Saturday, November 30, 2013

Peeping Tom Policemen




By Mortz C. Ortigoza

In a lecture given to officers of the court and peace officers, Court of Appeals Justice Mario Lopez (nah, not the actor Mario Lopez, host of some American TV shows) said the Supreme Court decided that the informer, like in an illegal drug raid or arrest, is not required to be summoned by the court as witness.
“Normally they are not presented as witness because their lives would be put in jeopardy. They would be killed!” the justice stressed.
But he said it is a different story if the one involved is a poseur buyer (under covered agent posing as buyer).
“He is allowed by the Supreme Court to be a witness”.
Lopez educated the attendees what is “constructive possession” in an illegal drug case.
He cited a case where the highest tribunal affirmed the conviction of a husband in a possession of an illegal drug despite he was not caught in flagrante delicto (caught in the act) carrying it.
“As long as the prosecutor (in corroboration with his witness or witnesses like those in the police, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, or National Bureau of Investigation) can prove that the husband ordered the wife to carry the bag”.
Lopez continued:
“Another case, si mister asked the wife to get the bag with illegal drugs inside the house. Tapos tinawag ni mister ang driver na kunin kay misis ang bag at ilagay doon sa kotse”.
Lopez expounded that the court convicted the wife (together with the husband despite the bag was not under his possession ) under the Doctrines of Control Dominion and Constructive Possession.
***
Emphatic Alaminos City Assistant Prosecutor Amor (younger sister of the late Board Member Johnny Amor) told us (policemen and other peace officers) in a huddle after the break that the presence of the media and the village chief (barangay chairman) to be a witness in a raid in a drug case is not material.
“Paano kung walang media man e di makakatakas na ang pusher? Paano kung ayaw pumirma ng affidavit ni Kapitan dahil kamag-anak niya ang pusher, e di patay na ang kaso?”.
She explained that police and others should file, in the name of custodia legis (custody of the law) their truthful affidavit on what transpired in the raid.
She added that when the corpus delicte (illegal drugs) has been submitted to the police crime laboratory, the leadership of the law enforcement responsible in the raid should see to it that those in the crime laboratory should have filled too their affidavit.
“Para hindi ma-dismiss ng prosecutor o ma-appreciate ng judge and case,” she said.
***
Son of a gun, I just remembered what my source at the police told me about a sacked police official.
“May hinuli silang drug pusher siempri naka detain iyan for 36 hours (because the case is capital offense). Ang nangyari ni file iyong kaso in the 37th hour. Pinagalitan sila ng assistant prosecutor kasi “arbitrary detention” na iyang ginawa nila at puedi silang ma-demanda ng alleged pusher”.
The prosecutor just told them to file instead in a regular manner a drug pushing case which is a non –bailable case.
But because of what the assistant prosecutor ordered them to do, the alleged pusher absconded away from the long arm of the law because he was asked out of the detention cell.
***
Lopez cautioned the peace officers not to resort to Peeping Tom (paninilip in the vernacular) because what they have seen inside the house could not be used as evidence to the person they arrested.
“Hindi lang pueding hindi gamitin sa kaso kung hindi nakakahiya iyong mga lis-pu (slang of police) dahil puedi pa silang makasuhan ng moral damages o trespassing if pumasok sila sa loob ng pader para makapa- nilip sa dingding ng bahay ni Bella Flores,” I told some policemen there.
I saw a similar case on my book written by Constitutional expert Lawyer and Father Joaquin G. Bernas to what Justice Lopez narrated.
Father Bernas wrote: “A caller tipped off the police officers that a man and a woman were repacking prohibited drugs at a certain house. The officers immediately proceeded to the place. When they reached the house they “peeped (inside) through a small window and… saw one man and a woman repacking (yes Virginia, as I doubled check the text of Bernas, it was indeed “repacking” and not what your malicious mind told you) suspected marijuana.”
 They entered the house and confiscated the tea bags and some drug paraphernalia. Subsequent examination of the tea bags by the NBI confirmed the suspicion that the tea bags contained marijuana. “Was there a valid search and seizure?” Bernas posed.
ANSWER: No. The State cannot in a cavalier fashion intrude into the persons of its citizens as well as into their houses, papers, and effects. The constitutional provision protects the privacy and sanctity of the person himself against unlawful arrests and other forms of restraint, and prevents him from being irreversibly “cut off from that domestic security which renders the lives of the most unhappy in some measure agreeable.” (People v. Bolasa, G.R. No. 125754, December 22, 1999).
***
Former Speaker Joe de Venecia and Congresswoman Gina de Venecia’s Man Friday Gypsy Baldovino told me, as I write this column, that the Speaker and the solon would be at the Stadia in Dagupan City for the proclamation of the recently elected village officials.
It augurs me well because of some bugging geographical political questions to Speaker Joe who is respected here and abroad as a connoisseur of geo-politics.
Mortz baby will be asking him the following: His take on Mainland China’s scrambling of multi-role jet fighters at the skies of East China Sea that threatened some U.S and Japanese warplanes (F-15 Eagle) that fly inside the newly declared air defense identification zone(ADIZ) on that time.
ADIZ is where two disputed islands Diaoyu by the Chinese and Senkaku by the Japanese are located.
With the U.S asking American commercial airlines to comply with China’s demands to be notified in advance of flights through the area, as published by New York Times  in November 29, does it means the U.S blinks to the saber rattling of China? Would the place under ADIZ would be a powder keg soon as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, known for his staunch nationalist stance, exchange swords with the Sinos after he declared that the Japanese (military and commercial airlines) would not comply with the arbitrary directive of the threatening Chinese government?
Of course I’ll ask too the former 5-time Speaker, known for his skills in settling disputes among warring nations about his take on the U.S  and five other world powers and Iran landmark accord recently that temporarily freeze Iran’s nuclear program and lay the foundation for a more sweeping agreement. Would the treaty, which  slackens the economic embargo to the country run by the Ayatollahs, result in cheap petro  products around the world, and what will happen to the Aquino Administration’s clout with the members of congress after the Supreme Court wrote the coup d’ grace (deadly blow) on the solons multi-million of pesos pork barrel ?
(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).

