Bulacan, QC, Cainta top-earning LGUs in 2022

THE Province of Bulacan, Quezon City and the Municipality of Cainta in Rizal topped the list of local government units with the highest revenue, the 2022 Annual Financial Report of LGUs released by the Commission on Audit (CoA) showed.

Bulacan topped the 2022 list of high-earning provinces with P8.392 billion, followed by Cavite, Ilocos Sur, Rizal, Cebu, Batangas, Pangasinan, Laguna, Negros Occidental and Quezon.

Quezon City topped all cities in the Philippines, earning P26.5 billion, followed by Manila, Makati, Davao, Taguig, Pasig, Parañaque, Caloocan, Cebu and Pasay.

Meanwhile, the town of Cainta in Rizal was the highest-earning municipality in the country, with revenues amounting to P1.98 billion, followed by Pilar, Abra; Taytay, Rizal; Caluya, Antique; Rodriguez, Rizal; Silang, Cavite; Claver, Surigao del Norte; Marilao and Sta. Maria in Bulacan; and Binangonan, Rizal.

State auditors said that LGUs reported a total revenue of P1.106 trillion for 2022, an increase of 25.54 percent or P225.06 billion from the 2021 figure of P881.39 billion.

Externally sourced revenue, including internal revenue allotment, shares, grants and donations, and other national taxes, comprise 74.19 percent of the total LGU revenue, while the rest came from locally sourced income.

Cities had the highest revenue share among LGUs, contributing 38.78 percent of the total revenue or P429.05 billion, followed by municipalities at P405.01 billion or 36.6 percent.

Provinces' total revenue is P271.54 billion, or 24.58 percent of the total operating revenue, while the Bangsamoro Government contributed P461.29 million or 0.04 percent.

Total expenses also reached P865.74 billion, an increase of nearly 15 percent from P752.94 billion spent in 2021, with the highest share of expenses devoted to MOOE, or Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, at 53.68 percent, and personnel services at 34.2 percent.

In all, LGUs had a spending surplus of P240.72 billion for 2022, which increased to P320.57 billion after adding the net financial assistance or subsidy of P79.85 billion.