By Cheryl A. Galili
GOVERNOR JOEL T. Reyes is supporting the legalization of gold panning in barangays Caramay and Magara in Roxas town so taxes can be imposed on anyone engaging in it by the municipal and provincial governments.
According to Reyes, even before he became governor, gold panning is already rampant in the two areas. Missionary miners, he said, do not pay taxes to the government but to individuals who pretend they own the tenement claims. He added that the province has been deprived for a long time by the non-payment of taxes of gold panners, including the municipality and the barangays.
“Why don’t we make it legal so the barangay, the municipality and the provincial government can earn from the taxes they’re required to pay and so we can also regulate them. If we do not do this and they’re still there, it’s like condoning them to do the illegal activity,” Reyes said.
It can be recalled that the Kilusan Sagip Kalikasan (KSK) has made arrests and has warned gold panners to stop their activities, but until now, operations continue in the two barangay.
But Reyes is quick to say that gold panning will only be allowed in Caramay and Magara and not anywhere else in northern Palawan, claiming that the rest of the municipalities have important ecosystems that need to be protected and not destroyed.
The governor has earlier opposed the opening of Coron and Busuanga to manganese mining exploration and operation.
Social Markers
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April 16, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Panning for gold or small-scale gold mining by individuals or small groups has always been a foundation of the American (U.S.) west. This was especially true during the days of the California Gold Rush of 1849. I can’t imagine anyone telling me I can’t pan for gold or worse yet, arresting me for pursuing this interest, unless I was trespassing.
J.R. (http://auseekersfe.wordpress.com/)