DUMAGUETE CITY — Negros Oriental’s three congressional districts rank 99th, 110th and 128th among 190 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineering offices nationwide in the House-approved 2027 General Appropriations Bill, according to an analysis of DPWH project lists by civic technology group BetterGov.PH.
The three districts together carry ₱2.08 billion in project lines under House Bill 10858 — ₱433 million, or about 26 percent, more than the ₱1.65 billion proposed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the executive branch. The House approved the bill on third reading with 281 votes in favor, 13 against and one abstention. It now goes to the Senate.
Top-Funded Districts Far Outpace Negros Oriental
The Ilocos Norte 1st District Engineering Office, covering the district of Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, leads the country with ₱4.74 billion spread across 433 project lines — up sharply from ₱369 million in the NEP. Negros Oriental’s combined total is less than half that figure.
The next four top-funded offices each serve multiple congressional districts. The Nueva Ecija 1st District Engineering Office ranks second with ₱3.86 billion, covering the districts of Reps. Mikaela Angela Suansing and Mario Salvador. The Bulacan 2nd District Engineering Office ranks third with ₱3.47 billion, covering three representatives. The Metro Manila 3rd District Engineering Office ranks fourth with ₱3.09 billion, covering five districts in Caloocan City and Valenzuela City. The Isabela 4th District Engineering Office ranks fifth with ₱3.07 billion — up from ₱1.54 billion in the NEP — and covers the districts of Rep. Joseph Tan and House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.
3rd District Leads Province at 99th with 38% Budget Increase
The Negros Oriental 3rd District, represented by Rep. Janice Degamo, ranks highest in the province at 99th nationally. Its district engineering office carries ₱785 million in project lines in the House bill, up from ₱570 million in the NEP — an increase of 38 percent, according to BetterGov.PH’s analysis.
All of the increase comes from 15 lines that appear in the House bill but not in the NEP. Ten are road and bridge access projects worth ₱165 million, four are multi-purpose buildings worth ₱40 million, and one is a ₱10 million primary road improvement. The largest single new item is a ₱30 million road project in Sitio Avocado, Barangay Talalak, Santa Catalina.
2nd District Ranks 110th; Mojon Bridge Allocation Jumps to ₱35M
The 2nd District, represented by Rep. Ma. Isabel Sagarbarria, ranks 110th, with its district engineering office carrying ₱694 million in the House bill — a 15 percent increase from ₱604 million in the NEP, per the BetterGov.PH data.
The House added 12 project lines worth ₱65.5 million. Eleven are multi-purpose buildings. One is a ₱6.5 million preventive maintenance item on the Dumaguete Airport Road. The House also raised the allocation for the Mojon Bridge along the Dumaguete North Road from ₱10.1 million to ₱35 million.
One added line — a ₱15 million multi-purpose building in Sitio Baisan, Barangay Kalumboyan, Bayawan City — appears under the 2nd District Engineering Office in the project list, even though Bayawan City is part of the 3rd District, BetterGov.PH’s analysis notes.
1st District Ranks 128th with Most Project Lines but Smallest Total
The 1st District, represented by Rep. Emmanuel Iway, ranks 128th nationally. Its office carries ₱600 million across 91 project lines — the most lines among the three Negros Oriental offices but the smallest total allocation. The figure is up 27 percent from ₱473 million in the NEP, according to BetterGov.PH.
Nearly all of the added lines are small multi-purpose buildings, mostly worth ₱5 million or less, along with two ₱5 million bridges in Canlaon City. The project list also shows the House dropped a ₱5 million covered court in Purok Galuvilla, Barangay Pula, Canlaon City, and replaced it with a covered court of the same amount in Purok Galuvilla, Barangay Mabigo, Canlaon City.
Negros Oriental Offices Rank Fifth to Seventh in Negros Island Region
Among the 10 district engineering offices in the Negros Island Region, the three Negros Oriental offices rank fifth to seventh. They trail Bacolod City (₱1.17 billion), the Negros Occidental 1st District Engineering Office (₱1.14 billion), the Negros Occidental 6th District (₱1.12 billion) and Siquijor (₱889 million), based on BetterGov.PH’s figures.
Tracker Launched by People’s Budget Coalition and BetterGov.PH
The People’s Budget Coalition and BetterGov.PH launched the budget tracker on October 26. The groups said the tool lets the public see which districts received the biggest budget increases and cuts in the House version of the 2027 budget.
BetterGov.PH notes that each figure belongs to a DPWH district engineering office, not to an individual lawmaker, and that a project line appearing in the House bill but absent from the NEP reflects a document comparison — not evidence of wrongdoing. All figures are sourced from BetterGov.PH’s House Budget Analysis 2027, based on DPWH project lists in the 2027 NEP and House Bill 10858, with data as of October 25, 2026.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of BetterGov.PH
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