VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (PIA) — The provincial government of Ilocos Sur ranked sixth with the fastest-growing economy amongst 82 provinces in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during the Provincial Product Accounts dissemination forum held Dec. 11 at the Provincial Capitol here.
The economy in the province expanded to 8.5 percent in 2023, while the province of Batanes, which ranked first on the list excluding highly urbanized cities, expanded by 14.5 percent.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the province was estimated at P97.86 billion, a significant increase from the 2022 GDP of P90.24 billion, or 7.1 percent.
Transportation and storage, occupying 60.6 percent, was logged as the industry with the fastest growing rate.
Provincial Planning and Development Officer Arch/Enp Estrelita Rugnao, also the Provincial Statistics Committee chairperson, said that this can be attributed to the rapid growth of the culture of online shopping and food delivery services.
“Almost everybody is using the e-market—in a day, the average individual receives several parcels or orders food from delivery partners. We also see the growing number of warehouses for various courier services in the province,” Rugnao said.
The Planning and Development Coordinators (PDC) of the local government units (LGUs), representatives from the different national government agencies, and media partners attended the dissemination forum.
In a message of Governor Jeremias Singson, delivered by Special Assistant to the Governor in Sports Jester Singson, he said, “To the people of Ilocos Sur, you are the true driving force behind our progress.”
“Every farmer, teacher, entrepreneur, public servant, and worker who contributes to our province’s growth deserves our gratitude,” he added.
Meanwhile, Samuel Sahayan, acting president of the league of the PDC, said, “We can truly feel the impact of the growth in our economy even as private citizens, and I am happy to witness the progress of our province because I can attest to it that our tourism is blooming, and I hope that we can also focus on our agriculture sector.”
Among the other largest industries that contributed to the growth of the economy in the province are accommodation and food services with 23.1 percent, wholesale and retail at 19.7 percent, construction following at 19.4 percent, and agriculture at 15.3 percent. (AMB/ATV, PIA Ilocos Sur)
