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Zubiri pushes for establishment of NIR: Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri expresses belief that proposals to bring together Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental into one region to be called the Negros Island Region (NIR), would benefit the residents of said localities because it will bring government service closer to them. During the Committee on Local Government hearing on Monday, December 5, 2022, Zubiri said he is confident that the proposed NIR will be supported by local government units of the Negros island adding that governors of Negros Occidental and Oriental are pushing for it. “I hope we can pass this (NIR Act) the soonest possible time on the committee level, so we can tackle this in plenary,” said Zubiri, one of the authors of the proposed measure. In 2015, Former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III through Executive Order (EO) 183 established the NIR, separating Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental from Western Visayas and Central Visayas respectively, but former President Rodrigo Duterte abolished it in 2017. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)