CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Presidentiable Gov. Eddie Panlilio reported last week that his administration has exceeded quarrying income records in this province as taxes from sand and gravel taxes reached P395.5 since he assumed post almost three years ago.
Panlilio said this was accomplished amid harassments, threats of bodily harm and bribe attempts that loyal provincial employees overcame. He noted that one employee was even killed in the crusade against graft and corruption.
The highest collection on record was P394.4 million also for a three-year period during the Estrada administration when local quarrying was removed from the jurisdiction of then Gov. Lito Lapid and placed under the government-owned Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC).
The P395.598 million collection under the Panlilio administration so far is also more than double the total of P155.626 million collected in 11 years by Panlilio’s predecessors governors Lito Lapid and the latter’s son Mark.
“With a year more in office, I aim to fully accomplish the major reforms in the quarry monitoring and collection system. I shall, in the next few weeks, institutionalize measures to sustain the gains in this public tax sector. Please help me in ensuring that our Kabalen, especially our poor people are uplifted from their suffering that denies them access to basic social services thereby denigrating their dignity amid the worsening economic crisis,” Panlilio said.
Panlilio is being urged by the group Kaya Natin to consider running for president in 2010, but he has not yet made up his mind.
The group has cited his accomplishments in weeding out graft and corruption and raising revenues in the province’s quarrying industry.
In a statement, Panlilio congratulated “the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) committee, the provincial checkers, the provincial environment and natural resources office, the members of the provincial mining regulatory board, and the provincial treasurer’s office for their collective success in being able to collect, on behalf of the province, P395.598 million in taxes from sand and gravel”.
“Generated from June 30, 2007 to May 26, 2009 or in 23 months, the P395.598 million exceeded the P394.473 million the NRDC collected on behalf of the provincial government in three years from 1999 to 2001 following the suspension of former Gov. Lito Lapid in 1999 by the Office of Ombudsman,” he noted.
Panlilio noted that “the low collections during the Lapid administrations happened despite big-ticket infrastructure projects such as North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.”
“Pampanga and the nearby provinces have no such big projects now, yet your provincial government has been able to collect quarry taxes in an unprecedented level,” he noted.
He also thanked his controversial provincial administrator Vivian Dabu “for being uncompromising against graft and corruption”, as well as other provincial government workers.
Panlilio also cited provincial government employee Nelson Malit, who was killed last year by suspects whom he had reportedly wanted to expose for alleged graft and corruption.
He said that his crusade against graft and corruption was not easy.
“It was replete with difficulties. Nelson Malit was killed. Some of our quarry checkers were harassed, mauled, threatened with bodily injury or tempted into corruption as they checked the authenticity of passes and receipts in checkpoints and as they went after illegal quarry operations,” he said.
This, despite “little operational funds and low salaries” of those involved in quarrying operations, he noted.
Panlilio also reported that the provincial government has already distributed some P232.4 million to 50 barangays and 13 municipalities as their share from quarry income.
“Some village councils have used the funds to provide the basic needs of their constituents. I urge civil society groups in the towns to continue monitoring the quarry shares so that our ‘kabalen’ will genuinely benefit from the returns of sand,” he added.
Panlilio said this was accomplished amid harassments, threats of bodily harm and bribe attempts that loyal provincial employees overcame. He noted that one employee was even killed in the crusade against graft and corruption.
The highest collection on record was P394.4 million also for a three-year period during the Estrada administration when local quarrying was removed from the jurisdiction of then Gov. Lito Lapid and placed under the government-owned Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC).
The P395.598 million collection under the Panlilio administration so far is also more than double the total of P155.626 million collected in 11 years by Panlilio’s predecessors governors Lito Lapid and the latter’s son Mark.
“With a year more in office, I aim to fully accomplish the major reforms in the quarry monitoring and collection system. I shall, in the next few weeks, institutionalize measures to sustain the gains in this public tax sector. Please help me in ensuring that our Kabalen, especially our poor people are uplifted from their suffering that denies them access to basic social services thereby denigrating their dignity amid the worsening economic crisis,” Panlilio said.
Panlilio is being urged by the group Kaya Natin to consider running for president in 2010, but he has not yet made up his mind.
The group has cited his accomplishments in weeding out graft and corruption and raising revenues in the province’s quarrying industry.
In a statement, Panlilio congratulated “the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) committee, the provincial checkers, the provincial environment and natural resources office, the members of the provincial mining regulatory board, and the provincial treasurer’s office for their collective success in being able to collect, on behalf of the province, P395.598 million in taxes from sand and gravel”.
“Generated from June 30, 2007 to May 26, 2009 or in 23 months, the P395.598 million exceeded the P394.473 million the NRDC collected on behalf of the provincial government in three years from 1999 to 2001 following the suspension of former Gov. Lito Lapid in 1999 by the Office of Ombudsman,” he noted.
Panlilio noted that “the low collections during the Lapid administrations happened despite big-ticket infrastructure projects such as North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.”
“Pampanga and the nearby provinces have no such big projects now, yet your provincial government has been able to collect quarry taxes in an unprecedented level,” he noted.
He also thanked his controversial provincial administrator Vivian Dabu “for being uncompromising against graft and corruption”, as well as other provincial government workers.
Panlilio also cited provincial government employee Nelson Malit, who was killed last year by suspects whom he had reportedly wanted to expose for alleged graft and corruption.
He said that his crusade against graft and corruption was not easy.
“It was replete with difficulties. Nelson Malit was killed. Some of our quarry checkers were harassed, mauled, threatened with bodily injury or tempted into corruption as they checked the authenticity of passes and receipts in checkpoints and as they went after illegal quarry operations,” he said.
This, despite “little operational funds and low salaries” of those involved in quarrying operations, he noted.
Panlilio also reported that the provincial government has already distributed some P232.4 million to 50 barangays and 13 municipalities as their share from quarry income.
“Some village councils have used the funds to provide the basic needs of their constituents. I urge civil society groups in the towns to continue monitoring the quarry shares so that our ‘kabalen’ will genuinely benefit from the returns of sand,” he added.
