CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- At least 16 towns and 77 villages have received bigger shares as a result of Governor Dennis Pineda’s efficient collection system that saw total revenues from taxes on Mt. Pinatubo’s sand and gravel rising to an all-time high of P404.14 million in the last eight months from July 1 to February 29, Capitol records showed.
Governor Pineda shared P115.3 million from out of the P150-sand fee from July 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020.
The 16 towns got P34.6 million as 30 percent share, based on the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160).
The 40-percent allocation of 77 villages totaled P46.1 million.
The remaining 30 percent, worth P34.6 million, went to the provincial government. From the administrative tax of P250, it collected P192.2 million for the salaries of personnel and field operations of the Kalam unit under the Office of the Governor.
Porac took in the biggest share at P21.9 million to barangays and P16.5 million to the town. Mayor Jing Capil called this “beneficial since the income funds more projects.”
Bacolor, the second biggest taker, received P9.5 million for its barangays and P7.1 million for the town.
“Talaga pong tumaas ang shares namin mga bayan mula sa nakokolekta ng kapitolyo. Naka-tseke po ang ibinibigay sa aming pera,” Mayor Diman Datu said. The additional local income, he said, is entered in Bacolor’s general fund for projects and services.
The highest monthly collection of sand and administrative fees on record reached P57.1 million in February 2020.
Under Governor Pineda, sand and gravel are taxed according to volume hauled, which is in accordance with the provincial tax ordinance. Every receipt pays the P150-sand tax, P250-administrative fee and P30-weighing scale fee for a total of P430. Payments are paid at the treasurer’s office, not in the field.
Like his mother, Vice-Governor Lila Pineda, the governor is constantly aiming to increase local income. Under Governor Pineda, sand tax comprised around 10 percent of local income.
The P404.14 million consisted of fines and penalties (P2.9 million), quarry collection (P363. 3 million), weighing scale fee on trucks operating in the province (P31.9 million), sand and gravel permit (P533.427), accreditation of motor vehicles (P5.3 million) and accreditation of heavy equipment (P43,000).
“We are averaging P50 million a month,” Governor Pineda said.
“I thank quarry site operators and haulers for cooperating with us in the reforms we have introduced. I have ordered the Kalam quarry task force to continue to be on the watch against corruption and attempts to cheat the provincial government of taxes,” he said. (PR)