cebu respectively. This led to the filing of House of Representatives Bill No. 1477 titled "An Act Merging the Province of Negros Occidental and Oriental into One-Island Region". This argued that the two provinces "nestle in one common island; have common fowls and beasts in the forest; share the same soil in our plains and mountains; benefit and suffer together from the rivers that snake through our land; and our ancestors roamed the same length and breadth without complications of political, social, economic, religious and lingual obstacles."
The proposal was continued through talks between former Governor Bitay Lacson of Negros Occidental and the former Governor Emilio Macias of Negros Oriental in 1990. Their successors, former Governor Rafael Coscolluella and former Governor (and later Representative) George Arnaiz took the initiative further, first identifying Kabankalan in Negros Occidental and the neighboring municipality of Mabinay in Negros Oriental, with the two situated on or near the geographic center of the island, as joint regional centers. However, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) turned down the proposal due to a lack of funding. [5]
In 2013, the one-island region talks were continued by Negros Oriental Representatives Pryde Henry Teves and George Arnaiz, and Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. with Representative Alfredo Marañon III and Coscolluela. [6] They pointed out that, while the creation of a new region would entail substantial costs to the government, it would be advantageous to the people of both provinces because they would not need to travel by sea any more to process transactions in the regional offices. [7] They also claimed that a one-island region would also result in better coordination between both provinces in tourism, peace and order, environment, development planning, disaster management, and road infrastructure. Edward Du, president of the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also proposed to convert existing offices of national agencies in the provincial capitals of Bacolod and Dumaguete to sub-regional offices during an interim period if the proposal was approved to defray the costs of establishing a new regional center. Various public officials and representatives from academic, religious, media, and other private sectors aired support for the proposal. [8] [9]
Notably, Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo was tagged as being initially opposed to the talks, claiming he was not convinced with a one-island region setup and that his constituents were allegedly not in favor of its creation. [10] He eventually clarified that his original stand as regards the region was being "open" to it and that there were some concerns, such as revenue sharing between the two provinces, that had to be thrashed out first. [11]
President Benigno Aquino III directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to study the establishment of a new region. [12] The DILG subsequently endorsed the proposal, noting that the new region would mean integrated planning for holistic development, disaster management, tourism promotion, and peace and order management. [13] NEDA affirmed by saying that its studies show that the proposed region is economically viable. [14]
On May 29, 2015, President Aquino signed Executive Order 183, [15] joining the twin Negros provinces into one region — the Negros Island Region. It separated Negros Occidental and its capital Bacolod from Western Visayas (Region VI) and Negros Oriental from Central Visayas (Region VII), raising the total number of regions of the Philippines to 18. [16] [17]
On August 9, 2017, President Duterte signed Executive Order No. 38, finally revoking the Executive Order No. 183 signed by former President Benigno Aquino III in 2015. The official reason given by Secretary of Budget and Management Benjamín Diokno was the lack of funds needed to fully establish Negros as a functioning region. Earlier, Diokno had notably been dismissive of the region's continued existence, being quoted as saying, "Well, you don't want to spend ₱19 billion for such [a] two-province region. In any event, [even] with ... federalism, that region will not be created [as it would seem] useless." [18]
