From P12-M, Gov. Guico Sees P200-M Yearly Quarry Income

  HITS CRITICS, PREDECESSORS

By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – With various strategies formulated by Pangasinan Governor Ramon V. Guico, III, collection from quarry activities in the gargantuan province could reach up to P200 million a year.

“Before, the target for quarry is only P12 million a year for the entire province. We have more than exceeded that several hundred times over. I think we are close to as of the last time, two weeks ago it’s already P94-million already and I think we could hit more than a hundred or even 200 million a year out of the quarry. We just have to have the political will to stop all the illegal quarry operators because a lot of them do not have permits,” he said.

EFFICIENT QUARRY ACTIVITIES. Pangasinan Governor Ramon V. Guico, III (2^nd from left) and UNLA LA Corporation President Raul G. delos Santos (extreme left) signed documents for their collaboration to provide the local government with a software to efficiently monitor the activities of the businessmen and the personnel of the provincial government on the quarry activities, gathering of correct data on them, identification and monitoring of the hauling trucks and analysis of the data related to the operations. The signing of the proverbial dotted lines ensued in August 23 at the Urduja House Ceremonial Hall of the Capitol Compound in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

The leap on the collection of the mineral activities was due on the new law that the provincial lawmaking body passed where it saw a more aggressive stance and an increase on the taxes and fees of the extraction of the sand, gravel and other minerals from public lands by businessmen. Guico cited last August 23 this year the collaboration of the provincial government and the UNLA LA Corporation through the signing in the Urduja House Ceremonial Hall of the documents with the Corporation's president Raul G. delos Santos.

UNLA LA will provide the local government with a software to monitor the activities of the businessmen and the personnel of the provincial government, gathering of correct data, identification and monitoring of the hauling trucks and analysis of the data related to the quarry operations.

In the July 10 interview with reporters held at the Governor’s Office in the Capitol, Guico lashed out to his critics about how the hike of the hauling of the minerals burdened the end users. He blamed, too, the anemic corruption ridden collection of his predecessors compared to what he is collecting now.

“Sa quarry malaki na ang revenue natin. Alam ninyo ang diperensiya nito andaming bumabatikos sa quarry. Unang una, lahat ng sinisingil diyan pumapasok sa probinsiya. Ano ang problema ninyo? Noong araw saan pinapapasok iyan?”

When a national newspaper female reporter interjected: “Sa bulsa!”

Guico reacted why these critics have been complaining.

“Tama lang itong ginagawa natin sa probinsiya. Ang kikitain ng quarry pampagawa natin ng mga bahay ng mahihirap. O ano ang problema ninyo doon? Gusto ninyo kasi malaki kita ninyo iilan lang kayo! Di ba?” a jabbed to his predecessors.

Guico blamed the business establishments who sell to the consumers an inflated prices of quarry products. The app of the UNLA LA, he said, will significantly change the skewed trading practices.

“Meron kaming app na ilalagay hopefully maaprubahan ng Sangguniang (Panlalawigan) para nagpadeliver ka lang ng quarry – parang Grab!,” the first term governor quipped.

According to the provincial treasurer’s office, the collection in the quarry activities from January 1 to August 2023 reached P97 million. The amount is more than 600 percent higher than the P15.52 million quarry taxes and fines collected on the same period last year.