House of Representatives Minority Leader Nonoy Libanan filed a bill seeking to establish the new Samar Island Region, in an effort to decentralize and boost up the delivery of essential national government services to some of the least developed provinces in the country.
As proposed by Libanan in House Bill No. 10727, the three provinces of Northern Samar, Samar, and Eastern Samar, including their cities, municipalities, and barangays, would constitute the new Samar Island Region.
“Our measure, once enacted, will expedite the dispensing of national government services to the communities of the three Samar provinces.”
“Our measure, once enacted, will expedite the dispensing of national government services to the communities of the three Samar provinces,” the veteran legislator said.
“They will also have their own highly focused Regional Development Council (RDC) to drive economic growth and jobs creation,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
Libanan represented Eastern Samar’s lone congressional district for nine years from 1998 to 2007, and was one-time provincial vice governor. He is currently 4Ps party-list representative.
Once formed, the Samar Island Region would become the country’s 19th administrative region.
Last June, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act. No. 12000, which set up the Negros Island Region (NIR) as the country’s 18th administrative region.
A new region means that all national government line departments, such as health, education, and social services, among others, would have to put up new regional offices.
A new region means that all national government line departments, such as health, education, and social services, among others, would have to put up new regional offices.
Libanan’s bill does not specify the seat of the Samar Island Region, except to provide that a Technical Working Group (TWG) would be created and would recommend to the Office of the President the preferred site of the regional center.
The TWG would be composed of representatives from Malacañang, the Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the governor’s offices of the three Samar provinces, and all elected congressional district representatives.
The three Samar provinces currently form part of Eastern Visayas (Region VIII), which also includes the provinces of Biliran, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.
At present, the country’s 18 administrative regions are: the National Capital Region (NCR); Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Ilocos Region (Region I); Cagayan Valley (Region II); Central Luzon (Region III); Calabarzon (Region IV‑A); Southwestern Tagalog Region (MIMAROPA); 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).
