P’sinan to use app to collect quarry fees

By Gabriel L. Cardinoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The provincial government here will soon be using an app to ensure that every centavo collected from quarry operations in the province will go to the government coffers.
    The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has already authorized Gov. Ramon Guico 3rd to enter into a memorandum of agreement with a local software developer for the use of an app that would also monitor quarrying activities in the province.
    "This is part of the provincial government's commitment to update the operations and collections in our quarries," said Vice Gov. Mark Ronald Lambino in a recent press briefing.
    The app, which will be developed by Unla La Corp., a local company that also developed a food delivery app during the pandemic, will conduct reliable and remote regulation, inspection, supervision, monitoring and recording of the progress of quarrying activities.
    "We are hoping for a higher collection of fees and taxes from the quarry operations," said Lambino.

Last year, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a tax ordinance that amended the province's Revenue Code and increased mineral extraction fees from P16 per cubic meter (cu m.) to P50 per cu m.

The ordinance also imposed administrative fees ranging from P50 per cu m. to P250 per cu m., depending on the volume of minerals loaded on the truck.

In addition, road maintenance fees ranging from P100 per cu m. to P300 per cu m. per truckload were collected, also depending on the volume of minerals being hauled.

From January 1 to July 31 this year, the Provincial Treasurer's Office (PTO) reported that it had collected P92.76 million in taxes and fees from quarry operations, which is almost 600 percent higher than the P15.52 million quarry operations taxes and fees collected from January to December in 2022.