The first election held right after the second world war made Jose B. Puey, Sr., and Amalio Cueva, Sr., Mayor and Vice-Mayor respectively. However, shortly after, Mayor Jose B. Puey, Sr., was appointed member of the Provincial Board of Negros Occidental thus Vice-Mayor Amalio Cueva, Sr., took over the Municipal leadership and through his initiative the seat of government was transferred to its present site, Dalusan.

Incidentally, the transfer signaled the diminishing importance of sea travel and the take over of overland transportation as the conveyor of progress and development. Significantly, in this regard, Old Sagay (the previous seat of government) is an old coastal center of population while Dalusan is a late highway occurrence.

The transfer was made possible partly through land donations for the town site by Doña Rosario Cooper and heirs of the late Clayton Nichols. School, Markets and commercial establishments sprang up overnight and postwar Sagay was again on the road to prosperity. Jose B. Puey, Sr., remained Provincial Board Member until his election as congressman for the first District of Negros Occidental in 1953.

In the late 1950’s two favorite sons of Sagay were in the forefront of Negros politics, Jose B. Puey, Sr. (Congressman from 1953 to 1957) and Alfredo G. Marañon, Sr. (Board Member from 1956 to 1959). Because of these two, massive provincial and national aids were extended to Sagay. More roads and school buildings were constructed, thousands of hectares of logged off area of the Insular Lumber Company were planted to coconut trees and sugarcane. Sherman Hill near Brgy. Bato was discovered to contain rich deposits of highest silica. Seaward, the growing markets for sea products brought about unprecedented boom in the fishing industry for which the coastal waters of Sagay proved to equal the demand. The municipal population rose to more than 60,000 and the revenue increased.

After Mayor Amalio Cueva, came Tereso Canoy, Bruno Cueva, Sr. and Quintin Katalbas in this order.

In 1963, Jose H. Puey, Jr. was elected mayor of Sagay. The income continued to rise. More schools were built and more linking the barangays to the town capital were constructed. The inefficient electrical system was updated, fire fighting equipment and the police units were modernized. It was during this time when the older Marañon began entertaining the idea of putting up another sugar mill in Sagay which farmers can partly own. He campaigned for support but there was too much opposition even some of his close friends. Nevertheless, his idea became a reality when in 1967, shortly after his death, Sagay Central, Inc. was born. Mr. Marañon’s dream was made real through the help of President Ferdinand E. Marcos and then the Philippine National Bank President Roberto S. Benedicto both share his vision for Sagay. With the new sugar mill at Barangay Bato, new areas were opened and planted to sugarcane. Today hundreds of small farmers are being benefited by the new sugar mill factory.

The then Mayor now Congressman Alfredo G. Marañon, Jr. assumed the political leadership of Sagay in 1972. He came to office at the most critical turn of the Philippine history when the country was in economic disarray, in political turmoil and in moral breakdown. Yet the new leadership, equipped with a youthful outlook and vigor, proved itself to the challenged of time.

Under the administration of Mayor Marañon, Sagay acquired a new town hall, a municipal gymnasium, a livestock auction market, public markets for number of barangays and municipal wharves in barangays Vito and Old Sagay. He caused the organization of Sagay Water District in 1978. He affected the purchase of a municipal subdivision for the municipal employees in 1979. These achievements by themselves, have helped catapult Sagay to a first class C municipality (the highest in entire Negros). Yet Mayor Marañon, himself if asked what he considers his most important achievement, is often heard to say: “It is our successful negotiations of the sponsorship contract with the District of Osterholz in West Germany.” This self evaluation by Mayor Marañon, of his performance on office does not surprise those who have some insight into the background and history of the Sponsorship Program.

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