Lawmaker pushes for creation of Samar Island Region

National

A NEW legislative push is underway to establish the Samar Island Region (SIR), comprising Northern Samar, Samar, and Eastern Samar.

House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, a former Eastern Samar representative, filed House Bill 10727 last week to create the 19th administrative region of the Philippines.

Libanan emphasized that creating the SIR would enhance government service delivery in the region.

Libanan said that once enacted, the measure will expedite the dispensing of national government services to the communities of the three Samar provinces.

“They will also have their own highly focused Regional Development Council (RDC) to drive economic growth and job creation," he added.

This legislative effort follows the recent approval of the Negros Island Region (NIR) by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Inspired by this development, Libanan and other officials from Samar Island are renewing their call for a separate region to address their unique needs and challenges.

Local groups and the Catholic Church have supported the proposal for a Samar Island Region for years.

Currently, the Samar provinces are part of Eastern Visayas, along with Leyte, Southern Leyte, and Biliran.

The new region, if established, would include the cities, municipalities, and barangays of the three Samar provinces, which collectively have a population of about 1.9 million people, according to the 2020 census.

The bill outlines the creation of a technical working group tasked with recommending the location of the regional center.

This panel would include representatives from the Office of the President, Department of Budget and Management, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the three Samar provinces, and all area representatives.

Libanan added that establishing the new region would require the creation of regional offices for various national government agencies, including those responsible for health, education, and social welfare.

This decentralization is expected to improve access to essential services and foster regional development.

The poverty rates in the Samar provinces underscore the need for targeted regional development. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the poverty rate is 35.8 percent in Samar, 35.6 percent in Eastern Samar, and 27.5 percent in Northern Samar.

By creating a distinct administrative region, proponents believe they can better address these socioeconomic challenges and promote more balanced growth across the region.(MyTVCebu)