Cotabato Province remained debt-free and recorded a ₱1.12 billion surplus in 2025, according to Governor Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza during her State of the Province Address (SOPA) on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, held at The Basket, Provincial Capitol Compound in Amas, Kidapawan City, and livestreamed on her Facebook page.
In her report, Gov. Taliño-Mendoza proudly announced that the province achieved a 145.57% increase in tax revenue collection. From a ₱77 million target, collections rose to ₱112.1 million, sourced from real property, franchise, professional, and sand and gravel taxes, among others.
She also reported that non-tax revenue increased by 219.07%, reaching ₱756.4 million compared to the ₱345.3 million target. Non-tax revenue includes income from permits, licenses, and business operations, among others.
Real property tax collections reached ₱98.6 million, exceeding the ₱68 million target. Meanwhile, total General Fund and Special Fund collections rose to 109.71%, with actual collections amounting to ₱5.4 billion against a ₱4.9 billion target.
In terms of financial position, the Province of Cotabato recorded total assets of ₱17,607,215,498.68, total equity of ₱16,651,779,114.03, and total liabilities of ₱955,436,384.65.
The province’s bank savings, amounting to ₱4,838,766,060.47, also earned interest totaling ₱101,600,437.32.
She underscored the role of the province’s members of the House of Representatives, who actively lobby for funding, as well as the support of national line agencies, in achieving these milestones.
“Kung may pondong dumadating, ang pondo ng kapitolyo ay napupunta sa surplus, dahil, imbes tayo ang gagawa ng mga proyekto, pagdating ng kanilang pera ay nare-realign natin at nare-revert siya sa national general fund (If funds come in, the capitol’s funds go to surplus because, instead of us implementing the projects, when their funds arrive, we realign them and revert them to the national general fund),” she said.
“Malinaw ang resulta ng mahusay at disiplinadong pamamahala sa ating pananalapi—nanatiling probinsyang walang utang ang Cotabato (Clear results of efficient and disciplined financial management—Cotabato remains a debt-free province),” Taliño-Mendoza added. CEA