Ilocos Norte rich, not poor, says Imee Marcos

Ilocos Norte was not among the country’s top 20 poorest provinces, Gov. Imee Marcos said on Tuesday.

Marcos was reacting to Vice President Leni Robredo’s recent portrayal of several provinces, including Ilocos Norte, as among the Philippines’ top 20 poorest in her speech at the London School of Economics.

Marcos said contrary to statistics cited by Robredo, Ilocos Norte was among the top 20 richest provinces of the Philippines based on Philippine Statistics Authority data.

“She can easily check her data if she wants a more accurate reading on the state of poverty,” Marcos said.

Ilocos Norte’s economy, Marcos said, grew by 16.7 percent in 2013-2014.