The municipality of Sibale in Romblon leads all 17 towns in revenue growth for the year 2023, as per the report from the Department of Finance's Bureau of Local Government Finance.
Mayor Nicon Fameronag of Concepcion expressed his joy over this development, noting that Sibale, despite being the smallest town in Romblon and classified as a 6th income-class GIDA municipality, has shown extraordinary resilience and progress.
According to Mayor Fameronag's statement, Sibale's revenue growth rate of 66 percent in 2023 surpassed all other towns in the province, with second-placer Banton at 38 percent and San Andres at 23 percent.
The town's local revenues surged from P1.878 million in 2022 to P3.120 million in 2023, a significant leap reflecting the community's dedication and hard work.
“These amounts, relatively small for a town with only about 4,000 population and a minimal economic base, however, do not tell the whole story. The result of the BLGF rating speaks of our resilience as a people and of our inspiration and hard work to be a modern municipality,” the Mayor said.
Notably, Sibale excelled in business taxes, witnessing a remarkable 226 percent increase, the highest in the province. The collection soared from P174,382 in 2022 to P567,702 in 2023. Additionally, fees and charges saw a notable uptick from P1.428 million in 2022 to P2.413 million in 2023.
However, Mayor Fameronag acknowledged that Sibale's performance in real property tax collection was subpar, ranking last among the 17 towns with an efficiency collection rating of only 36 percent. Despite this, he remains optimistic about Sibale's prospects.
With a land area of 2,007 hectares and vast municipal waters spanning 73,000 hectares, Sibale aims to position itself as a modern municipality under the current administration's leadership. Mayor Fameronag affirmed the town's commitment to pursuing agricultural and eco-tourism development through good governance and adherence to the rule of law.
“We are, by sheer political will, industry, hard work, and vision as people of Asi resilience, going to compete against ourselves and the rest of the country's towns and cities to become a center of agriculture and eco-tourism in this part of Western Visayas through good governance and the rule of law,” according to the Mayor.
