Sand belched out by Mt. Pinatubo in its 1991 eruption created a multibillion-peso quarry industry in Pampanga province. —PHOTO BY PAMPANGA PROVINCIAL INFORMATION OFFICE
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Quarry revenues generated by the Pampanga provincial government in 2023 breached the P1-billion mark for the first time, increasing the collections from Mt. Pinatubo’s sand and rocks to P3.647 billion in the last five years.
Citing records from the Office of the Provincial Treasurer (OPT), Gov. Dennis Pineda reported on Wednesday that last year’s gross collection of P1.056 billion exceeded the annual revenues his administration raised starting in 2019.
This was the first time in 27 years that quarry collections in the sand-rich province went past P1 billion, records from the Provincial Government-Environment and Natural Resources Office and two defunct quarry regulatory task forces beginning in 1997 showed.
The key reforms that Pineda made included payment of receipts at the OPT, monitoring quarry sites and regulating weight limits, according to former Bacolor Mayor Romeo Dungca, head of the regulatory unit Kalam (Kapampangan a Lulugud at Matapat).
Kalam means blessing in the local language, referring to the transformation of a disaster wrought by the June 15, 1991, eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and succeeding lahar flows.
The five-year growth in collection raised the net provincial share of income to about P2 billion from the P150 sand tax, P250 administrative fee and various charges, including penalties, Pineda said.
READ: Pampanga taps P1-billion quarry revenue to support COVID-19 response
“All the revenues are remitted to the provincial treasury to fund programs and services for the people, especially in health and education,” he said.
The barangays, towns or cities and the province itself get a 40-30-30 percent share, respectively, from the sand tax.
Pineda said regulating the quarry industry entailed looking after the safety of the environment and infrastructure against pollution, erosion and overloading. —TONETTE OREJAS