Monday, March 24, 2008 Guv hits Bacolor, other towns for extra quarry fees
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Governor Eddie Panlilio said some municipalities in Pampanga have been allegedly charging "too much" from quarry trucks that haul sand in some areas of the province.
Panlilio said aside from the P300 per truckload of sand that has been the usual charge, some municipalities that "ballooned" to a lot of money charge some trucks. He added that filling materials would already cost from P2,000 to P2,700.
"One of the reasons I realized, some municipalities have been charging a lot. When a truck comes out of a municipality P850 is being paid already, with only P300 going to the Capitol," Panlilio said, adding that around P500 is already being spent on municipal and extraction fees.
The governor even cited the municipality of Bacolor, saying "they (truckers) pay P90 as an ordinance payment for the municipalities and, on top of that, people have been paying P110 per truck for the scholars of the municipality, which is aside from the portion that they get from the P300 collection of the Provincial Government."
He said all the expenses are actually "too much" on the part of the haulers.
Earlier, Pampanga mayors batted for a greater share in the P300 collection being charged per truckload of sand in the province.
This sentiment was later enacted into Ordinance 176, also known as Equitable sharing of quarry shares. The ordinance seeks to abolish the P150 administrative fee of the Provincial Capitol and provide more shares to towns and barangays with quarry operations. The ordinance was previously a source of disagreement between the legislative and the executive branch of the province.
Despite his statement on collections in Bacolor, Panlilio reiterated that the Provincial Government is still willing to give financial assistance for the desilting of Gugu Creek after Mayor Romeo Dungca stated that the initial P700,000 allotted by the Provincial Government is a "measly" amount. Dungca earlier suggested P5 million to P10 million for the effective dredging of the major waterway. (IOF)
