A panel discussion followed, featuring Gloria Mendoza of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Director Ricardo Bobis Jr. of the Bureau of Local Government Finance, and Provincial Treasurer Rhoda Moreno of Nueva Vizcaya. The panelists offered perspectives from national and local implementation, identifying long-standing issues in the movement of revenues from extractive companies to host communities.

Local government representatives described persistent delays and administrative bottlenecks in the release of national wealth shares. Even when companies remit taxes on time, they noted, the multi-step chain of certification, validation, projection, and budget programming often results in a one- to two-year lag before funds reach LGUs. These delays have significant implications: budget forecasts become unreliable, annual plans are disrupted, and LGUs are forced to adjust through supplemental budgets or treat extractive revenues as contingency funds rather than planned income.

Panelists acknowledged these concerns and recognized the “bureaucratic lag” created by differing timelines among agencies involved in the process, including BIR, BTr, DBM, BLGF, and MGB. They underscored the need to harmonize guidelines and enhance transparency within the inter-agency pipeline so LGUs can clearly track where documents and certifications stand at any point in time. Strengthening reporting mechanisms, standardizing projections, and improving coordination were identified as critical steps toward reducing delays and ensuring that communities receive the benefits they are entitled to under the law.

Discussions also touched on the varying capacity of LGUs to manage extractive revenues, especially in areas where technical expertise and financial management systems remain uneven. Participants emphasized that improving predictability and consistency in revenue flows would help LGUs better plan infrastructure projects, social programs, and essential services for communities affected by extractive operations.

The session closed with a shared recognition that equitable resource sharing requires both policy clarity and operational efficiency. Participants agreed that strengthening national-local coordination, improving transparency in the certification and release process, and exploring more direct remittance mechanisms could ease long-standing challenges and help ensure that extractive wealth contributes to broader local development goals.

As the discussions concluded, participants expressed optimism that continued collaboration among agencies and LGUs would lead to tangible improvements in the way resource revenues are managed. The exchanges highlighted a common commitment to advancing a more transparent, predictable, and responsive system—one that ensures communities benefit fairly from the country’s natural resources.