DUMAGUETE CITY — The three congressional districts of Negros Oriental together drew roughly ₱15.3 billion in Department of Public Works and Highways “allocables” from 2023 to 2025 — more than a third of everything that went to the Negros Island Region in those years, according to data compiled by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).
The 2nd District led not just the province but all 11 districts in the region, with ₱5.52 billion. Through the 19th Congress the seat was held by Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria, who sat as a vice chairman of the House appropriations committee — the panel that assembles the national budget — during the years these allocations were set.
Close behind was the 3rd District, with ₱5.15 billion, second-highest in the region. It is an unusual entry: the district has had no elected representative since 2023, when Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. was suspended and then expelled from the House over his alleged role in the killing of then-Governor Roel Degamo. Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez has served as the district’s caretaker since.
The 1st District, represented by Jocelyn “Josy” Limkaichong, drew ₱4.60 billion — fourth in the region, behind only the two Negros Oriental seats and Bacolod City. The six districts of Negros Occidental each took between ₱3 billion and ₱4.5 billion; Siquijor’s lone district drew the region’s smallest share, ₱2.34 billion.
The numbers landed in the middle of a season of change in local politics. In the 2025 elections the Sagarbarrias swept Negros Oriental: Chiquiting won the mayoralty of Dumaguete; his wife, Isabel “Maisa” Sagarbarria, took over the 2nd District seat in Congress; and their son, Manuel “Chaco” Sagarbarria, was reelected governor and later chosen to chair the Negros Island Region’s Regional Development Council, the body that helps rank the region’s infrastructure priorities.
A DPWH budget summary reviewed for this report shows where the 2025 money sits beyond the allocable column. The 2nd District carries the largest single “outside allocable” line in the region for 2025, ₱2.38 billion. In Negros Occidental, the 2nd and 5th districts show the region’s heaviest Congress-initiated new items, ₱1.40 billion and ₱1.33 billion.
None of the figures, on their own, point to wrongdoing. They are appropriations, not findings. But with the Senate’s flood-control inquiry continuing, the province’s place near the top of the regional table is likely to draw scrutiny.
Negros Island Region: who drew the most
| # | District | Representative (19th Cong.) | 2023–2025 Allocable | 2025 Outside Allocable | 2025 Congress-Initiated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Negros Oriental 2nd | Manuel “Chiquiting” T. Sagarbarria | ₱5.52B | ₱2.38B | ₱0.53B |
| 2 | Negros Oriental 3rd | vacant — caretaker Spkr. Romualdez | ₱5.15B | ₱1.58B | ₱1.41B |
| 3 | Bacolod City (Lone) | Greg G. Gasataya | ₱5.10B | ₱0.84B | ₱0.61B |
| 4 | Negros Oriental 1st | Jocelyn “Josy” S. Limkaichong | ₱4.60B | ₱0.87B | ₱0.42B |
| 5 | Negros Occidental 6th | Mercedes K. Alvarez | ₱4.49B | ₱0.27B | ₱0.22B |
| 6 | Negros Occidental 3rd | Jose Francisco “Kiko” B. Benitez | ₱4.10B | ₱0.39B | ₱0.27B |
| 7 | Negros Occidental 5th | Emilio Bernardino “Dino” L. Yulo | ₱3.95B | ₱1.59B | ₱1.33B |
| 8 | Negros Occidental 4th | Juliet Marie D. Ferrer | ₱3.46B | ₱0.58B | ₱0.36B |
| 9 | Negros Occidental 1st | Gerardo “Ginggo” P. Valmayor Jr. | ₱3.25B | ₱0.47B | ₱0.34B |
| 10 | Negros Occidental 2nd | Alfredo “Thirdy” D. Marañon III | ₱3.09B | ₱1.50B | ₱1.40B |
| 11 | Siquijor (Lone) | Zaldy “Jecoy” S. Villa | ₱2.34B | ₱0.95B | ₱0.84B |
| NIR total | ₱45.06B | ₱11.42B | ₱7.73B |
Source: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, “Allocables are the new pork” (29 November 2025). The 2023–2025 allocable figures are PCIJ’s; the 2025 outside-allocable and Congress-initiated figures are from the DPWH “FY 2025 Budget — By DEO/LD Summary,” reconciled to the document’s own regional and grand totals.
