Quarry collections last January reached an all-time record-high of P88.291 million, raising revenues from sand and gravel to P2.506 billion in 41 months since July 2019.
The January 2023 collections surpassed the first highest collection recorded in March 2021 that amounted to P82.1 million.
“Ang mga numbers pong ito ay magpapatunay na pinaghuhusay ng inyong provincial government, lalo na po ng treasurer’s office at ng quarry regulatory unit Kalam (Kapampangan a Lulugud at Matapat) ang pangongolekta ng buwis mula sa sand at gravel galing sa Mt. Pinatubo,” said Governor Dennis Pineda.
“Ang dagdag na pondo po mula sa quarry ay ginagamit po ng Capitol para sa karagdagang serbisyo sa ating mga kabalen,” he added.
The collections consist of the P150-sand tax, P250-administrative fee, charges, fines and penalties. The P150-sand tax is shared at 40-30-30-percent among barangays, towns or cities and province based on the Local Government Code of 1991.
Governor Pineda said the quarry industry has shown to be resilient. The high collections were attained even as the amount dropped to P23.653 million in August 2022 when he suspended quarry operations and hauling for 15 days to enforce measures against overloading along the North Luzon Expressway, national and local roads. Collections normalized after a month, rising almost thrice at P62.672 million.
The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted quarrying and hauling, seeing no income as operations halted in April 2020 when the national government imposed a hard lockdown. The industry bounced back in June that year, meeting demands of the construction sector in Luzon.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa cooperation ng mga associations ng quarry operators at truck owners. Sumunod po sila sa anti-overloading law at COVID-19 safety protocols. Nagbigay pa po ang mga associations ng ambulances, oxygen tanks at iba pa,” Governor Pineda said.
The national government recognized the success of the Pampanga provincial government in generating income from the volcanic materials from the 1991 eruption. For two years in a row, the Bureau of Local Government Finance has ranked Pampanga in the Top 5 provinces with the highest locally sourced income and collection efficiency.