The district of incumbent House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of Isabela received the largest amount of proposed insertions in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget for 2026, according to a report released by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) on Sunday, December 14.

PCIJ said Dy’s district topped all legislative districts with about P23 billion in insertions in the House-proposed DPWH budget. Insertions refer to additional projects added by lawmakers during congressional budget hearings that were not included in the original DPWH proposal.

The districts of House Appropriations Committee chair Rep. Mikaela Suansing of Nueva Ecija and her sister, Rep. Bella Suansing of Sultan Kudarat, ranked second and third, respectively.

PCIJ noted that Dy’s district originally had a P1.1-billion DPWH allocation, which rose to P3.8 billion after House deliberations. Mikaela Suansing’s district increased from P1.6 billion to P3.4 billion, while Bella Suansing’s district reached P3.9 billion following insertions.

The report also showed that despite resigning as Speaker, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand “Martin” Romualdez’s district received P6-billion in DPWH funds, while the 2nd District of Misamis Oriental, represented by Rep. Yevgeny “Bambi” Emano, got the highest allocation at P6.35-billion.

PCIJ said districts with the biggest allocations do not necessarily have the highest population or poverty incidence, noting that the country’s poorest province, Zamboanga del Norte, received a combined P6.33-billion for its three districts.

The bicameral conference committee deliberated on the DPWH budget on December 14, where the proposed insertions were reviewed.