Hospital Project in Philippines Halted Over Zoning Violations Tied to Powerful Family

April 5, 2025 | Dumaguete City, Philippines

A ₱3.3-billion provincial hospital project in Dumaguete City has been stopped mid-construction after officials discovered it lacked critical permits, violating a zoning ordinance championed by the same political family now overseeing the effort. The controversy has raised allegations of favoritism and abuse of power in Negros Oriental Province.

The Dumaguete City Engineering Office issued a stop-work order for the hospital site in Barangay Piapi, citing breaches of Presidential Decree 1096, the National Building Code, and Ordinance No. 82, the city’s 2013 Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. The ordinance limits building heights to 13.5 meters in the IN-2 (Cluster Development Area) District, where the hospital is located—a rule designed to ensure safety on unstable soil and promote low-rise development.

The province, led by Governor Chaco Sagarbarria, began construction without a zoning clearance, fire safety certificate, or building permit, according to city officials. Chaco is the son of former Mayor Manuel “Chiquiting” Sagarbarria, who signed Ordinance No. 82 into law during his tenure in 2013, aiming to regulate land use and protect public welfare.

Adding to the scrutiny, Councilor Joe Kenneth Arbas, a media spokesperson for the Sagarbarria administration, has defended the project despite its irregularities. Arbas authored a 2016 amendment to the zoning ordinance, clarifying its restrictions—rules he now appears to overlook.

Local critics see a pattern of privilege. “Ordinary citizens face fines and delays for missing a single permit,” said a Dumaguete homeowner, who requested anonymity fearing reprisal. “But the province acts like the law doesn’t apply.”

Manuel Sagarbarria, though no longer mayor, is widely regarded as a guiding force behind his son’s administration, intensifying questions about accountability. The hospital, intended to boost regional healthcare, has instead become a flashpoint for debates over governance.

City officials have not indicated when—or if—construction might resume. For now, residents are left wondering why laws once deemed essential seem negotiable for those who wrote them.