Negros Island Region is Region 18

THE newly-created Negros Island Region (NIR) was officially designated as Region 18 during the first meeting Friday
of the Technical Working Group (TWG) presided by Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II at the
DILG central office in Quezon City.
Ma. Lina Sanogal, provincial planning and development officer of Negros Occidental, and one of the members of the
Occidental panel in the TWG, said that 14 regional offices will hold their interim offices in Negros Occidental while
Negros Oriental will temporarily host 16 regional offices.

The regional offices that will be located in Negros Occidental are those of the
Agriculture and Land Cluster Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural
Resources, Department of Agriculture, and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.
Peace and Security Cluster Department of Justice, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of
National Defense, and Office of the Civil Defense; and Governance Cluster Department of Budget and
Management, National Economic and Development Authority, Commission on Audit, and Commission on Elections.

Agencies that will be located in Negros Oriental are those that belong to the:
Human Development Cluster Department of Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority,
Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Commission on Higher Education, Civil
Service Commission, National Statistical Authority or National Statistics Office, and Professional Regulation
Commission.

Industrial and Labor Cluster Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department
of Science and Technology, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Tourism, and Securities and Exchange
Commission.

Infrastructure Cluster. Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and
Communication and offices under it, including the Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board, and National Telecommunications Commission.

Sanogal said the interim regional offices of NIR will start their operations on October 1, and are expected to be
fully operational by January 1, 2016 through the scrap and build operation.

She added that Roxas asked the DBM to determine the savings of the regional offices of Western Visayas and
Central Visayas minus the budget for the two provinces to be used for the interim regional offices of the NIR. The
agencies will assign their respective OIC-regional directors for the NIR.

Roxas also tasked Undersecretary Austere Panadero and the Office of the President to send a memorandum to the
national government agencies, formally informing them about the creation of the NIR to guide them in their budget
preparations for 2016.

The two provinces are also tasked to start looking for available offices and existing equipment and make a budget to
temporarily host the respective regional offices.

Sanogal said it was agreed on Friday that the regional center of Region 18-NIR will be established at the 40-hectare
area owned by the Central Philippine University at the boundary of Kabankalan City and Mabinay town.

The setting up of the regional center that will house the regional offices will take three to five years, she said.
President Aquino through an executive order will appoint the chairs of the Regional Development Council and the
Regional Peace and Order Council.

The OCD regional director will automatically sit as chair of the Regional Risk Reduction and Management Council.