ILOILO — The Iloilo provincial government will operate on a record P7.86-billion budget in 2027, nearly P1 billion higher than this year’s spending program, following the approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Wednesday, October 21.
The P7,860,387,336 budget represents an increase of approximately P980 million, or 14.25 percent, from the province’s P6.88-billion budget for 2026, providing additional resources for government operations, development projects, disaster preparedness and public services.
The Provincial Board approved Appropriation Ordinance No. 2026-03 on third and final reading during its 67th regular session, temporarily presided over by 1st District Board Member Rica Jane Garin.
Fourth District Board Member Dominic Paul Oso, chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, sponsored the measure authorizing the provincial government’s expenditures for fiscal year 2027.
Of the approved budget, P6,101,660,416 will go to the General Fund, while P1,758,726,920 has been earmarked for Local Economic Enterprises (LEE).
The General Fund allocation is approximately P571.14 million higher than its 2026 counterpart of P5.53 billion, while funding for local economic enterprises increased by around P409.12 million from P1.35 billion.
The spending program includes P2,292,176,853 for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), which will finance the day-to-day operations and service delivery of the provincial government.
Another P1,314,178,433 has been allocated for Personnel Services, covering salaries and other employee-related expenditures, while P160,820,000 has been earmarked for Capital Outlay.
A substantial portion of the budget will also support development initiatives and disaster risk reduction programs.
The province has allocated P1,165,850,000 for its 20-percent National Tax Allotment (NTA) Development Fund, intended to finance development projects across Iloilo.
Meanwhile, P305,083,021 has been appropriated for the five-percent Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (PDRRMF), strengthening the province’s financial capacity to address disasters and emergencies.
Other appropriations include P1,721,000 in financial assistance to barangays, P4 million in assistance to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and P33,354,189 for terminal leave payments.
The budget also provides P824,476,920 in advances to local economic enterprises for 2027.
Vice Governor Nathalie Ann Debuque welcomed the swift passage of the spending measure and commended Oso, the Committee on Appropriations and other provincial board members for their cooperation throughout the budget deliberations.
“With the budget approved, our shared responsibility is to translate these resources into responsive programs, improved public services, and meaningful development for the Ilonggos,” Debuque said./PN
