ILOILO City – Iloilo and Negros Occidental were among the 10 richest provinces in the country, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).
COA’s Annual Financial Report on Local Government Unit (LGUs) 2017 listed Iloilo as having assets reaching P10.045 billion, making it No. 9 in the list.
Negros Occidental, on the other hand, had assets valued at P12.889 billion, making it No. 5 in the list.
Iloilo’s assets ballooned in 2017, according to COA, from 2016’s P8.14 billion.
Iloilo is a first-class province made up of 43 LGUs having a total of 1,721 barangays.
In the 2015 census, Iloilo had a population of 1,936,423.
According to COA, Negros Occidental’s assets grew last year, too. In 2016, these were estimated at P11.04 billion.
The province of Cebu remained the richest province, with assets valued at P34.139 billion.
Cebu’s assets grew by over P2 billion last year from 2016’s P32.43 billion.
According to Jean Maire Umadhay, acting provincial treasurer of Iloilo, an improved collection of real property tax helped boost the province’s revenues.
She also cited taxpayers for diligently paying what’s due to the government.
The seven other richest provinces in the country were the following:
* Compostela Valley – P18.95 billion
* Batangas – P15.568 billion
* Rizal – P14.02 billion
* Zambales – P10.455 billion
* Bulacan – P10.451 billion
* Palawan – P10.159 billion
* Pampanga– P9.53 billion
Meanwhile, the 10 richest cities were the following:
* Makati City -P196.574 billion
* Quezon City – P68.33 billion
* Manila – P38.677 billion
* Cebu City – P33.86 billion
* Pasig – P33.703 billion
* Taguig – P19.641 billion
* Caloocan – P17.011 billion
* Pasay – P16.662 billion
* Davao City – P13.182 billion
* Calamba – P12.414 billion
The 10 richest municipalities were the following:
* Cainta – P3.988 billion
* Sual (Pangasinan) – P2.529 billion
* Limay (Bataan) – P2.426 billion
* Sto. Tomas (Batangas) – P2.15 billion
* Binangonan (Rizal) – P2.106 billion
* Mariveles (Bataan) – P2.091 billion
* Tanay (Rizal) – P1.793 billion
* Carmona (Cavite) – P1.659 billion
* Narvacan (Ilocos Sur) – P1.627 billion, and
* Silang (Cavite) – P1.598 billion/PN