Thursday, November 28, 2013

4 Pangasinan towns Spike Budget


By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Thanks to the burgeoning economy of the country, four Pangasinan towns have padded their growing share in the national taxes as reflected on their proposed budget for next year.
The swanky P60 million municipal hall of Calasiao, Pangasinan
According to these town officials Bayambang, Mangaldan, Sta. Barbara, and Calasiao will have P186 million, P165 million, P155 million, and P165 million, respectively proposed appropriation in fiscal year 2014.

Bayambang
According to Bayambang Mayor Ricardo Camacho the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government for his town reached P150 million this year while its local revenue collection will reach to roughly P36 million in the same year.
“Kaya nag proposed tayo ng P186 million,” he quipped.
Camacho explained that the factors why this town's got a gargantuan allocation from the IRA has been because of its huge area and its robust population.
The budget of this town this year is P165 million.
“That IRA has been good as it funds a lot of improvements in our town,” he said in the vernacular.
The P165 million budgets will be used by the Camacho Administration to fund his different ambitious projects and programs next year.
“Marami kaming gagawin doon sa Annual Investment Plan like livelihood and celebration of 400 years (as a revolutionary capital of President Emilio Aguinaldo during the Filipino-American War). Siempre kailangan natin ang malaking pondo iyong highlights ng celebration natin sa Malangsi Festival”.

Mammoth Mall Robinson in Calasiao, Pangasinan
Calasiao
Calasiao Vice Mayor Roy Macanlalay said his town proposed appropriation next year was conservatively estimated at P165 million because in the last part of the fiscal year his town Mayor Mark Roy Macanlalay, his son, is expected to request his office for a supplemental budget that runs up to P20 million.
If Bayambang, a bigger town than Calasiao, can collect only P36 million local taxes, this town collects an estimated P50 million this year from local revenues.
Economic spectators point to the growing urbanization of this puto (rice cake) making town where it now hosted giant retail store Robinson, car sale and service centers Honda, Toyota, and Nissan as catalysts for its robust local taxes
This year Calasiao has P132 million budgets that could reached up to P150 million after the supplemental budget, if there has anything, has been added.

Mangaldan
According to Julieta C Petonio, Mangaldan Municipal Planning & Development Coordinator, the town next year will have a P165, 088,776 budgets.
She expounded that the proposed funds for  next year’s budget that has been submitted to the Sangguniang Bayan (town council) will come from the projected sources like the P4,000,000.00 real property tax; P22,500.000 business taxes and licenses; P300,000.00 occupation tax; P1,350,000.00 community tax, to name a few .
This renowned tapa (dried meat) selling town has P127, 878,776.00 shares from the IRA.
According to the Local Government Code, the allocation formula of every LGU from the national taxes is Population (50%), Land Area (25%), and Equal Sharing (25%)
In years 2012 and 2113 Mangaldan has a budget of P131.6 million and P149 million.

Sta. Barbara
According to Mayor Carlito Zaplan, Sta Barbara has a proposed budget next year of P155 million.
This year this brick making town operates in an almost P140 million appropriation.
Unlike Bayambang and Mangaldan whose IRA spike has been determined by its burgeoning population, and sheer size, this town has a money churning - business juggernauts Ginebra San Miguel and RC Cola Breweries.

Zaplan said Ginebra and RC Cola pay P21 million and P8 million, respectively, business taxes a year in his town.

