P3.7M added to Kalinga PLGU thru BM Amla’s quarry ordinance

Tabuk City, Kalinga - Kalinga Board Member Julius Balitnang Amla’s pioneering ordinance added over P3,000,000 in income to the PLGU, based on records from the Kalinga Treasury Office.

Amla, in an interview, recalled that he pushed for the Provincial ordinance No. 2023 – 030 – an ordinance providing for the imposition of an administrative fee on the transport of sand, gravel, and other quarry resources extracted within the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Kalinga, setting corresponding fines for violation thereof, and for other purposes, to help address the financial challenges being faced by the provincial government.

Amla said the province has been experiencing inadequate funding for its public services, such as infrastructure development, healthcare, and education, among others, and thus the move to find means to contribute to the coffer of the PLGU.

 "Nu kitkitan tayo, talaga nga bassit iti pondo ti Provincial Government tayo, isu nga, as a board member, kitak nu kas-anuk matulungan ti PLGU and all our kailyan,” he shared.

With said problem, Amla, who is also the Chairman Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and Energy, made a way to help the PLGU generate more income through the ordinance he authored and proposed in 2023.

Amla added that the ordinance seeks not only to address the financial problem of the PLGU but also to protect its natural resources from illegal quarrying.

“During that time, I think of an ordinance nga haan laeng nga makatulong nga makalikom ti pondo para ti probinsya but also to make sure that the extraction and transportation of our natural resources are done responsibly,” he explained.

The ordinance which imposes permit fee on quarrying activities and fines for those who violate the environmental protection rules was approved by Governor James Edduba and was enforced on July 22, 2024.

As for the process on how to collect fees, the client obtains first a payment order from the provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) before he/she presents the form at the provincial treasury office. 

At the treasury office, as relayed by one of the workers there, an administrative fee is issued to the client (based on the order of payment) after the amount of cubic meters consumed from a quarry is verified. 

As of January 22, 2025, the ordinance, according to Kalinga Provincial Treasurer Ma.   Theresa G. Basitao, generated more or less P3.7 million income since its implementation last year. The ordinance is also expected to generate more income this year with the growth in the construction and building industry.

The collected fees will be used by the PLGU to fund its critical projects that will address the needs of all iKalingas. Amla's quarry ordinance is a win-win for both the PLGU and the safeguarding of the province’s natural resources.