ILOILO — The Iloilo provincial government is set to enter 2026 with its largest and earliest-approved budget yet, after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) endorsed a ₱6.88-billion spending plan designed to accelerate Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s development agenda and ensure programs “hit the ground running” by January.
In its 21st regular session on Nov. 18, the SP passed Appropriation Ordinance No. 2025-03 covering ₱5.53 billion for the General Fund and ₱1.35 billion for Local Economic Enterprise (LEE) operations.
Vice Gov. Nathalie Ann Debuque said the budget was approved following what she described as thorough and transparent deliberations.
“We assure our kasimanwa that, though approved earlier than ever before, our 2026 annual budget was not rushed. It underwent honest and proper processes, meticulous deliberation and with full transparency. Every allocation was defended, and no unauthorized insertions were allowed. We also made sure that resources were equitably and inclusively distributed throughout all five districts of Iloilo Province,” Debuque said.
“This is a budget shaped with care, guided by fairness, and crafted for our people because progress is most powerful when it uplifts every Ilonggo within our province,” she added.
Governor Defensor thanked the SP for the swift approval, saying the early passage enables the provincial government to implement programs immediately at the start of the year.
“Maayo gid nga temprano ang aton ng budget nga na-aprubahan kag temprano man kita umpisa sa mga bagay nga puede naton implement so that pag-umpisa sang tuig we will hit the ground running kag maayo gid nga Day 1 sang tuig maka-umpisa na ikaw sang budget,” Defensor said.
He noted that the proposed budget was crafted as a “developmental budget,” focusing on major initiatives under the MoRProGRes framework (Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally Competitive, and Resilient Iloilo).
These include:
* Limpyu Iloilo
* Tanum Iloilo
* Sipag at Tiyaga, which supports food and health security programs, including the ₱20/kg rice initiative and agricultural assistance
* 4K for MoRProGRes (Kapayapaan, Kaayusan at Katatagan Tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Bagong Pilipinas), an integrated peace, order, and resilience strategy
“So this is a MoRProGRes budget, ginhimu gid naton ang tanan,” the governor said.
The 2026 budget is significantly higher than the current year’s ₱5.97-billion appropriation, which consisted of ₱4.85 billion for the General Fund and ₱1.12 billion for LEE operations./PN
