BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provinces of Negros Occidental and Iloilo were among the top 10 wealthiest provinces in the Philippines in 2021 based on assets, the Commission on Audit’s (COA) Annual Financial Report on Local Governments showed.
Negros Occidental ranked No. 6 with assets totalling P18.025 billion.
Iloilo, meanwhile, placed at No. 8 with assets pegged at P17.399 billion.
Negros Occidental retained its previous 2020 rankings, while Iloilo’s assets increased by P2.5 billion.
The top spot in the wealthiest provinces in the country, meanwhile, was taken by Cebu with P215.27 billion worth of assets, while Palawan took the top 10 spot with P16.108 billion.
Here is the complete list of COA’s Top 10 Richest Provinces:
* Cebu – P215.27 billion
* Rizal – P30.6 billion
* Batangas – P29.7 billion
* Davao de Oro – P23.211 billion
* Bukidnon – P19.455 billion
* Negros Occidental – P18.025 billion
* Ilocos Sur – P17.907 billion
* Iloilo – P17.399 billion
* Isabela – P16.419 billion
* Palawan – P16.109 billion
The 215-page report covered the financial statements of 1,676 local government units (LGUs) including 81 provinces, 146 cities, 1,488 municipalities, 22,680 barangays, and the Bangsamoro Government.
COA said there was a 97.7% compliance by the country’s 1,715 LGUs in submitting their financial statements for audit. (With a report from GMA News)/PN
