P105.3-B budget set for Negros Island Region in 2026
BACOLOD CITY—The proposed budget for the newly created Negros Island Region (NIR) in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026 is P105.35 billion, according to Negros Occidental 6th District Rep. Mercedes Alvarez.
The creation of NIR, which is carved out of Western Visayas and Central Visayas, also meant that the budget allocations for the two other Visayan regions would go down, Alvarez said.
Data furnished by Alvarez showed that the 2026 NEP for Western Visayas (Region 6) was at P198.74 billion, or P37. 8 billion lower than its P236.59 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), while that of Central Visayas (Region 7) was down to P234.94 billion or P21.58 billion lower than its P256.52 billion allocation in 2025.
The decrease in appropriations for Regions 6 and 7 is mainly due to Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor now being part of the NIR, Alvarez explained.
Overall higher
Negros Occidental used to be part of Western Visayas, leaving Region 6 with Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique and Guimaras provinces; while Negros Oriental and Siquijor were once grouped with Cebu and Bohol in Central Visayas.
However, when the total allocations for all the three Visayas regions are combined, the amount still showed an overall increase of P45.92 billion, or 9.31 percent, rising from P493.12 billion in the 2025 GAA to P539.05 billion in the 2026 proposed NEP, Alvarez said.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has submitted its proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 NEP to the House of Representatives, which includes the amounts for the three Visayas regions.
The NEP, which outlines the national government’s proposed spending plan for 2026, serves as the basis for the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). Once the GAB is approved by both the House and the Senate, the GAB is signed into law by the President, it will be known as the 2026 GAA.
Data furnished by Alvarez also showed that as of July 31, the DBM had already approved the creation of the NIR Offices of ten national government agencies.
These agencies are the Department of the Interior and Local Government, with 23 positions; Department of Public Works and Highways – 51 positions; Department of Health (DOH) – 22 positions; DBM – 21 positions; Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority – 11 positions; Department of Tourism – 13 positions; National Nutrition Council, DOH – 6 positions; National Wages and Productivity Commission, DOLE – 10 positions; Commission on Elections – 8 positions; and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency – 22 positions.
