Thursday, August 29, 2013

Cayetano unfazed by Merriam’s rap on Lacson as “Pork” Sleuth

Senator Peter Cayetano (2nd from Left) in a press conference
in Lingayen, Pangasinan. Photo Mortz C. Ortigoza

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Senator Peter Cayetano was nonchalant on the mockery of Senator Merriam Santiago on his proposal for the senate to commission former Senator Panfilo Lacson to head the investigation of fellow senators who were implicated on the P10 billion priority development assistance fund (PDAF) scam.
 Cayetano said he respected both Santiago and Lacson despite the lady solon’s dig that Lacson would be incompetent as the head of an independent body because of his being a non-lawyer and a political enemy of Senator Ramon Revilla, Jr. who allegedly got the biggest sum of P82. 45 million in the P10 billion PDAF or infamously known as congressional “Pork Barrel” racket led by Janet Napoles’ JLN Corporation.
The other senators who were implicated by the PDAF’s scam bugaboo were Juan Ponce Enrile with P24.25 million and Senator Gregorio Honasan with P14.55 million.
 All these sums according to Commission on Audit chair Maria Grace Pulido-Tan went to Janet Napoles’ Non-Government Organization's Agriculture and Economic Programs for Farmers Foundation Inc.
 Another P24 million from Revilla went to another allegedly phantom NGO’s Technological Resource Center.
 “But remember you don’t have to like the investigator. You have to trust the investigator who has the skill to investigate,” he said by defending his early pronouncement.
Cayetano said the fire-breathing Santiago was correct when she said that the head of the panel should be independent like those retired justices of the Supreme Court.
“Pero ang iniisip ko kay Senator Lacson, una hindi siya kumukuha ng pork barrel, naging pulitiko, naging chief PNP (Philippine National Police), and nagtago rin. Sino pa ang mas magandang maghanap sa mga nagtatago kung hindi iyong marunong ring magtago,” he stressed.
 Santiago recently said that the proposal of Cayetano to have an independent panel in lieu of the function of the Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee would be misconstrued by the people to be replete with bias.
“Pinky Lacson is a political ally of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. At the same time, Lacson is the political enemy of Senator Revilla. Lacson has no acquaintance with the law, but has revealed his propensity for citing the law after confused coaching by his lawyers. A self-taught lawyer is a menace to society,” Santiago told earlier the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
She said that a policeman cannot be an adviser to a Senate committee probing the pork barrel, because this is a question of law. “He has no clue on how the law proceeds in these cases. After a cop finishes his investigation, the report is submitted to the prosecutor, not the other way around,” Santiago said on Lacson in a statement.

“It’s hard to collect correct taxes from lawyers, businessmen” – BIR


By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY – A top honcho of the Bureau of Internal Revenue said that the tax agency finds hard to collect the right taxes not with doctors but with lawyers and businessmen.
The source, who is based here but who asked anonymity, said that they still search for the silver bullet how to collect the right taxes with lawyers, fish pond owners, and other businessmen in Pangasinan.
 “Kasi ang transaction is between the client and either of the doctor, lawyer or businessman.
In a TV interview in the past, Assistant Revenue District Office Charmaine C. dela Torre said that the BIR can easily trace the doctors’ income tax since their billing to the patient is reflected on the bills submitted to PhilHealth.
PhilHealth submits all the transaction of the doctors to the patient at the BIR.
 The source said that to make lawyers and businessmen pay the correct taxes, their client should ask for government official receipt every time he transacts business with them.
But another insider at the BIR doubts if the taxpayer can do that particularly to lawyers. “Paano gagawin ng client iyon. Pipilitin niya iyong abugado na magbigay ng recibo sa 50 thousand pesos na acceptance fee sa murder, e baka masisira ang good will niya sa abugado?” he posed”
 In the Self-Employed Personnel (SEP) category of taxpayers in the country only one fourth pays the correct taxes according to the BIR.
 But BIR Regional Director Arnel Guballa is optimistic that this problem can be resolved by the government. He said the BIR is looking now for a voluntary payment scheme where SEP’s capacity to earn is being looked at. “Iyong nagbabayad ng tama. Ang sinasabi ni Secretary Purisima, 1.8 million, tina-target lang nila diyan. Magbabayad ng P200 thousand average. P200 thousand multiplied by 1.8 million taxpayers equals P360 billion,” he said.
 Earlier, BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares said that there were around 1.7 million SEPs in the country that paid a total of P9.8 billion in taxes in 2010, or an average of only P5, 764. She said in 2011 that professionals, based on their income levels, should each be paying P100,000 in taxes on the average, indicating a 90-percent tax evasion rate among doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects and entertainers, among others. Ideally, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) should be collecting P100 billion in taxes annually from these professionals, she said.
 The discrepancies prompted Henares to issue in February 2011 Revenue Memorandum Order No. 3-2011 ordering lawyers, doctors, engineers and other taxpayers rendering professional services to be the first to be subjected to an audit to determine whether they paid the correct taxes in 2010.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Police Stop and Frisk Help Lower Shooting Incidents

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA



 Assistant Superintendent Sheila Mari Primicias of the Department of Education in Pangasinan-1 lamented how superintendents in the provincial or city division have been dragged by unscrupulous principals who are accused of selling teacher items.
 Recently, party-list congressman Antonio Tinio of Alliance of Concerned Teachers told a national paper that there would be a congressional investigation after a teacher in Pangasinan reported a principal who sold teaching positions. 
Tinio said the principal gets an initial fee of P10, 000 from the teacher-applicant as grease money to the superintendent who purportedly give the applicant a favorable ranking for hiring. 
Loko iyang mga principals, they name dropped. Kawawa naman iyong superintendent na walang kaalam-alam.” Primicias said. 
She said there were some errant principals in Pangasinan who sell teachers’ items but nobody especially those under their supervision have the courage to expose their shenanigans.
 Pangasinan-1 Superintendent Alma Ruby Torio said the complaint against the principal in Binmaley has been submitted by her office for investigation at the office of Regional Director Teresita Velasco. 
“In the Department of Education’s rules and procedures, when the principal is involved, the disciplining authority is the regional director,” she explained to me. 
Both Torio and Primicias told me that despite their position they are helpless to discipline the erring principals and mentors. 
They said their disciplinary power, as mandated by law, covers only those non-teaching personnel at Pangasinan-1. 
A source said with four provinces and tens of thousands of teachers under the watch of Director Velasco, sometimes investigation is turtle-paced. 
“It’s high time the government amended this law so provincial executives of DepEd can censure, imposed preventive suspension, or sack those unscrupulous teaching personnel,” he said.
 As this law is still a pipe dream, pray tell that the exhaustive investigation of Congressman Tinio, and even Board Member Ranjit Shahani, the provincial board’s education committee chairman, can expose the culprit or culprits and recommend for their prosecution.
 *** 
Despite the brouhahas spawned by the Stop and Frisk method by policemen in the cities of Philadelphia and New York, Filipino policemen who satisfied themselves to visual search can look how effective this method in deterring crimes like shooting incidents .
 Stop and Frisk is a type of limited search when police confront a suspicious person in an effort to prevent a crime from taking place. The police frisk (pat down) the person for weapons and questions him.
 According to the recent column of Dick Morris at DickMorris.com titled “ Stop And Frisk Decision Based On Tortured Reading Of The Constitution” the spate of crimes in the cities of New York ( 8.5 million population and Philadelphia (1.5 million population:) dwindled with 450 homicides and 334 homicides last year respectively.
 “The ability to stop and frisk men lingering on street corners in the middle of the night in high drug and crime areas has played a key element in reducing the murder rate.
 Particularly in concert with New York’s mandatory minimum three year sentence for possession of an unlicensed, loaded firearm within the city, the law has forced guns off the street and driven down the murder rate appreciably.
 To measure the impact of the stop and frisk and mandatory minimum gun sentence laws, compare New York with Philadelphia. Both have lots of poverty — 21% in New York and 25% in Philadelphia. The per capita police presence in each place is comparable, “ Morris, a former Bill Clinton’s adviser, and Republican strategist, said. 
***

