A country like the Philippines is difficult to govern. Because of the archipelagic nature of a country like the Philippines, the components of a region are very often separated from one another by water. Needless to say, things would be different—better and simpler—if the regions of the Philippines and other archipelagic nations were contiguous.
But they are not. Examples in this country or regions with non-contiguous components are Region II (Cagayan Valley), Region IV-A (Southern Tagalog), Region V (Bicol), Region XII (Western Mindanao), Region VI (Western Visayas), Region VII (Central Visayas) and Region VIII (Eastern Visayas).
The province of Batanes is separated by the Balintang Channel from the rest of Region II. The islands of Mindoro (two provinces, Palawan, Marinduque and Romblon) are separated from Region IV, whose center is Batangas City. Masbate and Catanduanes lie off the Bicol Peninsula. The province of Biliran is separated from Leyte Island. The island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi are not contiguous with the Zamboanga Peninsula. The tiny island province of Guimaras lies off the coast of Iloilo Province, from which it was separated three decades ago. The provinces of Siquijor and Bohol, together with Negros Oriental, form part of the Cebu City-based Region VII regional office. And the island province of Camiguin lies off the north central coast of Mindanao.
When the decision was made in the ‘70s to divide this country into administrative regions, the areas that gave the government planners the greatest problems—mainly because of geography and language—was southern Luzon and central Visayas. What to do with the huge island provinces of Palawan and Mindoro and the small islands of Marinduque and Romblon? And how to deal with Ilonggo-speaking Negros Occidental and Cebuano-speaking Negros Oriental Bohol and Siquijor? Because the populations of the islands of Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque and Romblon were mainly Tagalog-speaking, the planners decided to group them in a sub-region numbered IV-A. Negros Occidental was tacked on to Region VI because of the language mainly spoken in that province and Negros Oriental, Bohol and Siquijor were made parts of Cebu-centered Region VII.
A case can be established for the reconstitution of the large island of Palawan and Mindoro into a region of their own, but there really isn’t any hope for a change in the status of any of the other non-contiguous islands which are all comparatively small and economically insignificant.
Since its establishment, there has been no organized and consistent effort to undo the structure of Region IV-A; there has been no strong agitation to that effect among the leaders and citizens of Palawan and Mindoro, which are big and economically significant islands.
Not so with the people of Negros. From the very start the leaders and citizens—especially the business people – have been unhappy with the idea of two contiguous provincial administrations having to report to officials located in other islands, with Negros Occidental people having to report to an office in Iloilo City and Negros Oriental people having to report to officials in Cebu City. Why, the Negrenses have asked all along, should they have to cross the Guimaras Channel or Tanon Strait to be able to transact official business?
In 2015, President Benigno Aquino III issued an Administrative Order establishing a new region, Negros Island Region (NIR), that would encompass the two Negros provinces solely. Negros Occidental was uncoupled from Region VI and Negros Oriental was uncoupled from Region VII. Shortly after becoming President, Rodrigo Duterte rescinded the administrative order and reinstated the previous administrative arrangements for the two provinces.
I have no wish to go into the issue of whether Mr. Duterte’s action was part of his destroy-Aquino’s-legacy campaign. I prefer to stick to the non-political rationale for the creation of NIR.
The fact is that the two provinces of Negros are more than just contiguous parts of one of this country’s largest islands. Together, the two provinces comprise a large, economically strong component of this country. The island of Negros accounts for approximately two-thirds of Philippine sugar production is one of the largest producers of geothermal energy – the Palimpinon field in this country, possesses a copper mining industry and is a major producer of corn.
The two Negros provinces deserve to have a region of their own, economic considerations demand it. So, of course, do practical considerations.
Once, for a very short while, there was an NIR. Then it was abruptly canceled, for no justifiable reason. But it will come again, after 2022, because NIR makes eminent good sense. In the meantime, the people of Negros will have to suffer having to transact their regional business in two places rather than one.
E-mail: romero.business.class@gmail.com