Alcoy’s Dolomite Mining Corp. has agreed to terms set by the Cebu Provincial Government in settling its tax dues, with DMC president Cesar Omnes signing a compromise agreement with Gov. Gwen Garcia to this effect.
“We are very pleased that we have already settled, signed the settlement (agreement), because at least we can now pursue the continuity of our business, with the governor, of course, giving us help on this matter,” Omnes told Sugbo News after the short meeting at the Capitol today, April 4.
DMC has an unpaid tax obligation to Capitol beginning 2008 until this day, provincial treasurer Atty. Roy Salubre said. With the signing of agreement, DMC will make the first payment on the following day in an installment basis.
A compromise agreement is needed because the duration has been covered by different versions of provincial revenue code, the treasurer’s office said.
The treasurer’s office cited Provincial Board Ordinance No. 2008-10 or the Revenue Code of Cebu of 2008 that covers the collectible tax according to the fair market value of the volume of extracted dolomite, as well as environmental enhancement fees.
But this ordinance was amended in 2016 by PB Ordinance No. 2016-04 and again in 2021 by PB Ordinance No. 2021-06 — the latter of which imposes monitoring fee of 10 percent of fair market value of extracted non-metallic minerals, as well as a certain figure for each metric ton of extracted minerals.
DMC, a Filipino Japanese-owned firm, has a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) with the government to mine dolomite for 25 years or until 2030.
With the settlement, Capitol and DMC will be exploring possibilities of partnership, with the former buying dolomite materials from the latter for raw material requirements for infrastructure projects in the province.
Omnes was joined by his legal counsel, Atty. Raymund Martelino, and other company officials in their visit to the Capitol. | Ioannes P. Arong
