Malacanan on Wednesday released Executive Orders (EOs) No. 37 and 38, signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on August 7, 2017.
EO 38 revoked Executive Order 183 issued in 2015 revoking the creation of the Negros Island Region and reverting the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental to Region VI and Region VII, respectively.

EO 38 likewise abolished the Negros Island Region (NIR) Regional Offices (ROs) and Regional Councils (RCs).

“All existing personnel of the NIR ROs shall return to their previous units of deployment, or reassigned to other offices within their respective departments/agencies,” EO 38 said.

The EO added that “the winding up of the operations of the NIR ROs, as well as the final disposition (e.g., transfer or abolition) of their functions, positions, personnel, assets, and liabilities, shall be done immediately and completed not later than sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Order.”

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was directed to oversee the reversion of Negros provinces to their respective regions. The DILG may also issue guidelines for the NIR reversion and ROs and RCs abolition.

Meanwhile, EO 37 adjusted the dividend rate of the National Development Company (NDC) for its 2015 net earnings.

Under Section 1 of the EO, “(t)he percentage of net earnings to be declared and remitted by NDC as dividends to the National Government, as required under Section 3 of RA (Republic Act) 7656, is authorized to be adjusted downward to 1.0982% or an estimated total amount of P48.567 Million for 2015.”

RA 7656 requires all government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to declare and remit at least 50 percent of their annual net earnings as cash, stock, or property dividends to the National Government.

“The adjusted dividend rate set forth in Section 1 is only applicable to the NDC and the year stated therein,” the EO stated. ###PCO-Content