SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique— The Antique provincial government, through the Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), earned a whooping PHP14 million from the extraction tax paid by quarry permittees from January 1 to July 6, 2018.
During a media interview Monday, Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao said the income generated is higher than that of the previous years.
She attributed the high collection to their campaign for barangay (village) officials and quarry permittees to religiously remit what is due the province.
“I appealed to the barangay officials to be responsible because corruption starts from the barangay,” the governor said.
To date, there are 75 quarry permittees who pay extraction tax of PHP25 per cubic meter. Of the amount, 30 percent goes each to the province and the local government unit while the remaining 40 percent to the barangay.
Aside from the extraction tax, the permittees also pay other fees such as environmental fee, ore transport permit, and application fee that also generated revenues for the province, amounting to PHP773,842.48.
In 2013, Antique only generated PHP3.076 million from the extraction tax; PHP3.763 million in 2014; PHP4.48 million in 2015; and in 2016 with PHP7.277 million. (PNA)
