CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – If the past administration’s P70-million quarry collec-tion in its first 100 days was hailed as a “miracle,” so how would the current leadership’s P71 million accomplishment be called?
“No miracle here, much less during the time of Gov. Eddie Panlilio,” said Engr. Art Punzalan, chief of the environment and natural resources office (ENRO) which handles the quarry operations. “It is all honest, hard work and evolving innovations in monitoring and reporting systems.”
Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda has given due credit to the Capitol’s quarrymen of the Kapampangan a Lulugud at Matapat (Kalam) task force for their “honesty, integrity, vigilance and dedication in discharging their duties and responsibilities.”
Kalam is composed practically of the same workers of the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) who were unceremoniously dumped by the Panlilio administration after achieving the quarry “miracle.”
Capitol records showed that the total amount of P71,325,000 was collected in quarry fees and taxes from July 1 to October 8 this year, comprising the first 100 days in office of the Pineda administration.
For the same period in 2007, then Gov. Panlilio recorded a quarry collection of P70,700,000.
Shunning comparison, no matter how favorable to her, Pineda said “Basta ang mahalaga ay nagtatrabaho tayo para sa kapakanan ng ating probinsiya.”
This even as she noted that the P71 million “is still far from tapping the full potential of the quarry industry” as an income earner for the province.
Punzalan qualified the governor’s statement by saying that “the collections would indeed be over P71 million if we went by the practice of the Panlilio administration of taxing even filling materials used for the public works projects of the local governments.”
“Imagine how much would have been added to the Capitol coffers if we monetize the 1,000 truckloads of materials provided Bacolor, another 1,000 to Sto, Tomas, 500 to Porac, and 320 to Sta. Rita?” Punzalan quantified.
In an apparent dig at the previous Capitol tenant, Punzalan said the government is keen in ensuring “the judicious allocation of the quarry collections to projects that would greatly enhance the well-being of the Kapampangan.”
Pineda has likewise called for the institutionalization – through legislation – that a percentage of the quarry collections be allocated in the ENRO budget for concerns as solid waste management and environmental protection.
“Malaking biyaya ang ibinigay at ibinibigay pa sa atin ng kalikasan. Napakalaking pakinabang ang dulot nito sa ating mga mamamayan. Karapat-dapat lamang na ibalik natin ang bahagi nito para sa kanyang kapakanan,” said the governor of her “pay-back to nature “ initiative.
As this developed, small scale quarry operators donated to the provincial government 10 nebulizers and 10 sphygmanometer as a “manifestation of support to the advocacy of Gov. Pineda in addressing the health concerns of the Kapampangan.”
The Truckers Association of Pampanga also gave their share to the Capitol with the provision of their trucks – free of charge – in the hauling of filling materials for the construction of bunkhouses in Arayat for the victims of the landslide caused by Typhoon Ondoy last year.
“No miracle here, much less during the time of Gov. Eddie Panlilio,” said Engr. Art Punzalan, chief of the environment and natural resources office (ENRO) which handles the quarry operations. “It is all honest, hard work and evolving innovations in monitoring and reporting systems.”
Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda has given due credit to the Capitol’s quarrymen of the Kapampangan a Lulugud at Matapat (Kalam) task force for their “honesty, integrity, vigilance and dedication in discharging their duties and responsibilities.”
Kalam is composed practically of the same workers of the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) who were unceremoniously dumped by the Panlilio administration after achieving the quarry “miracle.”
Capitol records showed that the total amount of P71,325,000 was collected in quarry fees and taxes from July 1 to October 8 this year, comprising the first 100 days in office of the Pineda administration.
For the same period in 2007, then Gov. Panlilio recorded a quarry collection of P70,700,000.
Shunning comparison, no matter how favorable to her, Pineda said “Basta ang mahalaga ay nagtatrabaho tayo para sa kapakanan ng ating probinsiya.”
This even as she noted that the P71 million “is still far from tapping the full potential of the quarry industry” as an income earner for the province.
Punzalan qualified the governor’s statement by saying that “the collections would indeed be over P71 million if we went by the practice of the Panlilio administration of taxing even filling materials used for the public works projects of the local governments.”
“Imagine how much would have been added to the Capitol coffers if we monetize the 1,000 truckloads of materials provided Bacolor, another 1,000 to Sto, Tomas, 500 to Porac, and 320 to Sta. Rita?” Punzalan quantified.
In an apparent dig at the previous Capitol tenant, Punzalan said the government is keen in ensuring “the judicious allocation of the quarry collections to projects that would greatly enhance the well-being of the Kapampangan.”
Pineda has likewise called for the institutionalization – through legislation – that a percentage of the quarry collections be allocated in the ENRO budget for concerns as solid waste management and environmental protection.
“Malaking biyaya ang ibinigay at ibinibigay pa sa atin ng kalikasan. Napakalaking pakinabang ang dulot nito sa ating mga mamamayan. Karapat-dapat lamang na ibalik natin ang bahagi nito para sa kanyang kapakanan,” said the governor of her “pay-back to nature “ initiative.
As this developed, small scale quarry operators donated to the provincial government 10 nebulizers and 10 sphygmanometer as a “manifestation of support to the advocacy of Gov. Pineda in addressing the health concerns of the Kapampangan.”
The Truckers Association of Pampanga also gave their share to the Capitol with the provision of their trucks – free of charge – in the hauling of filling materials for the construction of bunkhouses in Arayat for the victims of the landslide caused by Typhoon Ondoy last year.
