By Rachel magday
NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines – Governor Jose V. Gambito appealed to residents and contractors to bear with current prices of sand, gravel and other construction aggregates, saying the recent increases are temporary and tied to the province’s transition to a tighter quarry-permit system.
Gambito said the provincial government is shifting quarry operations from the old communal quarry areas to a concession-based system, following recommendations of the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB), chaired by Mines and Geosciences Bureau Regional Director Mario Ancheta.
The governor said he is required to implement the PMRB recommendation or risk possible legal action, stressing that the regulatory change is meant to curb illegal mining, protect riverbeds and address disruptions in the supply of construction materials.
“The price increase was not ordered by me,” Gambito said. “If it were only up to me, I would even give it for free to the people. But that is not possible because we are governed by laws, and the government also needs the taxes from quarry operations to fund projects for the people.”
Gambito said the transition has limited the number of fully permitted quarry operators, contributing to higher prices of aggregates in the province.
He said the processing of quarry permits has also been delayed by the requirement for applicants to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau.
Once more applicants receive concession permits, Gambito said, prices are expected to decline as competition among quarry operators increases.
“Let us just be patient for a while,” he said. “Once the transition stage is completed, the price of sand and gravel will stabilize.”
The governor acknowledged that some operators already granted quarry permits have raised their prices because of continuing increases in fuel costs and other operating expenses.
The PMRB recently passed a resolution, upon Gambito’s motion, urging the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to overhaul the province’s quarry-tax ordinance and put safeguards in place against escalating sand and gravel prices.
The board warned that higher aggregate prices are affecting public infrastructure projects and consumers.
Forester Arlene S. Tarranco, head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office and secretariat of the PMRB, said seven operators have so far received permits for commercial sand and gravel extraction.
She said the local government of Aritao has been issued a government gratuitous permit under a concession-type arrangement, while other municipalities have been granted conditional gratuitous permits valid until the end of November.
More than 100 applications for quarry concessions remain pending as applicant complete requirements, including the Environmental Compliance Certificate, Tarranco added
