As one faction in our society tries to justify generating income from the fines of violators from quarry operators—even using this issue to discredit the Aumentado administration for not pursuing it like the one before him—Boholanos should know the real score.
"Ivan" really collected from these quarry operators off the books. The governor verified this when he met with quarry operators who testified to their personal conversations with "Ivan".
The minority camp contends that the previous administration collected P80 million from the fines of quarry violators and that the current administration cannot reach this target. We, however, take this with a grain of salt. Mind you, the dirty ones use this tactic to impugn guilt for those who don't play their game.
The governor stressed that he wants the province to collect what is really due according to the mining ordinance. What's the point of showing high collection from fines? It does not mean good revenue generation. Especially if much of it did not go to the government treasury. Especially if it kills entrepreneurship. In fact, excessive fines can repress businessmen. They can be tools for personal ends.
Yet one should know the provincial leader better. He abhors such reprehensible acts.
There really were violators in mining. The problem is, the fines imposed by the previous administration were allegedly beyond what is required by law in order to force businessmen to kowtow to Ivan.
How did the collaborators of Ivan do it? To satisfy your curiosity, they allegedly computed the total disturbed area of a certain location. Instead of considering who got the minerals before the current miner, they simply charged everything to the current operator, which is unfair. But they arranged better terms for the entrepreneur if Ivan collected money. If collectors bagged the money, sources contend that only five million out of the 80 million went to the government coffers.
The governor, however, wants uprightness in business. He wants everything done in order, according to the revised Bohol Mining Ordinance of 2020.
And what he detests most—we assume—is using the government as a milking cow. This warns us in advance. Opportunists like Ivan in other government interfaces will be disappointed. Clearly, the governor scorns sycophants and those artfully masked thieves who want to plunder the people.
Actions have to be taken. The governor seems eager to carry coals to Newcastle in order to effect genuine change.
What gets measured gets done
For the first time in the province, the governor issued a memorandum order for the assessment and evaluation of all 43 active quarries and commercial sand and gravel operations. This evaluation determines the level of compliance of all operators in the areas of environmental compliance certificate conditions, quarry permit or commercial sand and gravel conditions, work program or project description conditions, and safety measures. If there are discrepancies in the compliance, the province calls quarries for a technical conference.
Per report, the 43 operators got an average score of 75 percent compliance based on the four indicators.
The Bohol Mineral Resources Regulatory Office (BMinRRO) identified the top five for each of the categories.
The provincial government will yet convene about guidelines in suspending the permits of those whose compliance is lax.
This move is a step towards a more effective regulation of the extraction of mineral resources. More steps, however, have to be taken to reward the top raters.
Mining and quarrying do not go against the promotion of our tourism. These two are contradicting each other.
While measurement is important, implementers should also move around.
Frontline watchers are ready to rumble
One move the administration takes is to enforce laws with the help of the punong barangays. Governor Aris issued Memorandum Circular No. 2022-008 or the monitoring of sand and gravel and quarry operations and submission of monthly monitoring report.
As I learned from the BMinRRO, the barangay captains must monitor the actual extractions of minerals in their respective areas by legitimate operators. The barangay leaders do this by checking the delivery receipts.
This move makes it easier for the province to account for our natural resources lest we lose our natural environment to the powerful and well-connected proprietors. We cannot lose it by negligence.
To some extent, the leaders of the barangays help curb illegal mining, but since there is a limit to their powers, the province employs another strategy.
Retired military men are on their way to enforce
Aside from the monitoring of the punong barangays, the governor issued Executive Order No. 17 which is the reconstitution of deputies to enforce the revised Bohol Mining Ordinance of 2020. These appointed deputies—the Bohol Environment Protection Task Force—are mostly retired military men tasked to monitor all mining and quarrying activities in the province, apprehend illegally transported quarry resources , and assist line agencies in resolving mining conflicts.
How important are deputies in our midst? Take note: illegal miners are well-connected and armed. It takes force to implement laws. We assume that if violators are stronger than we assume, the provincial government can also call the military or the Provincial Security Force.
"If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable," Louis Brandeis says. I believe deputies give muscle to the law. Boholanos don't want scoffers.
Before the 100 days of governor Aris, a system of evaluation for our quarry operators is already established. His administration has deployed civilian enforcers to watch for violators.
We can tell the one at the helm is on the right track if he attracts respect among his constituents. Now is the time for the governor to prove himself.
The netizens weigh this matter, whether his action is ostensible or for real. I bet this is for real.
As someone puts it, the idea of respect is more than just being polite. It requires the integrity of the leader in implementing important laws and ordinances, like the revised mining.
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