 “Imagine 450 shooting incidents in a population of 8.5 million in New York City versus the wild-west gun- for-hire Pangasinan with less than three million people, and we’re talking about New York as a city and not as a province.
 It means the stop-and-frisk deters more spate of gun-related incidents,” I told Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil, a former two-star police general, when I met him recently at Consuelo’s in Lingayen after the press conference of Senator Peter Cayetano. 
 Bataoil, an advocate of a gung-ho police action versus criminals, told me before that to mitigate the shooting incidents in Pangasinan that scared the wits out of some people, stake holders should study the following: motive, opportunity, and instrument. On "motive" he posed “Bakit ang tao ay gagawin ang isang illegal na hindi maka Dios ,at sa matinding galit?” On "opportunity", he expounded that the situation in the area where the criminal mind felt he would be successful to perpetrate his evil acts.
 He said "instrument" is gun, bladed weapon, poison, hard object, or whatever thing that could be used for the commission of the crime. “What is the formula to prevent crime? If you talk of motive, dapat i-reform na kaagad. Kung itong neighbor na ito, may land conflict – i-resolve na natin,” he stressed.
 Bataoil, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, explained that to stall “opportunity” is police visibility, check points, raids and searches of suspected safe houses of criminals. “Kahit na gutom na gutom (pero) secured ang area kagustuhan niyang tirahin kung ikaw ay may security forces at wala ang pagkaka-taon na (iyon) hindi niya maisasagawa,”he explained in the vernacular. While negation of “instrument” is strict licensing of firearms, and confiscation of loose firearms.
*** 
 Our Supreme Court has replete with jurisprudences on  warrantless search that can be made in the following cases: a. Moving vehicles and the seizure of evidence made in plain view; b. As long as the vehicle is neither searched nor its occupant/s subjected to a body search, and the inspection of the vehicle is merely limited to a visual search; c. When the occupant/s of the vehicle appear to be nervous or suspicious or exhibit unnatural reaction. d. If the officer conducting the search has reasonable or probable cause to believe that either the occupant/s is a law offender or that the instrumentality or evidence pertaining to the commission of a crime can be found in the vehicle to be searched; or e. On the basis of prior confidential information which are reasonablycorroborated by other attendant matters.
You can read too my earlier column that talked about stop and frisk and warrantless search " It’s a Joke: Police tied to Visual Search" that can be acceccessed at http://northwatch.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/ortigoza-its-a-joke-police-tied-to-visual-search/.

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)

Typhoon Maring wrought P421M damage to agri in Pangasinan

LINGAYEN ----- Estimated cost of damage to agriculture and infrastructure wrought by typhoon Maring in Pangasinan reached P421.17-million, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinating and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported today.
 In its terminal report dated August 24, cost of damage to agriculture posted P397,177,239.39, broken down as follows: palay, P356,188,180; high value corns and crops (HVCC) P11,589.564;fishery P29,217,995 and livestock P181,500.
 In infrastructure, the estimated cost of damage posted P24M which include the Brgy. Dupo Bridge in Binmaley, Dorongan Bridge in Lingayen and provincial roads connecting barangays Maniboc, Sabangan, and Pangapisan here in Lingayen.
 In fishery, the town of Binmaley, one of the premiere bangus growers of the North, lost P11,523,895 worth of marketable bangus and tilapia in at least 19 barangays.
 The continuous heavy rains damaged by Maring has flooded at least 16 towns affecting 219 barangay, 46,947 families and 233,278 persons.
Mangatarem has been the most heavily flooded with 72 of its 83 barangays underwater.
Two drowning victims were reported while 6,563 families or 33,015 persons were displaced.
 According to PDRRMC, the overflowing of Tarlac River and Agno River as well as rain waters coming from the uplands in Zambales province caused heavy flooding in Mangatarem, the floodwater reaching up to 15 feet particularly in barangays Pampano and Dorongan.
 Aside from Mangatarem, other 15 towns affected include Binmaley, Agno, Aguilar, Bugallon, Labrador, Lingayen, Urbiztondo, Calasiao, Bayambang, Sta. Barbara, Mangaldan, Bautista, Rosales, Dagupan City and Urdaneta City.
 Meanwhile, another fisherman identified as Alberto Fuerta, 37 year-old from brgy. Bayambang in Infanta town was also reported missing since August 16.
 As of August 27, the PDRRMC received a text message from the Bolinao Police Station informing them about two missing persons identified as Carlito Marita, 51 year-old and Rannie Gemong, 24 year-old, both fishermen of barangay Lucero of the said town.
 These bring the total number of missing persons to four and four reported casualties as of press time. (Merly R. Tibalao/PIO)

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Q & A: Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senator Peter Cayetano on Pork

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

 During the visit of Vice President Jojo Binay in Pangasinan yesterday (Geez, Yahoo's head line cries today "Where Binay was during anti-pork rally") with mayors in Pangasinan to distribute relief goods, I asked an elected official who is also a big time private contractor. "Mayor, pag tinangal totally ang Pork Barrel, baka wala ng trapo na pulitiko na tatakbo sa pagiging congressman sa 2016?
He told me they would still run. "Kahit wala na iyong P70 million yearly PDAF, nakaka porma pa rin sila sa national projects (like tens of millions of pesos of roads, buildings, etc) na bini-bidding sa DPWH (Department of Public Works & Highway) sa area nila. In short, the same favored contractors will play moro-moro with the bidding process so they can give the palatable kickback in a silver platter to the solon.

***
 Here are the excerpts of my interviews on the evil that haunts the infamous Priority Development & Allocation Fund (PDAF) with Philippe President Jejomar Binay and Senator Peter Cayetano when I met them in Binmaley, Pangasinan (August 26 for Binay) and Lingayen, Pangasinan (August 23 for Cayetano):
Pangasinenses relished the visit of Philippine Vice Pre-
sident Jojo Binay. Media man Jerry Cambay (extreme
left (red shirt) and Board Member Ranjit Ramos Sha-
hani made funny faces probably to amuse
the vice president.
      VICE PRESIDENT BINAY

MORTZ: Mr. Vice President, tangalin na iyong Pork Barrel sa mga congressmen. Ibigay na sa NIA, DPWH, D.A.R, D.A para centralized na ang corruption, at least mababantayan na ng mabuti ang magnanakaw dahil kakaunti na lang itong mga offices na ito kumpara sa 288 na Tong-gressmen na may hawak ng PDAF.
VICE PRES. BINAY (Chuckled, tumawa) In fairness naman sa mga congressmen hindi naman lahat sa kanila…
MORTZ: Most of them are corrupt. Si  (former congressman) Ranjit Shahani at congressmen Mark and Kimi Cojuangco ang alam ko na hindi tumatagap ng kickbacks sa private contractors. (People around laughed)
VICE PRES. BINAY: Iyong mga kasamahan lang nila na na-involved diyan sa graft & corruption.
MORTZ: Vice President noong August 23 sinabi ni Presidenti (Aquino) na wala na ang “consumable” soft projects, such as fertilizers, seeds, medicines, dentures, funding for sports festivals, others. But congressmen and sentors can still identify projects. Ang tanong ko doon: Hindi ba mawawala ang S.O.P o kickbacks doon?
  VICE PRES. BINAY: Sundin na lang natin ang sinabi ni Pangulo, pagtulong-tulongan natin na mangyari ang kanyang sinabi na iyon hong problema sa PDAF ay haharapin. Ulitin ko ha, ang issue diyan sa PDAF sa aking pananaw ay graft & corruption. Kasi ho ninanakaw ang pera ng bayan, hindi napunta iyong pera sa pinag-lala-anan.
  SENATOR CAYETANO

