According to the Commission on Audit report, Ilocos Sur has become the top revenue-earning province in 2024, surpassing Bulacan. Its revenue reached P9.721 billion, mainly from tobacco excise taxes. Former governor Luis “Chavit” Singson celebrated the achievement and called for direct flights to Vigan Airport.
In 2024, Ilocos Sur emerged as the top revenue-earning province nationwide, according to the Commission on Audit (COA)'s annual financial report. This shift displaced Bulacan, which had consistently led in previous years, to the second position. Ilocos Sur's revenue totaled P9.721 billion, reflecting a 140.68 percent increase from P4.039 billion in 2023.
State auditors linked this surge to the region's primary crop, tobacco. As a major tobacco producer, Ilocos Sur received P6.901 billion from the tobacco excise tax fund last year. Under Republic Act 7171, a share of excise taxes from Virginia-type cigarettes must be returned to the producing provinces. This allocation bolstered the province's finances, enabling it to exceed Bulacan's P8.811 billion revenue.
Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, long associated with authoring and passing RA 7171, hailed the milestone. “I congratulate Ilocos Sur for topping the revenue list of all provinces in the country! This P9.721-billion success is the powerful and long-awaited result of RA 7171, providing much-needed funds directly to our tobacco-producing regions,” Singson said.
Meanwhile, Singson pressed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon to fulfill the commitment to open Vigan Airport to commercial flights. “The money is here, now the challenge is to bring the tourists. I am now urging Secretary Dizon to make good on his promise that Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific should now be flying directly to Vigan Airport,” he stated. “We have Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the status of the wealthiest province. Direct flights are the next critical step to generating more jobs, spurring investment and making Ilocos Sur truly progressive,” he added.
