CoA: Talisay City Public Market incurs P39.4-M deficit
The Commission on Audit (CoA) flagged the local government of Talisay City after state auditors discovered that the municipal public market incurred nearly P39.4 million in cumulative financial losses over a five-year period.
In its 2025 Financial Audit Report, state auditors noted that the Talisay City Public Market suffered annual operating deficits ranging from P5.91 million to P9.01 million between 2021 and 2025, undermining its legal status as a self-sustaining local economic enterprise.
Financial records cited in the audit show the facility generated P48.96 million in total revenues over the five-year span against P88.36 million in total operating expenses.
The market posted annual net losses of P9.01 million in 2021, P7.84 million in 2022, P8.18 million in 2023, P5.91 million in 2024, and P8.46 million in 2025.
Auditors identified excessive personnel costs as a primary driver of the enterprise’s financial strain.
While 30 regular positions were allocated to the facility, only 13 employees actually performed market-related duties, with the remaining 17 staff members reassigned to other municipal offices while their salaries remained billed to the market budget.
The report also highlighted overstaffing among temporary workers, noting that 92 job-order personnel were deployed to the facility despite an authorized ceiling of 50 positions. Total wage disbursements for job-order workers reached P4.47 million in 2025 alone.
State auditors raised further concerns regarding utility expenses and uncollected stall fees.
Annual electricity expenditures ranged between P1.9 million and P2.5 million, despite municipal policy mandating that commercial tenants shoulder their own electrical consumption while the city covers common areas.
The audit revealed that 64 of the market’s 974 commercial stalls remained vacant, while another 60 stalls belonged to inactive tenants.
Additionally, the City Treasurer’s Office reported P8.18 million in uncollected tenant receivables, comprising P5.65 million in regular accounts, P880,186 in compromise agreements, and P1.65 million tied to abandoned vendor stalls.
CoA recommended that the local government correct payroll cost attributions, streamline market staffing levels, enforce utility cost recovery policies, and implement aggressive collection and leasing strategies to restore commercial viability.