MORTZ: Is your proposed mode of giving pork to solons would be greased-free, S.O.P-free, or cut-free from the percentage given by private contractors or suppliers to the congressman or senator who intercedes for the projects?
SENATOR PETER CAYETANO: Hindi ko kayo masagot ngayon na wala ng problema ang Pilipinas. To get rid of that is a big victory. But we have a lot to do after that.
  MORTZ:“Is your proposal to abolish the old system of distributing the pork barrel a tall order? Baka hindi na ipapasa ng congress ang bill na i-proposed ng Malacanang because wala na ang the carrot sa pork-barrel?”
SENATOR PETER CAYETANO: If you asked me two months ago with that same question I would tell you the plan to abolish the pork would be next to impossible.
 (Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)

VP Binay visits flood victims in Pangasinan

Public Officials in Pangasinan in a huddle with
Vice President Jojo Binay (2nd from left) during his
visit in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan last August 26. From left
Pangasinan Police Director Marlou Chan, Binay, Board
Member Ranjit Shahani,Sta. Barbara Mayor Lito Zaplan,
Vice Governor Ferdie Calimlim, and Binmaley Mayor
Sam Rosario.

LINGAYEN---Thousands of Pangasinenses specially victims of typhoons Labuyo and Maring that recently hit Pangasinan expressed elation as Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay visited the province last Monday,August 26 to distribute relief assistance. Together with provincial officials led by Vice-Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr. Police Provincial Director Marlou Chan, and local chief executives, VP Binay led the ceremonial distribution of the relief packs intended for the typhoon victims in the flooded areas in various towns of the province. “Ang aking pagpunta dito ay upang personal na makita ang talagang nangyari -- ito ay damdamin ng isang mayor na aking katungkulan bago nahalal bilang Bise-Presidente ng Pilipinas,” Binay noted. In his brief visit to Bugallon, Binay congratulated all government officials in the province for their readiness and preparedness during calamities.
 Binay likewise took the opportunity to thank Pangasinenses for the support they have extended when he ran as vice-president during the last election and further thanked the people of Pangasinan for the equal support to his daughter now Senator Nancy Binay. As this developed, Bugallon Mayor Jumel Espino also thanked VP Binay for the show of concern to Pangasinan even as he assured of his town’s support to all his endeavors. Relief packs were also distributed in the towns of Mangatarem,
Aguilar, Bugallon, Lingayen, Binmaley, Dagupan City, Calasiao and Sta. Barbara. Binay said that he hopes to extend assistance in all other areas in Pangasinan that were severely affected by the typhoons. (PIO/ Chona C. Bugayong & Angie Villanueva)

Sunday, August 25, 2013

P-NOY BLUFFS WHEN HE NIXES PORK: TULOY ANG RALLY SA LUNETA!


 BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

To those who hesitate to join Monday’s (August 26) Million People March in Luneta and other places in the country to denounce the corruption of the P10 billion pork barrels scam , go and join the march at your designated places.
With this you help add to the multitude in assailing the scam and the  unmitigated corruptions perpetrated since time immemorial by our senators and congressmen.
Don’t believe the August 23 pronouncement of President Benigno Aquino III that he already abolished the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) or the infamous “pork barrel”.
He was only bluffing so that those of you who decided to pour or show your grievances in Luneta  would forego your plan.
The more people flex their muscles in Luneta and other parts of the country, the more the pressure we could give the president to totally scrap the corruption-prone PDAF.
 Here’s an excerpt of his statement last Friday that saw print at some broadsheets :
President Aquino told the nation in August 23 that he abolished 
the congressional pork barrel  but  with qualification:"The
 abolition  of the PDAF therefore will not take away from 
lawmakers  the privilege of choosing projects and allocating
funds for the development of those projects." 
"The abolition of the PDAF therefore will not take away from lawmakers the privilege of choosing projects and allocating funds for the development of those projects."
 Susmariosep, collusion among the solons and private contractors will here to stay!

Another name for PDAF being hatched
Ask Senate President Franklin Drillon and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte who sported a “porky” smile if they have already in mind another name for the pork when the president reads his statement on the abrogation of the PDAF.
 Believed you me, the greasy pork will  here to stay but with another name that is still being hatched by the President and the two top honchos of congress.
If during Cory Aquino's time it was  Countryside Development Fund (CDF), then PDAF. What will be its name after the August 23 pronouncement?
 Pork would still be here to rear its ugly head but with some of its fangs extracted.

Only some parts of pork have been extracted
Because of the uproar of the netizens on the plunder of the public coffer through the spurious Non Government Organizations (NGO) of Janet Napoles, our senators and congressmen would now be deprived to arbitrarily identify what kind of projects they want to implement.
In that pronouncements, the president, who a week ago has stonewalled the abolition of the PDAF, said the congressional pork will  still be tapped by the members of congress.
 He however said that they could no longer implement “consumable” soft projects, such as fertilizers, seeds, medicines, medical kits, dentures, funding for sports festivals, training materials, and other such items.
 “Congressional funds can no longer be disbursed through NGOs and certain government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), some of which had been used in the pork barrel scam’ he said.
The president continued that funds for projects should be limited to the districts or sectors of the legislators who sponsored them.
 Expect a thick national appropriation for fiscal year 2014 because these projects will be earmarked as line items, under the programs of the national government.
 But don’t swallow hook, line, and sinker the statement of the president that pork barrel is already a thing of the past.

Corruption with the PDAF continues 
Unmitigated corruption by our solons would still be here. It would be the same dog but with a different collar. Sa mga mag ma-marcha sa Lunes huwag magpaloko na wala na ang PDAF! Ang PDAF o Pork Barrel ay nandiyan pa rin kung saan ang mga congressmen at senators ay makakuha pa rin ng kick-back.
(Read my article”Is Cayetano's version of "pork" corruption-free?“

 that can be accessed at http://wwwmortzcortigoza.blogspot.com/2013/08/is-cayetanos-version-of-pork-corruption.html) sa mga private contractors who would be doing the yeoman’s job from the Department of Public Works & Highway, Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation System, Department of Agrarian Reform, you name it !
Want some proof that solons tinker with their PDAF?
A regional director of a corrupt government agency who moonlights as private contractor (only in d Pilipins!) told me that in Region-1 almost all congressmen ask him for kick-back every time their pork funds public projects. "Iyong congressmen na hindi humihingi o tumatangap ng S.O.P ay si former Pangasinan Congressman Mark Cojuangco and Pangasinan Congresswoman Kimi Cojuangco. Ibang congressmen diyan mga pusakal!
 When I asked a congresswoman that the Cojuangcos do not accept bribes, she told me: "E, mayaman naman kasi sila Mark and Kimi".
(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Cayetano : PNoy, a true reformist

GOOD VERSUS EVIL? : Senator Peter Cayetano (left) cross swords with then
 Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (right)on the latter giving away bonuses
to favored senators last December 2012. Political spectators considered this act of
Cayetano as his defining moment.

