Local government units in Catanduanes had to revise their respective proposed 2026 budgets recently after Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved a lower National Tax Allocation (NTA) due to lower population figures in the 2024 Census of Population.
The information was forwarded to all local chief executives and budget officers last month, following the adoption of the POPCEN data used as one of the bases for the preparation of the annual budgets.
The lower NTA allocations forced LGUs to slash amounts from various programs, projects and activities for next year.
From the previous 271,879, the official count of the population of Catanduanes dropped by 10,710 or 3.94, with all 11 municipalities recording negative population growth rates and highlighting a province-wide trend of depopulation in the last four years.
Aside from the population, the other basis for the LGU appropriations are land area and equal sharing.
From the initial NTA of P1,577,550,929, the final share of the provincial government was reduced by about P30 million or 1.95 percent to P1,546,794,680.
On the other hand, the combined NTA of the 11 towns fell by nearly three percent or P58.6 million to P2.05 billion for 2026.
| LGU | 2024 Population | Initial NTA CY 2026 | Final NTA CY 2026 | Decrease |
| Catanduanes | 261,169 | P 1,577,550,929 | P 1,546,794,680 | P 30,756,249 |
| Bagamanoc | 10,403 | P 130,144,750 | P 127,000,297 | P 3,144,453 |
| Baras | 12,992 | P 147,448,901 | P 144,661,398 | P 2,787,503 |
| Bato | 21,325 | P 152,930,243 | P 149,568,822 | P 3,361,421 |
| Caramoran | 30,124 | P 258,463,934 | P 249,319,910 | P 9,144,024 |
| Gigmoto | 8,348 | P 156,862,922 | P 154,920,715 | P 1,942,207 |
| Pandan | 20,796 | P 176,188,073 | P 172,075,104 | P 4,112,969 |
| Panganiban | 8,947 | P 125,546,556 | P 122,278,431 | P 3,268,125 |
| San Andres | 37,157 | P 245,921,301 | P 238,214,597 | P 7,706,704 |
| San Miguel | 14,578 | P 161,299,346 | P 156,435,549 | P 4,863,797 |
| Viga | 21,364 | P 193,568,310 | P 186,787,601 | P 6.870,709 |
| Virac | 75,135 | P 360,956,762 | P 349,445,987 | P 11,510,775 |
The budget allocation decrease also affected the barangays, with the regional total down by 1.75 percent and Catanduanes’ 315 barangays to get a total of P1,058,781,215 in 2026 as their shares from the national taxes.
But according to a local budget officer, some barangays will actually receive a higher NTA allocation by a small percentage due to a increase in their respective populations.
The capital town of Virac accounts for five spots in the top 10 barangays with the highest NTA allocations for 2026: San Isidro Village, Cavinitan. Bigaa, Calatagan Proper and Calatagan Tibang.
Bato has one (Cabugao), San Andres with two (Manambrag and Cabcab) and Caramoran also has two in the list (Toytoy and Tubli).
All 10 have CY 2026 NTAs ranging from a low of P5.5 million to a high of P9.2 million.
| Barangay | 2024 Population | CY 2026 NTA |
| San Isidro Village | 5,501 | P 9,226,890 |
| Cavinitan | 3,900 | P 7,216,881 |
| Bigaa | 3,287 | P 6,447,277 |
| Cabugao | 3,221 | P 6,364,416 |
| Calatagan Proper | 3,205 | P 6,344,328 |
| Manambrag | 2,956 | P 6,031,716 |
| Toytoy | 2,863 | P 5,914,957 |
| Cabcab | 2,726 | P 5,742,958 |
| Tubli | 2,700 | P 5,710,315 |
| Calatagan Tibang | 2,539 | P 5,508,184 |
On the other hand, the 10 least populated barangays in the island also have the smallest shares in the 2026 national tax sharing, with Baras having four in the list (P. Teston, Batolinao, Quezon, and Western Poblacion) and Panganiban with two (Babaguan and San Juan).
The others are San Roque, San Andres; San Jose, Virac; Santa Isabel, Bato; and Santa Elena, San Miguel.
| Barangay | 2024 Population | CY 2026 NTA |
| P. Teston | 89 | P 2,352,280 |
| San Roque | 105 | P 2,452,367 |
| San Jose | 126 | P 2,478,732 |
| Batolinao | 127 | P 2,479,988 |
| Quezon | 132 | P 2,486,265 |
| Santa Isabel | 139 | P 2,495,254 |
| Santa Elena | 145 | P 2,502,586 |
| Western Poblacion | 149 | P 2,507,608 |
| Babaguan | 150 | P 2,508,864 |
| San Juan | 161 | P 2,522,674 |