Barangay officials demand revenue share from quarry operations

CEBU, Philippines - The officials of Barangay San Jose are demanding over P800,000 revenue shares out of the collections made by the Cebu City government from the commercial quarry operations within their territory.

The barangay council headed by Barangay Captain Joventino Ardaba claimed that they are entitled to collect P808,608 which is equivalent to 40 percent of the P2,021,520 that the city government had collected from the quarry operations of Michel Lhuillier.

Ardaba cited the provision of Cebu City Ordinance 2234, which provides that the proceeds of the tax on sand, gravel and other quarry resources shall be distributed in a 60-40 sharing scheme wherein 60-percent shall go to the city while the remaining 40-percent will be retained for the barangay which has jurisdiction of the quarry operation.

The barangay council was able to gather documents that Lhuillier paid over P2 million in quarry permits and other fees to the city government last year.

The demand was referred by the city council to the committee on laws and ordinances chaired by Councilor Edgardo Labella.

The City Mining Board headed by Rene Mercado discovered, in a surprise inspection, that Lhuillier had violated the existing city ordinance by operating a quarry without complete documents.

It prompted Lhuillier to pay a penalty of P1,171,840 for his previous extractions.

After Lhuillier had complied with all the requirements for his commercial quarry operations in Barangay San Jose, Mayor Michael Rama lifted the suspension order and allowed the operation to continue.

Mercado said the officials of Barangay San Jose and other mountain barangays of the city should be vigilant in monitoring illegal quarry operators in their respective jurisdictions because they have a share of the revenue collections.– (FREEMAN)