Sorsogon, Cam Sur pull down Bicol growth

By Bobby Q. Labalan

SORSOGON CITY --- Two major provinces dragged down the overall economic growth of the Bicol Region in 2025, with both logging negative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

During a dissemination forum held at a hotel here on Tuesday, October 6, PSA-Sorsogon provincial head Cross Doreh Lee revealed that the sluggish performance of Sorsogon and Camarines Sur tore down the gains posted by the region's other four provinces. This resulted in a measly 0.5 percent GDP growth for Bicol last year.

Official data presented during the forum showed that Sorsogon’s economy contracted by 1.2 percent, while Camarines Sur shrunk by 1.0 percent. In contrast, Masbate posted the highest growth at 3.9 percent, followed by Camarines Norte at 1.8 percent, Albay at 1.1 percent, and Catanduanes at 0.3 percent.

For Sorsogon, the economic downturn highlights a deepening structural slump in its production sectors. Of the three major components comprising the local GDP, both the Agriculture and Industry sectors suffered downward trends last year.

The Services sector stood as the sole silver lining, recording an expansion that boosted its economic share to 42.73 percent, up from 39.82 percent in 2024, the data showed.

PSA officials noted that Agriculture has remained a perennial non-performer for Sorsogon. Meanwhile, the Industry sector contracted heavily due to a significant shrinkage in the Construction sub-sector—the very same industry that had previously propelled Sorsogon to become the fastest-growing economy in Bicol with a peak growth of 12.2 percent in 2022.

The latest figure marks Sorsogon's biggest economic contraction since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the local economy shrunk by 7.6 percent in 2020. The province had enjoyed steady growth after the pandemic as it peaked in 2022 before entering a continuous decline from 2023 up to last year.

Among the six Bicol provinces, only Masbate managed to post positive growth in both Industry (0.2 percent) and Agriculture (11 percent). All provinces posted growth in Services sector to which Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Albay were highly to keep their economies afloat. Only the province of Catanduanes has Industry-based economy, the PSA said.

On per capita GDP, only the provinces of Catanduanes and Albay breached the regional average of ₱101,700.00, leaving the other four provinces lagging behind with lower average per capita GDP figures.

On a positive note, Sorsogon registered the biggest decline in poverty incidence among population in the region posting 21.8 percent in 2025 from the high 37.9 percent in 2023 or a reduction of 16.1 percentage points equivalent to approximately 142,700 individuals pulled out of poverty.

Consequently, poverty among families also went down 15.1 percent last year from 28.4 percent in 2023 or a reduction of 13.3 percentage points equivalent to 21,400 families salvaged from poverty.