MARVELLED – AWED, may be more like it – at the Pampanga government’s quarry collection system was Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol F. Matugas. So the local papers reported last week.
“It’s so organized,” oohed Matugas, who was on a lakbay-aral with her provincial board and chiefs of offices precisely to learn a lesson or two from Pampanga’s handling of its jewel in the sand.
“What we actually learned in a few hours is a year’s worth of learning. We hope too, that we can adopt and implement (Pampanga’s quarry system) soonest so we can develop our own quarry industry,” Matugas aahed.
The first lady governor of Surigao – and for that matter, any governor with some patch of sand or gravel in his/her domain – had all the reasons to find the greatest inspiration in the Pampanga quarry experience, given:
From January to May 2012 – the merry month having a few more days left – the Capitol has already amassed P121 million in quarry revenues. That’s way over the average P20-million monthly collection.
Since Gov. Lilia G. Pineda took office in July 2010 to date, quarry revenues have reached a total of P478,877,500.
For the record, Gov. Eddie Panlilio collected P588,155,000 in his three years as Capitol tenant, from 2007 to 2010, meriting a Gawad Pook Award.
With the average P20-million per month take, it is projected that by the end of her first term in June 2013, Pineda would have collected quarry revenues totalling to P720 million.
Matugas rightfully rues then that for all the abundant mineral reserves in her province including gold, iron, manganese, silica, cobalt, copper, and sand, only P10 million comes to the provincial coffers annually.
Which readily reminded people of the years of the Lapid father and son at the Capitol. On record now: the elder had collected P34.573 million for two years from 2003 to 2004; the younger, P86.601 million in his whole term from 2004 to 2007.
Two immediate lessons Matugas and company learned: 1) the pivotal role of checkers in the collection scheme and in the prevention of illegal quarrying; and 2) the importance of a clearing house for quarry permits.
Matugas said her provincial checkers “are only present at daytime” thus opening the mining and quarry field to illegal extractors under the cover of night.
In Pampanga, Provincial Administrator Andres Pangilinan Jr. told Matugas, at least 220 quarrymen of the Kapampangan A Lulugud at Matapat (KALAM) take turns 24/7 to ensure the “efficient collection and proper handling” of the quarry industry.
And then, “our checkers have checkers, too,” Pangilinan added, if only as additional mechanism to assure accountability and transparency in the collection system.
With the number of quarry trucks established per quarry site, Pangilinan said, the governor had ordered the issuance of permits proportionate to the extent of operations in the given area. This precluded the selling of permits to illegal operators.
Engr. Art Punzalan, provincial government environment and natural resources officer, said an added safety mechanism is the board established in his office that checks on the applicants for quarry permits.
“If the board sees that the applicants lack the necessary qualifications, we deny them and we don’t have to give the applications to the provincial administration. With decision making at this level, we need not bother the governor anymore,” said Punzalan.
Shared knowledge so very much appreciated by Matugas and her team there.
Said Governor Pineda: “We are very much willing to share our system so they can adapt it to their specific needs. Sayang naman ang income na makukuha nila na sa palagay ko ay magiging doble pa at malaking tulong sa pagtugon sa basic services ng mga tao doon.”
The template for best practices Pampanga indeed shared with Surigao del Norte, as it earlier did with Bukidnon and Isabela.
Yeah, best practices well worthy of another Gawad Pook for the province and a Natatanging Lingkod Bayan award for the governor.
