CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- The Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) reported P27.72 million in quarry revenues for the month of May.
The said collection is some P3 million less than 2014's collection for the same month but is within the average collection for four consecutive years.
The PGENRO said that it remains optimistic of the good performance of the quarry industry in the coming months.
The PGENRO also registered some P2,079,000 in weighing scale fees. Total collected weighing scale fees since January is now at P10,633,500. The province's summary of quarry revenues shows that the province has a total of P1.5 billion in revenues.
The PGENRO is expecting a steady patronage of the province’s sand deposits as more construction projects in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces are currently underway.
Project contractors and engineers still find Pampanga as the most viable source of sand material for construction owing to the geographic location of the province to major development projects in Luzon.
"We are optimistic we could hit the P1.5 billion target midway through the year and possibly get near to the P2-billion mark as trends continue pointing upward," said PGENRO chief engineer Art Punsalan.
Punsalan said that the strength in the province's quarry revenues would mean more development and social projects for Pampanga. He added that the quarry revenues form part of the life-blood of projects set by Governor Lilia Pineda for the province.