Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Mayor denies agreeing to scrap Ordinance 176
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- A Pampanga mayor has disowned that quarry mayors and barangay officials agreed to scrap Ordinance 176, which was already passed into law.
This, after the Provincial Government claimed that in a recent meeting with the officials of Bacolor, Mexico, Mabalacat, Sta. Rita, Lubao, San Simon, Porac and Floridablanca, it was allegedly "agreed upon that the mayors and barangay officials would submit their respective council's resolution on whether to scrap, amend, or pass a new quarry ordinance."
Floridablanca Mayor Eduardo Guerrero said the statement of the Provincial Government is contrary to what was agreed upon with Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu, Porac Mayor Roger Santos and barangay officials of the quarry stakeholders.
He said the municipal and barangay officials did not agree to submit a resolution recommending the scrapping of Ordinance 176.
Guerrero said "the mayors did not work hard for passage of Ordinance 176 for us to scrap it."
The mayor furthered that he and Santos, along barangay officials, did not agree to scrap Ordinance 176 instead negotiated with Dabu for the release of their quarry taxes in the old sharing scheme adding that while the ordinance was under protest the Provincial Government was asked to issue receipts.
"The statement of the Capitol is misconstrued to what we had discussed during our meeting with Attorney Dabu. We did not ask to scrap it and all we asked was the immediate release of our shares in the sand and gravel business of our respective towns," Guerrero stressed.
He said the best way that the Capitol will do is to implement the new quarry scheme, which provides the equitable distribution of quarry shares, and not scrapping it.
Earlier, Dabu recommended scrapping Ordinance 176 as one of the way of resolving the sand-rich towns and villages' problem from not receiving their shares from quarry taxes being levied by the Provincial Government.
This was among the five recommended options to finally settle the issue of non-distribution since November last year of quarry shares to the seven towns in the province and their respective barangays where hauling of sand is being undertaken.
Dabu emphasized to the officials that the Panlilio administration "cannot simply wait" for the resolution of the case as regards Ordinance 176, which is pending in court. (MHD)
