PAMPANGA Board Members, led by Ananias Canlas Jr., met with representatives and stakeholders of a trucking and quarry industry in the City of San Fernando on February 12 as the province is set to push for a comprehensive ordinance against overloading.
Canlas said the proposed ordinance is a reiteration of existing government laws and would prevent roads from deterioration and ensure the safety of motorists and commuters using roads along quarry routes.
Canlas said such a move will ensure that the trucks carrying commercial sand will be policed by their own ranks, thus saving major road networks in the City of San Fernando from damage and deterioration brought about by overloaded trucks.
"The ordinance will also ensure fair competition as those who indulge in overloading were reported to manipulate prices in the market," said businessman Mike Tapang, a member of the quarry sector in Pampanga.
"This ordinance brings quarry stakeholders together in policing their own ranks. It will be monitoring based on mutual trust," Tapang said.
Tapang added that the current penalties are not enough to prevent overloading.
He added that while the province imposes penalties, some unscrupulous stakeholders merely allocate funds to pay off the fines.
The proposed ordinance recently underwent a committee hearing among stakeholders in the quarry industry and is currently under deliberation in the Provincial Board.
The proposed ordinance mandates the creation of a technical working group that will formulate the guidelines, criteria and mechanics for the accreditation of motor vehicles for the hauling and transporting of sand, gravel and other quarry materials.
The criteria shall include the road-worthiness and load capacity of the quarry operator's vehicles pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act 8794. The same group will set penalties like revocation of accreditation of motor vehicles, which may violate the loading capacity that will be set by the group.
Tapang said the ordinance gives all quarry stakeholders equal opportunity to police their ranks and ensure fair competition.
Tapang said that under the ordinance, small and large-scale quarry operators, as well as haulers and truckers have the responsibility of ensuring only the authorized volume is loaded for hauling.
The proposed ordinance also requires that water from extracted quarry materials does not drip along the road during hauling and that the proper canvas cover is in place to prevent quarry materials from falling along the road.
Failure to ensure such would mean cancellation of quarry permits for quarry operators and cancellation of accreditation for motorized vehicle owners and operators.