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By Bohol Sunday Post

Quarry operators and contractors will now be required to repair the barangay roads which they use as access roads to and from their quarry or project sites before they can renew their permits. This resulted after the successive consultations Governor Edgar Chatto had with the barangay captains of the province, who compose the 1,109-strong Liga ng mga Barangay, in line with the series of two-day district-wide strategic planning seminars the Liga held. Also at the consultations were Vice Governor Concepcion Lim, Liga ng mga Barangay provincial head and Board Member Crispina Vergara, the respective board members of each district, and the office and department heads of the provincial government.

During the lengthy open forum which followed the presentation of provincial government programs at each consultation, the barangay captains invariably voiced out the difficulties they face in doing road repair work of barangay roads damaged by the frequent passage of the heavy equipment used by quarry operators and contractors, especially during rainy seasons. In the first and second districts, the proposal to make the barangay road repair a requirement for renewal of permits was met with resounding applause by the barangay captains and with approval from the governor. A similar concern was raised by the barangay captains with the Provincial Engineer's Office, particularly the repair of barangay roads damaged by the passage of the PEO's own heavy equipment while conducting the repair of provincial roads.

Provincial Engineer Rosalinda Yu said they will duly respond to such requests since the office is also accountable for such work. Gov. Chatto added that the barangay captains may also request to use the heavy equipment of the Provincial Motorpool, headed by Engr. Abraham Clarin, for projects in their jurisdiction on Saturdays and Sundays, subject to the availability and nearness of the equipment, among other conditions. In related news, Provincial Treasurer Eustaquio Socorin also detailed to the barangay captains that the 40 % of remittances from quarrying operations, which the barangay having jurisdiction is entitled to, per provisions in the Local Government Code, can now be better enforced and paid to the concerned barangay.

Where the reported net share from collections of the provincial government for one year may have been almost P300,000 in 2009, collections starting in 2010, for just a three-month period, reportedly reached almost P1 million. Socorin said that this was made possible by the more effective policing system of quarrying operations in the province by the task force of the Bohol Environment Management Office and better coordination with barangay authorities, which has also resulted in better collections of the PTO since the improved environmental enforcement.

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