1) Ako po ay lubos na natutuwa at nagpapasalamat sa ating Pangulong Noynoy Aquino sa kanyang posisyon na dapat ng i-abolish ang Pork Barrel, at palitan ito ng line-item budgeting kung saan mas magiging transparent ang pag gamit ng pondo ng bayan. Dyan naman tayo bumibilib talaga sa ating Pangulo dahil sa mga ganito kalaking desisyon ay nakikita natin na siya ay isang "true reformist". Hindi sya natatakot gumawa ng reporma at pakinggan ang hiling ng taumbayan.

 2) I congratulate also the Filipino people. This is People Power at its finest. Ito and totoong people power! Kung hindi nila pinalakas ang kampanya laban sa pork barrel ay malamang hindi agad nangyari ang repormang ito. Suportahan po natin ang mangyayaring Million Person March/ rally sa Lunes laban sa PDAF para ituloy ang public pressure laban dito at sa lahat ng uri ng korapsyon.

 3) Pero hindi ibig sabihin hindi na dapat mag-imbestiga. Hindi natin maitutuwid ang isang bagay kung hindi natin alam saan bumaluktot at kung bakit. Kailangan may managot dahil hindi biro ang napakalaking halaga na napunta lamang sa bulsa ng mga iilang tao na nagpayaman pa at the expense of the people’s money. Dapat tuloy pa rin ang imbestigasyon para masigurado na merong managot at maparusahan.

 4) Through God’s guidance this is now the time for Congress to act on this matter, get to the bottom of this scam, and completely abolish the pork barrel. Kailangan nating ituloy ang isang credible at independent investigation para masigurado nating managot ang may mga sala at gagawin ko din ang lahat ng makakaya ko para masigurado na mangyari ito at magkaroon ng totoong People’s Budget ang ating mga kababayan.

Is Cayetano’s version of ‘pork’ corruption - free?

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

The rabble rousing Senator Cayetano, a proponent for the abolition of priority development assistant fund (PDAF) or the infamous “Pork Barrel” told us media men that the lump sum system of the PDAF should be changed into line items to prevent corrupt congressmen and senators to raid them.
 ANTI-PORK SENATOR:Senator Peter Cayetano
 (center) talks about the abolition of the pork-barrel
system among senators and congressmen. Cayetano
 is flanked by Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino
 (left) and Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil,2nd District,
Pangasinan (right
Line items mean solons identify first what project they want before they are included in the national budget, unlike the lump sum system where they can arbitrarily dictate what projects they want.
 I played “Devil’s Advocate”  to the charismatic senator and asked him the following questions:
 “Is your proposal to abolish the old system of distributing the pork barrel a tall order? 
Baka hindi na ipapasa ng congress ang bill na proposed ng Malacanang because wala na ang  carrot sa PDAF?”
 He said if I asked him two months ago with the same question he would say that the plan to abolish the pork (President Benigno Aquino III “abolished it” last August 23 after a prolonged pressure from the traditional and social media Face Book, Twitter, etc - MCO.) would be next to impossible.
 “So I think the pressure will continue para hindi lang mapalitan ng ibang pork barrel. I don’t think until it is over I still want to see the final budget na pork-free.”
 I asked him if his proposed mode of giving pork to solons would be grease-free, S.O.P-free, or cut-free from the percentage given by private contractors or suppliers to the congressman or senator who intercedes for the projects. 
“Hindi ko kayo masagot ngayon na wala ng problema ang Pilipinas.
Author strikes a pose with the
rabble-rousing Senator Peter Caye-
tano. "You're like Winston Churchill
you got a gift of gab," author told
the senator after the press
conference he called.
To get rid of that is a big victory. But we have a lot to do after that,” he answered. 
Cayetano explained that the government should increase the salaries of public officials who are susceptible to bribery by solons and private contractors. 
“Tandaan niyo po, iyong legislature ay naglalagay hindi mangyayari na walang tao sa departamento maging director, maging clerk na tag-ayos ng mga papeles”. 
He cited the progress from corruption of the Department of Public Works and Highway. He said that S.O.P there has been mitigated because private contractors would not do the work anymore because of the prohibitive cuts being asked by government officials.
 “Masyado na daw mababa ang kikitain nila. So kung ngayon wala ng kaibahan ang pork, binigay ni senator, congressmen, ni presidente pareho na ang nilalagay sa budget masusunod niya ang patakaran nila. It would be more transparent. Let’s watch out ang mga scam artists”.

Corrupt congressman pockets 60% of Pork: Don’t you know that a congressman can earn an S.O.P of up to 60 percent in a multi-million pesos government project? 
He or she can pocket P6 million scarce government monies from a budget of P10 million that has been appropriated to the DPWH. 
Here’s how the con men in government do their stunts in a dredging operation according to a private contractor I met:
 He said that “sounding” is of no value if the implementing office like DPWH, National Irrigation administration, or Department of Agriculture, is run by corrupt government officials.
 “Sounding” is a gauge by using a rod to know how deep the river and lake are from the water bed up to the surface before and after the dredging operation. It means the Commission on Audit (COA) particularly would know the volume of silts that have been taken by the backhoe on a barge or a dredging machine in a certain area of a river or lake.
 “A representative from the COA and field engineers of the department or agency’s concern measure it vertically as a requisite of a pre-audit.” He deplores how these people usually concoct an imagined gauge in a post audit because the same government officials including the private sub-contractors conspired with each other. 
A representative from the COA who is assigned in a notoriously corrupt public work’s office in Region-1 told me that pre-audit of a dredging operation has been stopped a long time ago. 
“Wala na iyang pre-audit. Matagal ng tinangal iyan as far as our office is concerned.”
Susmariosep, without the pre-audit corruption now sizzles at DPWH. What say you my friend Senator Cayetano?
(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

Flooded residents receive relief assistance from Sen. Cayetano

Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil (left) in a huddle with Senator Peter
 Cayetano in Lingayen, Pangasinan after the latter distributed relief
 goods last August 23 to evacuees who were dislocated by
Typhoon Maring. Photo MORTZ ORTIGOZA
Lingayen --- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through Senator Alan Peter Cayetano gave some 530 family packs of relief goods to the provincial government on August 23 to augment the supply of relief goods for the victims of the monsoon rains and typhoons Labuyo and Maring.
 The relief goods were distributed by a team from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) and Philippine National Police to flooded residents in Balococ, Lingayen town.
 Residents in other severely affected towns will also receive similar assistance from the Senator, PSWDO Emil Samson said, adding that "the provincial government continues to provide relief assistance to flooded Pangasinenses who were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers.
" On instruction of Governor Amado T. Espino Jr., about 4,860 relief goods were so far distributed by the provincial government at the evacuation centers in various municipalities. As of presstime, 3,477 persons (841 families) are housed in 22 evacuation centers.
Among 15 flooded municipalities in the province, towns of Sta. Barbara, Calasiao and Aguilar have been declared on "state of calamity."
 Bj Pagulayan, supervising staff of Sen. Cayetano disclosed that the Senator, who earlier distributed relief assistance in Tarlac province, opted to visit the province, mainly those flooded residents in Lingayen town, to distribute the relief goods.
 In a courtesy call to Governor Amado T. Espino Jr., the Senator expressed willingness to help residents in the province who are affected by the monsoon rains and typhoon Maring.
Present during the courtesy call were Provincial Administrator Rafael Howard Baraan, Congressman Leopoldo Bataoil and Board Members Ranjit Shahani and Nestor Reyes.
 Gov. Espino, who was thankful of the visit of the Senator, made a good impression on Cayetano's scheme on Rehabilitation and Recovery Program which seeks to help the victims of unprecedented disasters.
 "Gusto niya kasi na tulungan ang mga small or micro businesses kasi alam niya na may sinimulan sila ngunit minalas, para makabangon muli," he said.
 Gov. Espino alerts residents of the province to take precautionary measures to avoid dengue, leptospirosis and other contagious diseases as continuous rainfall is still expected in the coming days. (PIO/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Mermaid in Dagupan, Chinese Sub in Bacoor

A mermaid washed out  to the flood-prone street of Dagupan City due to the high tide.

