KIDAPAWAN CITY – Cotabato province is debt-free for two years in a row, Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza reported during her State-of-the-Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday, March 24.

Due to prudent fiscal management, Mendoza said that the province has exceeded revenue collection targets that yielded a P1.1-billion surplus in 2025.

Mendoza attributed the robust financial position to stronger local tax collection and higher non-tax income.

The provincial government, she added, has exceeded key revenue targets, citing that the total tax revenue from local sources rose by 145.57 percent, from a P77-million target to an actual collection of P112.1 million.

Mendoza said that tax revenues were sourced from real property, franchise, professional, and sand and gravel taxes, among others.

Non-tax revenues surged by 219.07 percent to P756.4 million, surpassing the P345.3-million target, largely from permits, licenses, and business income, she reported.

The governor said that real property tax collection has improved and it boosted the Special Education Fund that grew by 145.02 percent from P68 million to P98.6 million.

Mendoza said the money was utilized to support the programs of the Department of Education (DepEd) as well as construction of school buildings.

She said that the province has achieved a 109.71 percent accomplishment rate in total general and special funds, with P5.4 billion in actual collections exceeding the P4.9-billion target.

“A proof of our prudent financial management was the recognition of the Outstanding Exemplary Fiscal Performance for the Year 2024 from the Bureau of Local Government Finance at Regional Association of Local Treasurers and Assessors,” the governor said.

The provincial government received multiple recognitions, including second place in locally sourced revenue collection, locally sourced revenues per capita, and locally sourced revenues relative to total current operating income, as well as third place in social and economic expenditures per capita.

Mendoza delivered her SOPA attended by about 1,200 select guests at The Basket inside the provincial capitol compound in Barangay Amas in this city.

The provincial government has implemented austerity measures amid surging fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict.

Mendoza said that the provincial government generated P985.6 million in trust funds to support social programs.

She said the provincial government’s strong financial standing mirrored its capacity to sustain development initiatives.

Mendoza acknowledged the efforts of the 2,304 employees of the provincial government to ensure the delivery of basic social services and development programs to constituents.

She emphasized the importance of a debt-free provincial government, saying that it can deliver more sustainable and quality social services to its constituents.

“We used to have debts to be able to develop our infrastructure, especially our roads since the province has at least 371 kilometers of road network.”

The governor said that the provincial government entered into two separate loan agreements totaling P1.5 billion from two government banks to fund road construction and rehabilitation in 2015 and 2018.

These loans were fully paid in April and October 2023, according to the governor. “We needed to strategize so that it will not also affect the delivery of other services to our people,” Mendoza said.