Its dissolution upset the NIR regional officials and saddened Negrenses. [19] However, many Negrense politicians are pushing for a "Negros Federal State", and are exploring the possibility of creating a Negros Development Alliance. [20] Due to the rise of the Philippine government's conversion into federalism under President Rodrigo Duterte, Negros Island Region may have had the capability to become a separate federal state. [21] [22] There have also been proposals by House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleón Álvarez to move some governmental offices to the Negros Region from Metro Manila, once the nation transitions into the federal government, due to the island's strategic location between Luzon and Mindanao, as well as its vast areas which could accommodate the government offices to be built in there. However, Álvarez' proposal has not yet been approved by the majority of PDP-Laban members and its chairman, Koko Pimentel. Technicalities prevent Pimentel from approving the proposal as the region had already been abolished by Duterte in 2017. [23] [24] [25]
To address the quantitative concerns of those who frown upon the existence of a two-province region, the reintegration of Siquijor, currently part of Central Visayas, into historical Negros had been floated as an idea by then-Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on his visits to both Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. On average, it takes five hours to reach the regional offices located in Cebú, while only an hour to get to Dumaguete in Negros Oriental. Siquijor used to be a part and later on a sub-province of Negros Oriental, finally splitting off from it on September 17, 1971. [26]
In May 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, Bacolod Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran asserted the need to revive the Negros Island Region. [27] On July 1, 2022, House Bill 330 was filed by Negros Occidental 2nd District Representative Alfredo Marañon III, which seeks to reestablish the region. [28] Five months later, on December 5, five bills filed in the Senate to reestablish the Negros Island Region were approved. [29]
As of March 6, 2023, the House Bill 7355 or the Negros Island Region Bill, which will now expand the previous NIR with the inclusion of Siquijor, was passed on the third and final reading at the House of Representatives. The measure is expected to hurdle the Senate, as the Senate bill is sponsored by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who has roots from Kabankalan. [30] On March 12, 2024, JV Ejercito' Senate Bill No. 2507 or the Negros Island Region Bill was passed on the third and final reading at the Senate. [31] [32] Aside from Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, the new region includes Siquijor, Bacolod City and will bring positive economic impact in Kabankalan City, the “center city of the south”. [33]
The Negros Island Region was composed of two provinces, one highly urbanized city, 18 component cities, 38 municipalities, and 1,219 barangays.
Province orHUC | Capital | Population (2015) [34] | Area [35] | Density | Cities | Muni. | Bgy. | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
km2 | sq mi | /km2 | /sq mi | ||||||||||
Negros Occidental | Bacolod | 56.6% | 2,497,261 | 7,802.54 | 3,012.58 | 320 | 830 | 12 | 19 | 601 | |||
Negros Oriental | Dumaguete | 30.7% | 1,354,995 | 5,385.53 | 2,079.36 | 250 | 650 | 6 | 19 | 557 | |||
Bacolod | † | — | 12.7% | 561,875 | 162.67 | 62.81 | 3,500 | 9,100 | — | — | 61 | ||
Total | 4,414,131 | 13,350.74 | 5,154.75 | 330 | 850 | 19 | 38 | 1,219 | |||||
† Bacolod is a highly urbanized city; figures are excluded from Negros Occidental. |
At the time of its existence, the Negros Island Region had the fewest provinces in the Philippines (only two), but had 19 cities (18 component cities and the highly urbanized city of Bacolod) in total, making it the region with the most cities amongst the Visayas regions, tying alongside Calabarzon in Luzon, which also has 19 cities. Bacolod was the most populous city of the region and the center of the Bacolod Metropolitan Area (which also contains the cities of Talisay and Silay), as well as the 19th most populous city of the whole Philippines, while Dumaguete was the most densely populated city in the whole region.
Negros Occidental has the most chartered cities amongst all the provinces in the Philippines. The province comprises 13 cities and 19 municipalities, which are further subdivided into 601 barangays. Although Bacolod serves as the capital, it is governed independently from its corresponding province as a highly urbanized city. Negros Oriental comprises 6 cities and 19 municipalities, with 557 barangays.