Red China's Nuclear Attack Submarine got lost in the 
flood water at SM-Bacoor in Cavite due to the torrential 
rain brought by the South West Monsoon (Habagat) 
of  Typhoon Maring.

By MANOLING M. of Manila City Jail

May isang bading daw na kung saan nalaman ng tatay niya na isang heneral na bading daw siya.
 Kaya galit na galit iyong ama. Kinaladkad nya iyong anak na jokla papunta sa drum na puno ng tubig. Walang habas na inilublob ang anak sa loob ng drum.

TATAY: "Punyeta ka, di kita titigilan dito hangang hindi mo sasabihin na lalaki ka!
 BADING: "Huwag po daddy pleaaazze ang make-up kohh!!"
Inilublob uli noong tatay iyong anak nya sa tubig ng isang minuto tapos ini-anggat iyong ulo ng anak nya.
 TATAY:"Ano lalaki ka o babae?"
BABAE: "Babae poh! "

Nilublob uli pero two minuto na.

.TATAY:"Anu lalaki ka o babae??"
BADING: "Babae pa rin poh"

 Nilublob uli ng five minuto ang beke

 TATAY:"Ano lalaki ka o babae??"
BADING: "Babae pa reeeen poh daddy!"

Nabwisit na iyong tatay nilublob na niya ng isang oras ang matigas pa sa bato na anak. Pag angngat ng ulo kong saan lumalabas na ang mga tubig sa ilong at tengga ng kawawang anak.

 TATAY:"An0!!!!! lalaki ka o babae??"
 BADING: "Hindi po ako lalaki dad, hindi rin ako babae, SIRENA NA AKO DAD!"

THEORY OF THE PORK BARREL: From Primate to Pig


PORKODILE: The ultimate end product of a Filipino politician.

BY TONY LOPEZ

 The biggest criminal syndicate in the Philippines is not any of those crime groups listed regularly by the Philippine National Police. It is Congress. As a syndicate, Congress is really massive—24 senators and 289 congressmen. This group of con men and women help themselves with money called the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAP) to the tune of P25 billion, if not more, a year. The simple word for PDAF is pork barrel. In ancient times, the term referred to a barrel of goodies larded with pork so it becomes greasy and difficult for those trying to grab it. Slaves competed to get the barrel. I suppose applying lard around the barrel was the equivalent of leveling the playing field. In today’s parlance, pork barrel has become billions of pesos. It is grease money so that our congressmen and senators—our slaves or public servants—do their work. Instead, these senators and congressmen have become our masters—veritable Mafia bosses who keep driving us citizens to greater penury, misery and economic enslavement. The senators and congressmen come from no more than 70 families—our dynasties and political elite. Since we have had a Congress for the past 83 years and nothing has happened to the Philippines—in terms of greater income equality, substantial job creation (12 million Filipinos today are either jobless or underemployed), massive reduction in poverty (China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Azerbaijan have proved that you can reduce poverty by 90 percent in just ten years), one can argue that you can eliminate our Congress and it won’t make a difference to the lives of ordinary Filipinos. In fact, my life, your life, our lives could be better. Imagine the savings if Congress did not exist. We already have more than 15,000 laws, anyway, one law for every active lawyer we have in this country. And more laws than we probably need in a lifetime. Any act of man, and sometimes, even acts of God, are already covered by an existing law. Our Congress is there just to pursue its criminal operation, a plunder of mind-boggling scale and gall. To paraphrase a famous quote of President BS Aquino in his last State of the Nation: “Where do these people get the thick skin of their faces?” The rate of plunder is P200 million per year per senator, the pork barrel allowance. Multiply that by six years—the term of a senator, and the amount becomes truly gargantuan—P1.2 billion. Multiply that by two—the allowable maximum terms of a senator and the amount becomes even more gargantuan, P2.4 billion. There are 24 senators so the entire loot amounts to P4.8 billion per year. Or P28.8 billion in six years. In some cases, there are siblings among the senators, so a single family—out of the 22 million (million) families in the Philippines—takes away P5.8 billion in 12 years. This P5.8 billion is an amount far more than what all of the more 300,000 small and medium enterprises can make in their entire corporate life. The rate per congressman is P70 million per year or P210 million in three years (the one term of a congressman). Congressmen are allowed three consecutive terms or nine years. So multiply P70 million by nine years and you get P630 million—per congressmen. There are 289 congressmen so the total loot in a year is P20.23 billion. Add the senators’ loot of P4.8 billion and you get P25.03 billion for the entire Congress. Per year. For the years 2007 to 2009, our Commission on Audit conducted an audit on the PDAF and so-called Various Infrastructures, including Local Projects (VILP). PDAF is for so-called “soft” projects like education, health, livelihood, social services, financial assistance to address pro-poor programs, peace and order, culture and the arts. VILP is the “hard” portion or public works. VILP is why it’s more fun—rather, fund—in Congress. In the COA audit for 2007 to 2009, those who participated in the plunder involved three cabinet ministries—Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. DA has become synonymous with hunger (4.9 million Filipino families or 25 million Filipinos had nothing to eat at one time in the last three months, according to the Social Weather Stations). DPWH has become synonymous with highway robbery— the kind perpetrated by our senators and congressmen. And the social welfare of DSWD could as well stand for “private welfare” of our 70 elite political families. Aside from the three cabinet departments, also involved in the massive looting of taxpayers’ money were four government corporations—Technology and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC), National Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC), National Agribusiness Corp. (NABCor), and Zamboanga del Norte Agricultural College Rubber Estate Corp. (ZREC). Plus five provincial governments—Tarlac, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental; and eight city governments—Mandaluyong City, Manila (including 12 barangay), Las Piñas, Tabaco, Iriga, Naga, Panabo. Plus 94 barangay of Quezon City. The COA audit for 2007 to 2009 validated P101 billion in VILPs (infra funds) released by the Department of the Budget nationwide, P12 billion in PDAF released to DA, DPWH and DSWD; and P2.36 billion from allocation for Financial Assistance to LGUs and budgetary support to GOCCs. An anonymous person, Luis Abalos, who was not a congressman in the 13th and 14th Congress, received P20 million. I guess this is the equivalent of a ghost payroll, the kind of shenanigan only our Congress is capable of. Of the P12 billion PDAF released by DBM, only P8.374 billion or 69 percent was audited. Of the P101.6 billion in infra funds (VILPs) released, only P32.66 billion (32 percent) was audited. In other words, the leakage or “bribe” is 30 percent for PDAF and 68 percent for infra funds of senators and congressmen. Three senators and six congressmen helped themselves with P1.393 billion of infra funds. About P6.156 billion was transferred by three Cabinet departments—DA, DPWH and DSWD —to 82 non-government organizations (NGOs). The P6.156 billion came from the PDAFs of 12 senators and 180 congressmen. Ten NGOs received a total of P2.157 billion. All ten are linked to Janet Lim Napoles. Six other NGOs got P189 million. These six included those owned by the legislators or with a relative as incorporator or officer. In other words, the senator or the congressmen gave the money to himself. The gall talaga.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

