TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (December 13, 2024) — Tarlac is among the richest provinces in the country. It ranked 16th in 2023 with total assets of P17.047 billion.
The province of Pampanga took the 10th spot with P20.778 billion.
In the same 2023 Annual Audit Reports (AARs) submitted by the province, Tarlac also spent millions in confidential funds in 2022 and 2023, while two other Central Luzon provinces reported none.
According to the 2023 AARs submitted by the province, Tarlac allocated P40 million for confidential expenses in 2022 and P18.8 million in 2023.
A 2015 government circular allows these expenses, which must be directly related to peace and order programs such as crime prevention, law enforcement, and counter-insurgency activities.
In contrast, Aurora and Nueva Ecija reported zero confidential expenses for the second consecutive year. However, they did have extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses (EMEs) unrelated to security initiatives.
Other provinces in Central Luzon also reported confidential expenses:
Bulacan: P200 million in 2022, P200 million in 2023
Bataan: P56 million in 2022, P38 million in 2023
Zambales: P36 million in 2022, P36 million in 2023
Pampanga: P11.25 million in 2022, P15 million in 2023
