House representatives of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental have huge sums of “allocables,” or discretionary funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), similar to that received by representatives of Iloilo Province and Iloilo City.

This information is based on data from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ). From 2023 to 2025, it turned out that Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya, former representative, has the largest amount of “allocable” that reaches over P5 billion. 

Next on the list is Negros Occidental 6th District Rep. Mercedes Alvarez with over P4.4 billion; over P4.1 billion for Jose Francisco Benitez, former representative of Negros Occidental 3^rd District; P3.9 billion for 5th District Rep. Emilio Bernardino Yulo; P3.4 billion for Juliet Marie Ferrer, former representative of the 4th district; over P3.2 billion for Gerardo Valmayor Jr., former representative of the 1st district; and over P3 billion for 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III. 

GMA Regional TV One Western Visayas went to see Gasataya in his office, but he was not around. He has not issued a statement yet. 

The news team has tried to get comments from other House representatives mentioned.

Further, non-allocable funds are also available for congressional districts in Negros Occidental that comprise DPWH core projects, programs, foreign-assisted projects, and national highways. 

The 1st District got over P400 million, over P1 billion for the 2nd District, over P300 million for the 3r District, over P500 million for the 4th District, over P1.5 billion for the 5th District, and over P200 million for the 6th District. 

Furthermore, Iloilo 4^th District Rep. Ferjenel Biron, in a statement, said that his over P1-billion allocable is "not a form of insertion but a regular allocation."

"I wish to clarify that the ₱1.38 billion allocated for our District in the 2025 General Appropriations Act is not an insertion. This amount forms part of the regular allocation provided to districts nationwide through established planning processes, agency proposals, and the national budgeting system.A significant portion of this allocation supports local infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, flood mitigation structures, school buildings, and other facilities intended to enhance public service and promote community development," Biron said.