JDV testifies vs GMA in NBN-ZTE graft case

By Michael Punongbayan
MANILA, Philippines - Former speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. testified yesterday in the graft case against Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo before the Sandiganbayan, saying that he played golf with the former president in Shenzhen, China in 2007 with officials of the telecommunications firm ZTE Corp. Government prosecutors presented De Venecia as a witness to prove alleged influence peddling in the $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal. De Venecia told reporters after the hearing: “I confirm that I was invited to play golf by President Arroyo with her and (former) first gentlemen Mike Arroyo and (former elections) chairman (Benjamin) Abalos in Shenzhen, China.” De Venecia said Arroyo was in favor of a build-operate-transfer arrangement. He didn’t know why Arroyo apparently changed her mind, he added. Arroyo’s lead defense lawyer Lawrence Arroyo attacked De Venecia’s testimony as that of the father of a businessman who stood to profit from the deal. “You claim to be the father of the BOT Law, but you also confirm that you are the father of Joey de Venecia who is pursuing another broadband project,” he asked. Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 De Venecia answered “Yes.” “I do not know,” De Venecia said in response to a question on how much his son would have earned if his BOT proposal had pushed through. Retired Manila fiscal Jose Flaminiano, another defense lawyer, said De Venecia’s testimony was insignificant as the charge of pecuniary interest on Arroyo’s part in the NBN deal was crucial since he confirmed the business interest of his son over the same project. “His testimony just proves that he is supporting his son because he was particularly interested in the same project but which was illegal for him to have done so since he was at that time still speaker of the House,” he said. The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division chaired by Associate Justice Gregory Ong scheduled the next hearings on Sept. 9 and 10

Thursday, August 15, 2013

25 fishermen missing during typhoon Labuyo all rescued


Lingayen --- Twenty-five fishermen from Bolinao and Infanta towns who were reportedly missing last August 11 when they ventured to the sea during typhoon Labuyo were all rescued, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) Executive Officer Fernando de Guzman said. Based on the report, 10 Infanta fishermen (Ramil Rosal, Ricardo Etac, Iguan Bulig, Balong Nical, Narding Nical, Daniel Maloon, Andy Lebios, Efepanio Rosal, Dodong Rosal and Joseph Aripin) returned home in the evening of August 12.
 Six others from Bolinao (Jose Rolly Bagor, Tito Dagun, Manding Caranza, Rosendo Cas Jr., Rolly Boy Maratas and Jerry Barrientos), were rescued on August 13 in San Fernando City, La Union. Nine more Infanta fishermen identified as Larry Evangelista, Geronimo Igang, John Malicdem, Oscar dela Cruz, Reynaldo Corpuz, Pablito Evangelista, Arren Lauren, Alyas "Pedro" and Alyas "Bong" were rescued yesterday, August 14, Ret. Col. de Guzman added. As of the final report of the PDRRMC, the onslaught of the disaster affected about 15,553 residents (3,107 families) in 43 low-lying barangays of 13 towns (Bolinao, Infanta, Mabini, Bugallon, Calasiao, Sta. Barbara, San Fabian, San Jacinto, Sison, Asingan, San Nicolas, Tayug, San Quintin) and Urdaneta City, 947 of them were rescued and brought by the PDRRMC crewmen to evacuation centers.
 Meanwhile, Geronimo Lacson, 64, a resident of brgy. Samat, Bugallon, was reported dead after he slipped off a wet floor while bracing up some weak portions of his house at the height of the typhoon The same report said Jun Rivo Pescano, 18, from brgy. Maticmatic, Sta. Barbara was reportedly got drowned in a floodrush and still missing. A Water Search and Rescue (WASAR) team was deployed to locate and retrieve the body of Pescano.
 The PDRRMC reported damage to agriculture (P26.4M) and public infrastructures (P42.3M) in the province with an estimated total cost of P68M. Damage to agriculture include: palay (12.3M), high value commercial crops (5.4M) and Fisheries (8.7M) while in infrastructure: provincial roads (36.9M) and barangay road dikes (5.4M).
 All provincial roads are now passable to all types of vehicles although some damages like washed out asphalt pavement, eroded road shoulders and potholes, are being repaired. The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) distributed some 144 family packs of relief goods to evacuees in Bugallon (30 packs), Calasiao (10 packs) and Urdaneta City (104 packs) during the onslaught of the typhoon. (PIO/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Pang’nan PNP bags most awards in Region-1

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

 SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union - After being demonized by politicians because of his toughed implementation of police measures in the May 13 national and local polls this year, Acting Pangasinan Provincial Director Marlou Chan has been vindicated when the Provincial Police Office (PPO)-Pangasinan becomes a recipient of most of the awards given by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in observance with it’s 112th Police Service Anniversary Celebration.
AWARDEE: Police Colonels Chan (center) and
Abrahano (right)
The fete will be held at the PRO-1 Grandstand here on August 15, 2013.
According to the memorandum sent by the PNP-Region 1 to the PPO-Pangasinan, the latter reaped eight out of the 14 awards in two categories where the PPO has shown its feat.
Two Award Categories

 In the Unit Award Categories they are “Achievement Unit Award in the Campaign against Organized Crimes”, ”Achievement Unit Award on the Arrest of Most Wanted Persons”, “Achievement Unit Award for the Solution of Sensational Criminal Case – Alaminos City”.
The PPOs of Ilocos Norte and La Union settled for “Achievement Unit Award in the Campaign against Terrorism”, “Achievement Unit Award in Rescue and Relief Operation”, respectively.
In the Special Unit Award Categories, PPO-Pangasinan snared five of the eight accolades.
 They are “Recognition for the Unit with Most Number of Apprehended Gun Ban Violation During the May 2013 Election- Dagupan City Police Station”, “Recognition for the Unit with Most Number of Search Warrants Implemented During the May 2013 Election Period”,” Recognition for the Unit with the Highest Percentage on Compliance on Documentation Phase Vis-à-vis Complete Documents (Oplan Katok) During the May 2013 Election Period- San Carlos City Police Station ”, “Recognition for the Unit with Most Number of Renewed Firearms (Oplan Katok) During May 2013 Election Period – Sto. Thomas Municipal Police Station”, and “Recognition for the Unit with Most Number of Firearms Accounted During May 2013 Election Period”.
 The provinces of Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte clinched the three remaining awards. Ilocos Sur’s PPO got the “Recognition for Unit with the Most Members of Private Armed Groups Neutralized During May 2013 Election Period” and “Recognition for the Unit with the Least Number of Election Related Violent Incidents during the May 2013 Election Period – Regional Special Operations Task Group. Ilocos Norte settled for the single award on “Recognition for the Unit with Most Number of Accounted / Confiscated Loose Firearms during the May 2013 Election Period”.

