CATBALOGAN CITY, Philippines — House of Representatives Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has introduced a bill aiming to establish a new Samar Island Region. This initiative seeks to decentralize governance and enhance the delivery of essential national government services to the country’s less developed provinces.
Under House Bill No. 10727, the proposed Samar Island Region would include the three provinces of Northern Samar, Samar, and Eastern Samar, along with their cities, municipalities, and barangays.
“This measure, if enacted, will expedite the delivery of national government services to the communities in these three Samar provinces,” Libanan said.
“The new region will also benefit from a dedicated Regional Development Council (RDC) to drive economic growth and job creation.”
Libanan, who previously served as the representative for Eastern Samar’s lone congressional district from 1998 to 2007 and as provincial vice governor, is now a representative for the 4Ps party-list.
If established, the Samar Island Region would become the 19th administrative region in the Philippines. This follows the recent creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR), the country’s 18th administrative region, as signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last June under Republic Act No. 12000.
The formation of a new region will necessitate the establishment of new regional offices for various national government departments, including health, education, and social services.
The bill does not designate the regional center’s location but provides for the formation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) to recommend a site to the Office of the President. The TWG will consist of representatives from Malacañang, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the offices of the three Samar province governors, and all elected congressional district representatives.
Currently, the three Samar provinces are part of Eastern Visayas (Region VIII), which also includes Biliran, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.
The Philippines’ administrative regions are as follows: National Capital Region (NCR); Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Ilocos Region (Region I); Cagayan Valley (Region II); Central Luzon (Region III); Calabarzon (Region IV-A); MIMAROPA (Region IV-B); Bicol Region (Region V); Western Visayas (Region VI); Negros Island Region (NIR); Central Visayas (Region VII); Eastern Visayas (Region VIII); Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX); Northern Mindanao (Region X); Davao Region (Region XI); Soccsksargen (Region XII); Caraga (Region XIII); and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). | via Ricky Bautista
