LAOAG CITY, Dec. 2 -- Ilocos Norte's agricultural sector, along with health services and infrastructure development, continues to top Ilocos Norte's priority agenda as far as the budget is concerned.

This came as the 13th Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) unanimously approved the PHP2.9 billion budget of the provincial government for 2026 on Monday afternoon.

"The priorities have not changed. There were just some fine-tuning in the proposed budget to save on cost and make more room for investment," Vice Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said in a media interview on Tuesday.

For 2026, the Provincial Treasury Office projected a total estimated revenue of PHP2.98 billion, up by 9 percent from this year's PHP2.70 billion.

With the...