Chan reduced the crime rates in Pangasinan compared to his predecessors

 Chan, a member of class 1985 of the Philippine Military Academy, has impressed the public in the humongous province after he mitigated the spate of crimes that have been giving Pangasinan black eyes in the past elections.
 Political spectators credit in these chutzpah the gung-ho attitude of Chan, known to chide in public incompetent police chiefs, to make the best in every PPO he served as provincial director.
He was an awardee too in his last tour of duty at the Ilocos Norte’s PPO before his present stint.
 A source who asked anonymity at the PNP said that all those resolutions from the League of Municipalities in the Philippines-Pangasinan Chapter and the Sangguniang Panlalalwigan (provincial council) for Chan to leave Pangasinan would be overshadowed by the rites on August 15.
 “At least the people now learned that Chan raised the bar of police efficiency amid the rough and tumble politics of Pangasinan in the pre and post election periods,” the source observed.
Chan said that the brouhahas raised against him by politicians when he implemented zealously election laws in the last poll did not slow his enthusiasm to do what is best for the province.
“Their criticism did not shake me. I saw it coming. I was just doing my job mandated by law,” he stressed. Compared to his predecessors retired police colonels Rosueto V. Ricaforte and Mariano Luis Versoza, the peace and order under his watch declined significantly when he became acting provincial director in December 12, 2012 up to present.
Since January to June this year there were 126 shooting incidents while Ricaforte and Versoza have 249 shooting reports from January to December last year. Chan explained that he has 60% crime solution efficiency compared to his two predecessors last year who have 49% batting averaged in solving the shooting incidents.
Lt. Colonel Abrahano's factor in the  Awarding Equation

 Meanwhile, Dagupan City Chief of Police Superintendent Christopher Abrahano, a perennial awardee too, lauded his collaboration with Chan in bagging the “Recognition for the Unit with Most Number of Apprehended Gun Ban Violation during the May 2013 Election- Dagupan City Police Station” in the Special Unit Award Categories. “The strategy I and Colonel Chan laid in Dagupan City, we dealt immediately before those goons, guns, and gold rear their ugly heads in one of the candidate. Without the timely intervention of the police, we can expect violence to sizzle as the other party emulates her rival’s shenanigans,” Abrahano, an alumnus of Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1996, stressed.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

DepEd officials sell teacher's post for P50 K

BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

 “P50,000 per teacher item in Pangasinan” an excerpt of a national newspaper recently says.
 It reported that before a teacher applicant gets the post she should shell-out first P10,000 to the principal who gives the sum to the school division superintendent for favorable ranking.
ACT Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio  (left) said
congress will investigate  public school teachers and
their superiors in Pangasinan  and other parts
of the country on the alleged teacher's item
for sale.
May mga principal daw ang naniningil agad ng P10,000. Unang bayad pa lang iyan, para maendorso sa school division para mai-ranking, kung saan ang school superintendent naman ang magpapasya kung sino ang mga top-ranking applicant,” the source, who did not disclose the division where the superintendent is assigned, told Abante tabloid.
 A new public school teacher receives almost P20, 000 a month.
Because of the complaint of a teacher from Binmaley, Pangasinan, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party list Rep. Antonio Tinio asks congress to investigate this alleged anomaly.
Former Congressman and incumbent Board Member
Ranjit Ramos-Shahani (left) told blogger Mortz C.
Ortigoza that his powerful committee on education,
which he chairs,will investigate too the position
 for sale in Pangasinan.
“Somebody from Pangasinan came to my office and expose this anomaly,” Tinio said.
 (You can access the entire story at http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/aug0413/news02.htm#.UgV9itLDAvx).

Consequently Board Member Ranjit Shahani, the new chair of the powerful education committee , coordinated with Tinio so he can investigate too the concerned individuals at the Department of Education about the veracity of this report.
 Go Ranjit man, show some balls!


Politicians in a town have axe to grind against the principal

The mayor and the vice mayor of a Central Pangasinan town have axe to grind against the principal of the biggest high school in their town and one of the biggest secondary schools in the province. “We are politicians and we owe our debts to our leaders (in the villages). Thus we recommend their children as (licensed) teachers to that school. But she (principal in that school) withheld the items from us,” the influential vice mayor told me.
Now that the principal is going to be promoted and assigned at the division office of the Department of Education, the smarting politician promised the principal of the 2nd biggest high school in the town to occupy the soon to be vacant post. But the mayor and the vice mayor have another problem. The lady principal of the 3rd biggest high school is ruining their plan. She is hell-bent on applying for the post of the biggest secondary school of the town in the division office in Lingayen despite the pledge of the two leaders that she gets the position of the 2nd biggest school.
“In case she persisted, she will get our ire,” the vice mayor warned.
The vice mayor told me whether she likes it or not the post of the principal of the biggest comprehensive high school would still need his and the mayor’s imprimatur.
 A source who asked anonymity explained to me that a principal who go against the power- that- be at the municipal level could be deprived of the Special Education Fund of the municipality whose allocation is at the discretion of the mayor.


 Corrupt DepEd principals pocket the MOOE


“What’s the big deal for this jockeying?” I posed.
 The high school has more than 5000 students. It means P50 thousand to P100 thousand a month from the DepEd’s version of a Pork Barrel called MOOE (Maintenance & Other Operating Expenses).
 MOoE is susceptible to corruption by school principals. That’s why many of them want to retain their post than be promoted to supervisor because of the windfall the post of a principal gives them.
 Here is an example how a corrupt principal raided the MOOE: For instance a principal in Lingayen, Pangasinan asks a supplier to issue him/her an official receipt minus the sum where the principal has discretion to scribble the price of, say, low quality identification card. She puts P25 for an ID that costs only 13 pesos. With 5000 students, it means he/she goes to the bank laughing with P60 thousand loot. Susmariosep, who says that working at DepEd is a bane?

Dep Ed Central Office withholds teachers' quota from Division Superintendents so they can not sell them

The names for new positions for teachers given by Sec. Luistro to Dep Ed ¬are now mostly coursed through congressmen instead of the division offices of the education department.
 This new policy is to avoid corrupt division superintendents who sell these new items to willing teacher applicants.
 According to my source, Dep Ed central office finds it safe to give these quotas to congressmen.
 My other source told me that a school superintendent could sell each item up to P135 thousand to P150 thousand for an applicant.
 But if it is given to a solon, the lawmakers would just give it to the son or daughter of his supporter who are board passer and who are included on the rank’s lists of principals.
He said that bigwigs at DepEd central office know that these applicant- protégée of the solons are not fleeced — even if they are listed at the bottom part of the ranking of their application.
 Under the” Matuwid na Daan (Straight Path)” of President Benigno Aquino, Jr., a congressman is given up to 50 quota while a superintendent is given only a measly ten quota for new positions.

 A division that covers up to four congressional districts is given up to 200 new positions through the lawmakers.
A lowest rank public school teacher now receives P19 thousand a month pay.
With a bill now being deliberated in congress, this amount would balloon to P32 thousand a month, according to a high ranking education official.
With a handsome sums dangled to would-be applicant in the public school, vultures like these superintendents and principals proliferate.
(You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns athttp://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too attotomortz@yahoo.com).

Bataoil versus Perez for PCL-Pang'nan Chapter

BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

 I thought the race to get the highest plum of the Philippine Councilors League-Pangasinan Chapter (PCL-PC) is a hiccup.
Lingayen Councilor
Ramon Bataoil
Can you imagine San Carlos City councilor Vicci Ventanilla and ticket dropping by at the houses or offices of the 476 councilors of the 44 towns and three cities' humongous province by giving each of them a cassava cake instead of the P10, 000 to P20, 000 that become an “ ugly custom” in the past campaigns.

