CEBU, Philippines — The string of disasters that hit Cebu in 2025 left a mark on the province’s economy, slowing its growth to 2.7 percent from 7.4 percent in 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.
During the PSA’s presentation yesterday of the 2025 Provincial Product Accounts (PPA) of provinces and highly urbanized cities (HUCs), data showed that Cebu remained the leading contributor to the Central Visayas economy, accounting for 34.3 percent of the region’s total economic output.
Cebu posted a gross domestic product (GDP) of P453.76 billion in 2025, with a per capita GDP of P126,961, up 1.3 percent from 2024.
The slowdown came after a year marked by successive disasters, including two major typhoons and the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Northern Cebu in September 2025, affecting communities and economic activities across the province.
Mercedita C. Coca, project evaluation officer of the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), said the economic slowdown was expected following the disasters that hit Cebu throughout the year.
“Daghan kaayo mga disasters nga niabot, sa aton probinsya. Understandably, pag-contract ang atong performance,” she said.
Coca said the province had anticipated a slowdown in economic performance following the successive disasters but stressed that Cebu still managed to post positive growth.
From 2018 to 2019, Cebu’s economy grew by 4.7 percent. Growth plunged to negative 8.2 percent in 2020 amid the pandemic before recovering to 5.4 percent in 2021, 5 percent in 2022, 5.9 percent in 2023 and 7.4 percent in 2024.
“Even if it's slowed down, as presented earlier, that 2025 result was from 7.4 to 2.7,” Coca said.
“That's what we were afraid of last year, na grabe tong sa sunod-sunod nitama disasters naapektuhan diha ang economy, but we managed,” she added.
Services remained the biggest component of Cebu’s economy in 2025, accounting for 63.7 percent of the provincial economic structure. Industry accounted for 28.3 percent, while agriculture, forestry and fishing made up 8 percent.
The services sector grew by 5 percent during the year, offsetting declines in agriculture, forestry and fishing, which contracted by 2.7 percent, and industry, which declined by 0.6 percent.
Among individual industries, repair of motor vehicles and wholesale and retail trade, including motorcycles, had the largest share of the provincial economy at 15.6 percent, followed by manufacturing at 14.1 percent and professional and business services at 12.7 percent.
Human health and social work activities posted the fastest growth among industries at 11.8 percent, followed by public administration and defense, including compulsory social security, at 11.3 percent, and financial and insurance activities at 9.6 percent.
Coca said the provincial government’s response to the economic challenges would continue to focus on the six key result areas under Governor Pamela Baricuatro’s administration—housekeeping, healthcare, hunger, happiness, partnerships and linkages, and predicting and preparing Cebu for future development.
Among the measures cited were efforts to improve government systems, including more disciplined use of public funds, transparent procurement, project monitoring and more accessible frontline services.
Coca said the province is also preparing for longer-term challenges involving disaster preparedness, flooding and water security, infrastructure, energy, waste, mobility, the environment, tourism and investments.
These include studies on watersheds and new retention systems, as well as investments in solar and renewable energy.
Despite the slower growth in 2025, Coca said Cebu’s economic performance showed that the province continued to move forward amid the disasters, with the provincial government working to keep systems operating, attract investments and strengthen collaboration with local governments, national agencies, the private sector, schools, civil society and communities.
Still, she said Cebu faces continuing challenges from rising fuel prices, inflation, energy deficits, an education crisis, water scarcity and flooding.
“Much is—there are many challenges ahead for Cebu Province, but we are hopeful,” Coca said, adding that the provincial government would continue working with stakeholders.
Cebu City
Meanwhile, Cebu City’s economy grew by 5.8 percent in 2025, slower than its 7.0 percent growth in 2024. Its GDP was estimated at P353.81 billion.
Human health and social work activities recorded the fastest growth among industries at 13.1 percent, followed by public administration and defense, including compulsory social security, at 9.3 percent, and transport and storage at 7.9 percent.
Cebu City’s per capita GDP was estimated at P365,037, representing a 5.7 percent increase from the previous year.
The city was among the highly urbanized cities in Central Visayas that posted a per capita GDP higher than the regional estimate of P192,739.
Mandaue City
Mandaue City’s economy expanded by 2.1 percent in 2025, down from its 6.9 percent growth in 2024. Its GDP was estimated at P128.75 billion.
Human health and social work activities posted the fastest growth at 11.3 percent, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing at 8.8 percent and real estate and ownership of dwellings at 7.7 percent.
Manufacturing, however, contracted by 2.0 percent in 2025.
Mandaue City’s per capita GDP reached P354,014, up 2.1 percent from the previous year and above the regional estimate of P192,739.
Lapu-Lapu City
Lapu-Lapu City’s economy grew by 3.3 percent in 2025, slower than the 6.5 percent expansion recorded in 2024. The city’s GDP was estimated at P182.14 billion.
Human health and social work activities posted the fastest growth at 12.6 percent, followed by construction at 11.3 percent and wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles at 9.3 percent.
The city’s per capita GDP was estimated at P321,285, representing a 0.7 percent increase from the previous year.
Lapu-Lapu City was also among the highly urbanized cities in Central Visayas with a per capita GDP above the regional estimate of P192,739.
PSA-7 Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Wilma A. Perante urged local government leaders and planners in Central Visayas to use the PPA as a tool in crafting policies, directing investments and addressing economic gaps in their respective areas.
She said the PPA provides provinces and highly urbanized cities with a clearer picture of their economic contributions, strengths and areas with potential for further development.
“We gathered today not simply to read figures from a presentation or review tables and charts. We gathered to tell the story of Cebu, Bohol, and our highly urbanized cities—Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City—and the story of Central Visayas,” Perante said.
She said economic growth should not be viewed only through regional-level figures because development takes place in communities.
“For years, we have spoken of economic growth as a single, sweeping headline. But real progress does not happen in the abstract. It happens in our towns, municipalities, cities, provinces, highly urbanized cities, and communities,” she said.
Perante said this was the essence of the PPA, which turns economic data into a tool that allows local governments to identify their distinct contributions, advantages and untapped potential.
The PPA was fully institutionalized in 2025, covering all provinces and highly urbanized cities, she said.
She said the latest data should not be regarded merely as an assessment of past performance but as a foundation for future planning.
“The Provincial Product Accounts give our local chief executives and sectoral planners the precision needed to craft better policies, target investments where they matter most, and bridge economic gaps,” Perante said.
She cited the need to use the data to strengthen support for rural communities, tourism, the information technology-business process management sector and local entrepreneurs.
“These numbers guide us in ensuring that growth is not just measured, but felt by every household,” she said.
Perante urged participants to use the PPA results to deepen collaboration and improve planning across the region.
“Let us use these insights to collaborate more deeply, plan wiser, and continue moving forward as one strong and prosperous region and as provinces in Central Visayas,” she said.
PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa urged local government units and development partners to maximize the use of the 2025 PPA in planning and monitoring programs and projects.
In his message delivered through an audiovisual presentation, Mapa said the accounts provide a comprehensive picture of the economic performance of provinces and highly urbanized cities.
The PPA allows local planners and policymakers to examine the size, structure and performance of industries at the local level, as well as compare the economic performance of their respective areas with other regional economies. — /FPL (FREEMAN)