He must have been a small child to merit the nickname “Chiquiting” when he was born six and a half decades ago. The fourth of six siblings, whose nicknames all start with “Ch” — Cholong, Chitong, Chiqui, Chiquiting, Chining, Chona — Chiquiting quickly outgrew his name and, like his male siblings, grew in size and stature.
While their father, Manuel Sagarbarria, worked as a chemist for the Central Azucarera de Bais and their mother, Trinidad Teves-Sagarbarria, later started the famous Sans Rival pastry shop in their family residence at the Rizal Boulevard, Chiquiting and his siblings explored the world around them and pursued various interests.
Chiquiting was a soccer player in his college days, and he also ventured into scuba diving and was one of the original ham radio operators in Negros Oriental, starting out with the Citizens’ Band (CB) radios, where he adopted the call sign “Scooby Doo”, which gave the name to the famous home-grown Dumaguete fastfood restaurant, Scooby’s.
Their father’s influence rubbed off on Chiquiting that he wanted to follow his father’s footsteps and become a chemist. “Mao ning nikuha kog Bachelor of Science in Chemistry sa Silliman, kay I wanted to make a super sabon (that’s why I took up Bachelor of Science in Chemistry in Silliman. I wanted to make a super soap.)” Congressman Chiquiting recalls with a hint of nostalgia gleaming from his eyes.
“When I was in Silliman, daghang pa tong mga dreams nakong pang buhaton, noh — all about making something, developing something that can make life easier for everyone. (When I was in Silliman, there was a lot that I wanted to do, and it was all about making something, developing something that can make life easier for everyone.)”
Chiquiting and his wife Maisa soon pursued their vision of making Scooby’s fast food and grocery with such enthusiasm and dynamism that he caught the eye of City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, who asked him to volunteer as the City’s traffic czar in 1999 to 2001.
That sparked Chiquiting’s interest in public service, leading him to run for City Councilor, which he handily won in 2001. He went on to serve three terms as Councilor.
Chiquiting went on to become City Mayor in 2010 and served with distinction, garnering several Galing Pook Awards in his two-year term.
He was again lured to serve a higher office in 2016, running and winning the Congressional seat of the Second District in Negros Oriental, a post he is now serving on his second term.
Chiquiting’s passion for public service has continually led him to go on out-of-town trips to visit the 174 barangays in the Second District at every opportunity, while at the same time leading his various businesses.
His pragmatic approach to politics and business makes it easy to actualize development, a skill he learned as he started to live his life as a public servant.
As a businessman, Chiquiting looks not just after the bottom line but also after the welfare of his employees. One of his long-time drivers, Santiago Castañares, has been working under his wing for 32 years, even before the onset of his political career.
Santi looks back to the time he was close to resigning from his post due to his child’s college tuition, but Chiquiting was able to help him.
“Sa kadugay nako niyua, bilib gyud kong bossing. Nakatabang gyud siya nako. Akong mga bata nahuman ug skwela diha rapud niya. Dili man unta to nako kaya mag pa swkela sa akong bata pag college. (For the longest time since I’ve worked for him, I’ve always been moved by him. He has helped me a lot, especially with my kids’ college tuition. They wouldn’t have finished school if it weren’t for him),” Santi narrated.
Another trusted employee, Perla Alagao, says her boss is very generous and kind, sometimes to a fault. “There was this one time when one of his employees got into an accident and the damages paid by Cong was very big. I asked him if he wanted that person to work with lesser compensation, but he told me without hesitation “No. Ug ato na buhaton, siya ug iya pamilya walay makaon. As is ra na iya sweldo” (No, if we do that, he and his family will starve. Let his salary stay as is). That really made me proud to continue working for him, as other employers would probably have fired that person right away. Cong Chiquiting is a person with a good and kind heart,” Alagao said.
One of his newly-hired staff in his legislative office, Justinne Real, has grown to admire her boss’ dedication to public service. “Last July 12, 2021, Cong. Chiquiting, as the chairperson of House Special Committee on West Philippine Sea, delivered a message of solidarity during the launching of the Citizens Alliance for Life and the Law of the Sea (CALL of the Sea), an event that aims to form a unified, nationalistic, and patriotic call and action on matters regarding the West Philippine Sea. During the program, the host played the song, “Il Signore”.
“Cong. Chiquiting listened intently, and towards the end, I observed him singing along with it. After the event, he asked me to search for the song, and print a copy of its lyrics. He told me that the words really struck him. The values of the song are to let go of any hatred within, to have faith in God, to never lose hope even in the most difficult situations, and above all to render service to the people — one that is anchored in love and compassion. He kept a copy of the lyrics so he could read and be reminded of the song’s beautiful message every morning before he tends to his duties as the congressman of the district.
The lyrics of that song are his inspiration for him to visit the 174 barangays of the district and continue giving help and assistance to his constituents in order to bring the government closer to the people in whatever ways he can”, she said.
As Chiquting turns 65 on November 1st, he is as active as he has always been since the start of his political career, relentlessly striving to bring to fruition his vision of a flourishing Negros Oriental.
And this dream of making life easier for the people of Negros Oriental shines throughout his leadership in his 20 years of being a public servant, as he has made it his life’s mission to realize the much-needed development for Negrenses, “Until now, hopefully, until forever, as I promised, I will serve the public for as long as I can serve the public.” (Anice dela Rama)
