ILOILO — This province has solidified its reputation as Western Visayas’ fiscal powerhouse by topping the Bureau of Local Government Finance’s (BLGF) rankings for both revenue generation and property assessment performance in 2024.
During the recent 2025 Regional Conference of Assessors, Treasurers, and their Technical Personnel in Iloilo City, the province swept major awards, emerging as Rank 1 in Highest Collection Efficiency in Four Locally-Sourced Revenues—Real Property Tax, Business Tax, Fees and Charges, and Economic Enterprise.
The recognition, issued by the Department of Finance’s BLGF, highlights the province’s exemplary financial management and strong governance, a distinction that underscores Iloilo’s consistent fiscal discipline under Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
Provincial Treasurer Jean Maire Umadhay received the awards on behalf of the provincial government, while Provincial Assessor Rema Calderon, DM, REA, and Assistant Provincial Assessor Marissa Daquilanea, REA, led the award-winning Assessor’s Office.
Iloilo’s Provincial Treasurer’s and Assessor’s Offices collectively bagged more than a dozen citations, including:
* 1st Place – Highest Collection Efficiency in Four Locally-Sourced Revenues; Real Property Tax Collection Efficiency; Locally-Sourced Revenue in Real Property Tax; Locally-Sourced Revenue in Business Tax and Other Taxes
* 2nd Place – Locally-Sourced Revenue (Overall); Timely Submission of Treasury Reports (eSRE); Best Performing Provincial Approver and Reviewer of eSRE Reports; Economic Enterprise Collection Efficiency; Year-on-Year Growth in Economic Enterprise and Fees and Charges; Locally-Sourced Revenue in Economic Enterprise
* 3rd Place – Fees and Charges Collection Efficiency
Meanwhile, Iloilo also reigned in the BLGF’s Parangal 2025 Awards, bagging Top 1 in Highest Increase in Taxable Assessed Value; Top 1 in Highest Increase in Real Property Units; Top 1 in Real Property Tax Collection Efficiency at 106%; and Top 1 in Highest Locally-Sourced Revenue in Real Property Tax, totaling P438.58 million.
It also placed Top 2 in Highest Locally-Sourced Revenue for 2024 with P1.29 billion.
Governor Defensor hailed the achievement as proof of the province’s governance philosophy under his MoRProGRes Iloilo (Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally-Competitive, and Resilient Province of Iloilo) agenda.
“These achievements are more than just numbers; they represent the hard work and integrity of our public servants and our collective pursuit of a stronger, more progressive Iloilo,” Defensor said.
The twin recognitions, according to the governor, affirm that Iloilo’s fiscal success is built on transparency, accountability, and efficiency — values that continue to drive the province’s economic momentum and regional leadership./PN