City | Population (2015) [34] | Area [36] | Density | City class | Income class | Province | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
km2 | sq mi | /km2 | /sq mi | |||||
Bacolod | 561,875 | 162.67 | 62.81 | 3,500 | 9,100 | Highly urbanized | 1st | Negros Occidental |
Bago | 170,981 | 401.20 | 154.90 | 430 | 1,100 | Component | 2nd | Negros Occidental |
Bais | 76,291 | 319.64 | 123.41 | 240 | 620 | Component | 3rd | Negros Oriental |
Bayawan | 117,900 | 699.08 | 269.92 | 170 | 440 | Component | 1st | Negros Oriental |
Cadiz | 154,723 | 524.57 | 202.54 | 290 | 750 | Component | 2nd | Negros Occidental |
Canlaon | 54,509 | 170.93 | 66.00 | 320 | 830 | Component | 4th | Negros Oriental |
Dumaguete | 131,377 | 33.62 | 12.98 | 3,900 | 10,000 | Component | 2nd | Negros Oriental |
Escalante | 94,070 | 192.76 | 74.43 | 490 | 1,300 | Component | 4th | Negros Occidental |
Guihulngan | 95,969 | 388.56 | 150.02 | 250 | 650 | Component | 5th | Negros Oriental |
Himamaylan | 106,880 | 367.04 | 141.71 | 290 | 750 | Component | 3rd | Negros Occidental |
Kabankalan | 181,977 | 697.35 | 269.25 | 260 | 670 | Component | 1st | Negros Occidental |
La Carlota | 64,469 | 137.29 | 53.01 | 470 | 1,200 | Component | 4th | Negros Occidental |
Sagay | 146,264 | 330.34 | 127.54 | 440 | 1,100 | Component | 3rd | Negros Occidental |
San Carlos | 132,536 | 451.50 | 174.33 | 290 | 750 | Component | 2nd | Negros Occidental |
Silay | 126,930 | 214.80 | 82.93 | 590 | 1,500 | Component | 3rd | Negros Occidental |
Sipalay | 70,070 | 379.78 | 146.63 | 180 | 470 | Component | 4th | Negros Occidental |
Talisay | 102,214 | 201.18 | 77.68 | 510 | 1,300 | Component | 4th | Negros Occidental |
Tanjay | 80,532 | 276.05 | 106.58 | 290 | 750 | Component | 4th | Negros Oriental |
Victorias | 87,933 | 133.92 | 51.71 | 660 | 1,700 | Component | 4th | Negros Occidental |
The Visayas, or the Visayan Islands, are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea. Its inhabitants are predominantly the Visayan peoples.
In the Philippines, provinces are one of its primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government units in the National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are independent of any provincial government. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and an elected governor.
Negros Oriental, officially the Province of Negros Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Dumaguete. It occupies the southeastern half of the large island of Negros, and borders Negros Occidental, which comprises the northwestern half. It also includes Apo Island, a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists.
Negros Occidental, officially the Province of Negros Occidental (Hiligaynon: Kapuoran sang Nakatungdang Negros (Negros Occidental; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Kanlurang Negros, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically situated and grouped under by the Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent from the provincial government. It occupies the northwestern half of the large island of Negros, and borders Negros Oriental, which comprises the southeastern half. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's sugar output.
Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidental, where it is geographically situated but governed administratively independent.
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Dumaguete, officially the City of Dumaguete, is a 2nd class component city and capital of the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 134,103 people. It is the most populous city and the smallest city by land area in Negros Oriental.
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Kabankalan, officially the City of Kabankalan, is a 1st class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 200,198 people making it the second most populous city in Negros Occidental next to Bacolod.
The Negros Revolution, commemorated and popularly known as the Fifth of November or Negros Day, was a political movement that in 1898 created a government on Negros Island in the Philippines, ending Spanish control of the island and paving the way for a republican government run by the Negrense natives. The newly established Negros Republic lasted for approximately three months. American forces landed on the island unopposed on February 2, 1899, ending the island's independence. Negros was then annexed to the Philippine Islands on 20 April 1901.
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The Diocese of Bacolod is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Negros Occidental, Philippines. A suffragan of the Archdiocese of Jaro, its jurisdiction covers most of the northwestern towns and cities of the province of Negros Occidental namely, as far as Victorias City in the north and the Municipality of Hinigaran in the south.
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Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of 13,309 km2 (5,139 sq mi). Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region are mainly called Negrenses. As of 2020 census, the total population of Negros is 4,656,945 people.
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