As Pampanga Vice Governor-elect Dennis “Delta” Pineda concludes his two consecutive terms as governor, he leaves behind a historic milestone: P4.5 billion in quarry collections from July 2019 to May 2025—the highest in the province’s history.
According to a report from the provincial treasurer’s office, Pineda’s administration collected P4.379 billion in quarry gross income and P84.1 million in licenses and fees, bringing total collections to P4.463 billion.
Under his watch, the quarry regulatory unit Kalam, led by former Bacolor Mayor Romeo “Buddy” Dungca, strictly enforced quarry regulations and the Anti-Overloading Law (RA 8794), significantly boosting revenue from the extraction of Mt. Pinatubo’s lahar deposits.
Turning Tragedy Into a Blessing
“We turned disaster into a true blessing,” Pineda said, referring to the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, which buried villages in volcanic debris and displaced thousands. Today, lahar continues to flow downstream during heavy rains, but has become a vital economic resource for the province.
The province earned a net share of P3.2 billion from sand and administrative fees, distributed as mandated by the Local Government Code: 40% to barangays, 30% to municipalities and cities, and the rest to the provincial government.
Transparent and Consistent Growth
In his first six months, Pineda’s administration already posted P259.2 million in collections—averaging over P1 million per day. Annual collections steadily increased:
- P556M in 2020
- P715.7M in 2021
- P672.2M in 2022
- P960.2M in 2023
- P872.2M in 2024
- P343.5M (January-May 2025)
Totaling P4.378 billion over his term.
This record is seven times higher than the P611 million collected during the three-year term of former Governor Eddie Panlilio.
Under Pineda’s system, haulers paid a transparent fee structure of P430 per load: P150 sand fee, P250 administrative fee, and P30 weighing scale fee.
Quarry Revenue Funds Public Services
Pineda emphasized that the quarry income was reinvested into vital public services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, funding medical infrastructure, education programs, and other social services that directly benefited Kapampangans.
National Recognition
Due to its efficient collection system, Pampanga was consistently ranked among the top provinces in the country for locally sourced revenues by the Department of Finance and Bureau of Local Government Finance:
- Top 10 in 2020
- Top 3 in 2022
- Top 2 in 2023
Delta said: “Isang transparent collection system po ang aking inilagay. Ang mga kabalen natin ang nakinabang mula sa mataas na quarry income dahil napondohan ang mga dagdag na serbisyo.”