 Ramon Bataoil for the marquee fight

 It took only a text message last August 9 from former Land Bank Manager and Asingan , Pangasinan beauteous councilor Vangie Dorao for me to change my hiccup to heave- out.
 “ It’s final, Councilor Ramon Bataoil of Lingayen for PCL presidency,“ excerpts of Vangie’s message.
Vangie, by the way, runs for the Public Relation Officer of the PCL-PC under Bataoil.
When I texted Judy Vargas, another gorgeous solon of Capital town Lingayen who runs for the vice presidency of the PCL-PC, to confirm Mon Bataoil challenging San Manuel councilor Shiela Perez, Miss Vargas retorted:
 “Is it a good move? Tito Ramon is a good choice. Perfect fit. Did it make our team better? .
San Manuel Councilor
Shiela Perez
Vargas explained that the move to replace Ventanilla with Bataoil was to strengthen the group.
 "Councilor Vicci (and the Cassava Cake? ) is still with us and will run as the Secretary General. This is for the betterment of Team Victory".
"Geez, the fight is no longer Manny Pacquiao versus Brandon Rio Locsin in Veni Vici Vidi (“I came, I saw, I conquer” –Julius Caesar). It’s Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in Ramon. It’s a “Dream Fight for the PCL-PC derby,” I told my side kick Procopio Matulis who was imbibing his third bottle of Tanduay Rhum.
Just like the Perezes (Shiela, former PCL –PC L-President Dong Perez, their brother San Manuel Mayor Jericho Perez and their father San Manuel Vice Mayor Badong Perez), the Bataoils (Mon, and older brother Congressman Pol (2nd District, Pangasinan) have the wherewithal’s of millions of pesos to cough-up till the D-Day in August 19, 2013.

 Rep. Pol Bataoil as prospect for the governorship in 2016

But what intrigued me about the entry of Councilor Mon was the probable candidacy of Congressman Pol for the governorship in 2016 when his fellow PMAyer incumbent Governor Amado T. Espino ends his last term in that year.
 Can Pol be likened to the United States pivot by realigning some of its military forces from Europe and the Middle East and based them in the Asia Pacific region so it can deal effectively with the growing military threat of economic giant China?
Lingayen coun-
cilor Judy
Vargas
With Mon at the PCL-PC, Pol has already a comparative advantage to the 476 dads as conduits to the almost two million voters in the humongous province.

Gubernatorial Bets for 2016

 According to my source the probable gubernatorial bets for 2016 would be Abono Congressman Conrad Estrella, Vice Governor Ferdinand Calimlim, 5th District congresswoman Kimi Cojuangco, and Bataoil. Governor Espino, according to my source, will reclaim his old congressional seat in the 2ndDistrict or run as mayor of the mammoth city San Carlos.
Asingan Councilor Vangie
Dorao
“He is building a house at a village in San Carlos,” the source quipped. (You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

Sub-standard Dagupan road hit


By Mortz C. Ortigoza
One of the more than 10
 long cracks covered by
by pressure epoxy scarred
the P49 million elevated AB Fernandez
Road in Dagupan City.

DAGUPAN CITY – Is the P49-million peso newly elevated road at downtown area in this city below par? District Engineer Elpidio Paragas , the new head of the 2nd Engineering District of the Department of Public Works & Highway, said the series of cracks ensued because the private contractor forgot to cut some of the iron bars that were used to strengthen the concrete road.
“Hindi nila inapura na nilagare ito. So ang crack nag-umpisa na dito diretso na doon sa labas,” Paragas explained by drawing on a piece of paper what happened if some iron bars embedded in the concrete pavement were not cut.
The cracks can be seen from the stretch in front of CSI Mall up to the approach of Quintos Bridge near the Star Plaza Hotel. Some of them formed a letter “S” that crossed the road, while other could as long as two meters. Paragas said black objects put by the private contractor at the space left by the cracks were pressure epoxy.
One of the owners of business establishment in the downtown area whose stall was almost obstructed by the height of the elevation said some parts of the road have no iron bars when the private contractor made them, resulting in cracks.
“Hindi nila nilagyan ng bakal. Inuna nila ang bulsa nila. Dapat malaman ito ni Secretary Rogelio Singson para mapalitan ang kalsada,” the source, who asked for anonymity, quipped.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Despite naming 3 Nominees PNP CLUELESS WHEN GUV SELECTS HIS PD



                                                                BY MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA


CLUELESS : PNP Region-1 Director Ricardo
 Marquez said that he could not ascertain
the exact date when Pangasinan Governor Amado
 T. Espino exercises his right mandated by law
to select one of the three nominees for the
 post of the province’s police director even
 the police hierarchy named  already the nominees
LINGAYEN - After naming the nominees for the police director of Pangasinan, two top police officials have no ideas the date Governor Amado T. Espino of Pangasinan can exercise his option to select one of the three nominees as mandated by law. “Mahirap mahirap, dahil hindi tayo ang magdedesisyon. They are the one (National Police Commission) deciding for it,” Philippine National Police's Region 1 Director Ricardo Marquez told Northern Watch in August 5.

NITTY GRITTY AT NAPOLCOM: Acting Provincial
Director Marlou Chan explains to the media
the nitty-gritty how the names of nominees for
police  provincial director is
submitted by the Philippine National Police
 to the National
 Police Commission under the watch of DILG
Secretary Mar Roxas who has to evaluate it. 

“Ang importante doon we observed due process as far as the PNP is concerned. Iyong process is ma-complete na natin,”he stressed.
Marquez said that out of the 13 applicants at the Senior Officers Placement and Promotion Board (SOPPB) for the top police post in Pangasinan, the board filtered it to three nominees to include Senior Superintendents Mariel M. Magaway, Ferdinand Divina, and Valerio de Leon.
 Magaway, a native of Dupax, Nueva Ecija is the chief of Counter Intelligence and Security Division of the PNP in Camp Crame, Divina , who hailed from Tayug, Pangasinan, is the former Region-1 chief of the Criminal Investigation Detection Group and incumbent chief of the Cyber Crime Group of the PNP in Camp Crame, while de Leon used to be the provincial director of Quezon.
 Chan said Marquez still waits for the transmittal of the three nominees from Secretary Mar Roxas, the chairman of the NAPOLCOM, before he submits the names to Espino who will select his choice.
Section 51 of the Department of Interior & Local Government Act and Republic Act 8551 (Act Establishing the Philippine National Police Under a re-organized Department of the Interior and Local Government, and for Other Purposes) provide that the governor appoints one of the three nominees submitted by the regional director.
 Marquez hopes that before the next writ of injunction hearing on September 5 filled by Espino to him, Chan, and Director Catalino Cuy, PNP chief for Personnel and Records Management, the governor has chosen already his provincial director.

ESPINO’S LAWYER: Attorney Geraldine Baniqued, 
provincial legal officer and Governor Amado
Espino's counsel, explains to the media the
 development of what happened in the chamber of Judge
 Caridad Villegas-Galvez when she  met the respondents
   PNP Region-1 Director Ricardo Marquez, and acting 
Pangasinan  police Provincial Director Marlou Chan.

He said however that he could not cite the exact date when the NAPOLCOM submit to him the list. “Madali , minsan matagal-tagal ng kakaunti. Marami rin concern ina-attend iyong NAPOLCOM. Pero we are hopeful before the next meeting before September 5 magkakaroon na rin ng resolution”.
Marquez said the legal counsel and the camp of Espino are quite satisfied how the aspiration of the governor for the law to be followed progresses because they saw how the national police practice good faith when they promised in July 4, 2013 to observe the law when they met with the respondents and their counsel at the chamber of Judge Caridad Villegas-Galvez of Regional Trial Court Branch 69 here.
"So naniniwala na good faith ang national police dito. We have started the process by posting (the availability of the police post in Pangasinan). Kasi may notice of vacancy we completed the process by submitting the list of eligible,” he stressed.