OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE PROVINCE OF ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY     SIBUGAY NODS TO ORDINANCE INCREASING TAX ON SAND AND GRAVEL, ORES   More or less seventy-five (75) individuals, representatives of corporations, contractors and all other persons engaged in the actual operation or extraction of ordinary stones, ores, sand and gravel, earth, mountain and other quarry resources from the different parts of Zamboanga Sibugay agreed for the approval of the ordinance to increase the tax of their products. The overwhelming approval and thumbs-up from the said individuals happened during the public hearing of the proposed ordinance ‘imposing and regulating the imposition of tax on ordinary stones, ores (metallic and non-metallic), sand and gravel, earth and mountain or other quarry resources extracted from public lands or from beds of seas, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and other public waters in the province and amending section 5 of tax ordinance no. 04-2001-004 of the province of Zamboanga Sibugay’ which was held on Thursday, January 12, at the Cogon Palace of the Provincial Capitol in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. In an interview with the author of the said ordinance, 2nd District Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Member, Datu Wilborne Danda, on Monday, January 16, he expressed that the participants of the public hearing gave their positive responses on the issue and agreed for the fast approval of the ordinance. Danda further said that with the result of the public hearing, the revenue of the province will surely go up to a significant percentage which would end up to more projects and programs for the people of Sibugay. “The public hearing was held smoothly and the participants gave a thumbs-up for the proposed ordinance because they know that it was a fair and square proposal and we were on the right track considering that we just followed what was written and mandated by the Local Government Code of the Philippines. With this, we will expect that our revenue will also increase and the end result would be additional projects and programs for the good of the Sibugaynons”, stated Danda. Data shows that the purpose of the ordinance proposed by Danda is regulate the operation and related activity of all persons engaged in the extraction of quarry materials and ores in the province in order to protect and maintain the ecological balance and the environment while in the process of raising the desired income to sustain the operation of the provincial government and to ensure the people of a sustained and quality delivery of basic services. It was also stated that the environmental implications and natural impact in the imposition of the ordinance is the primordial responsibility of the province. When the said ordinance will take effect, quarry products like sand and gravel will be taxed P40/cubic meter, loose rocks at P20/cubic meter and ordinary stones at P15/cubic meter and earth soil at P10/cubic meter. The provincial government will then get 30% on the tax of the said products, 30% for the municipality where the resources are extracted and a 40% share for the Barangay. According to Danda, the maximum P40 tax is a fair offer of the provincial government because the Local Government Code of 1991 allows provincial governments to collect and levy not more than 10% of fair market value in the locality per cubic meter of the said quarry resources and ore products. He (Danda) also revealed that if Sibugay will only maximize the said 10%, the operators and owners of the said business type will have to pay to an estimate of P60 as the maximum rate but because of the consideration raised by the Provincial Governor, Rommel Jalosjos, it was given a start to P40 only as the highest tax for the said resources. “If we will maximize what is allowed by law, then we can collect to up to P60 per cubic meter but because we are just starting to change things on this issue, the Governor asked us to consider and we arrived at P40 as the highest tax for the said products. This is still part of the ROMMEL Agenda which is to upgrade the ordinance on sand and gravel and similar resources and ore products in the province”, Danda pointed out. For the past few years, the provincial government of Zamboanga Sibugay only collected P0.10 per cubic meter of the said resources and ore products and the people thought of upgrading things now through increasing its tax to increase its revenue for the years to come. The enforcement of the said ordinance will be assigned to the enforcement team of the Provincial Treasurer’s Office (PTO), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).