Guico Lauds Staff on winning “Statistics Trophy”


By Mortz C. Ortigoza
BINALONAN FETED: Binalonan Mayor Ramon Guico III (brown polo) received recently the No. 3 award from Pangasinan Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr in the 1st and 2nd Classes Category of the “Most Statistically Developed LGU”. MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA
BINALONAN – The mayor of this local government unit (LGU) hailed his department heads and personnel after his robust town was feted for the “Most Statistically Developed LGU” given by Governor Amado T. Espino in November.
Mayor Ramon Guico III said the search committee commissioned by the province took notice about the dedication of his subordinates in using statistics in their official functions since he became mayor here.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa staff namin naka buo ng magandang statistics para sa bayan which are actually use for the operation of my town like the day- to- day activities, flood and other calamities,” he stressed.
In the first and second class towns category, the Provincial Steering Committee of the National Statistics Month (NSM) awarded Mangaldan, San Nicolas, and this town the first, second, and third class awards prize, respectively.
Guico said this town and the entire first and second class towns in Pangasinan were unaware that the provincial government started to evaluate them for the most statistically developed LGU after the provincial government topped the other three provinces in Region 1 in the statistics trophy contest in October this year.
He said with Mangaldan as the topnotch this year, this town has now a benchmark for the race in the next evaluation by the NSM.
“So lalo pa ngayon naming papalakasin, papa-igtingin ang aming pagamit ng statistics upang lalo pa kaming mapabuti,” Guico quipped.
Benita M. Pizarro, chair for the search committee said this town received P10,000 and a trophy while the municipalities of  Mangaldan and San Nicolas  received P20,000 and P10,000, respectively, and trophies.
Gov. Espino said he launched the search to intensify the promotion of awareness and appreciation of the value and importance of statistics to the different sectors of society as well as elicit cooperation and support of the public in upgrading the quality and standards of statistics.

In the city category, the first, second, and third place went to Alaminos City, San Carlos City, and Urdaneta City. In  3rd to 5th Class Municipalities, the first, second, and third place went to Baustista, Sison, and Dasol.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Mayor ng Pangasinan, Anak inaresto ng NBI dahil sa mga Armas

Urbiztondo Mayor Ernesto Balalong resisted the handcuffed
of the operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation.
"Ano ang ground niyo na hulihin ako. Lahat ng baril ko
may licensiya,"he protested to NBI-NCR Regional
 Director Vicente De Guzman (not seen on the

photo).
(Update) DAGUPAN CITY - Nagkaroon ng tensyon sa bayan ng Urbiztondo matapos posasan bago binitbit ng mga miyembro ng National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) National Capital Region si Mayor Ernesto Balolong Jr. patungo sa Metro Manila.
The cache of high powered firearms. Mayor Balolong showed to
the NBI operatives that all of them have corresponding
licenses.

Napag-alaman ng Bombo Radyo Dagupan na tumanggi ang alkalde na sumama ng maayos sa mga ito kasabay ng pagkakumpiska sa matataas na kalibre ng baril, bala at magazine sa loob ng kanyang bahay sa isinagawang pagsalakay kaninang madaling araw.

Napilitan ang mga taga-NBI na posasan ang alkalde matapos itong magmatigas na sumama ng maayos sa kanila kung saan nagsuot pa ito ng bullet proof vest na naging dahilan para tumaas ang tensyon sa pag-aakalang mauwi ito sa barilan.

Wala ring nagawa ang chief of police ng Urbiztondo police station nang igiit ni NBI-NCR Regional Director Vicente De Guzman na dapat dalhin ang alkalde sa Maynila para sa masusing imbestigasyon dahil sa pagkakanlong nito ng matatas na kalibre ng baril at bala.
Mayor Balolong (right) and son, a town councilor, protested
vehemently to the media the regularity of their arrest where
the NBI handcuffed them for their travel from Pangasinan
to Manila.

Binalewala rin ng NBI ang 18 firearm license card na ipinakita ng mayor para sa mga kinumpiskang armas dahil malaki ang kanilang hinala na marami pang iligal na armas ang itinatago ng opisyal.

Nanindigan ang mga taga-NBI na hindi otorisado ang isang alkalde ng bayan na magtago ng marami at matataas na kalibre ng armas gaya ng ginagawa ni Mayor Balolong.

Dahil dito, sapilitang isinakay sa van ang mayor na nakaposas kasama ang isa nitong anak na tumangging ding dalhin ng mga taga-NBI ang kanyang ama.

Ang bodyguard ni Balolong ay iniugnay sa pagpatay noong 2012 kay dating Lingayen Vice Mayor Ramon Arcinue at misis na si Brgy. Chairwoman Zorayda Arcinue.

Ang mag-asawang Arcinue ay una nang tinambangan sa Binmaley, Pangasinan pero nakaligtas.

Hanggang sa matiyempuhan ang dalawa ng mga suspek sa Sampaloc, lungsod ng  Maynila at doon na napuruhan.

Ang mayor ay nahulihan na rin ng mga armas noon pero na-dismiss ang kaso dahil sa teknikalidad.
- See more at: http://www.bomboradyo.com/news/latest-news/item/33511-mayor-sa-pangasinan-at-anak-inaresto-ng-nbi-dahil-sa-raid-sa-mga-armas (BOMBO RADYO NEWS)

Espino Appeals to Prov’l Workers to Help ‘Yolanda’ Victims


LINGAYEN---In the midst of the sufferings of our fellow Filipinos in the typhoon ravaged city of Tacloban City and the Province of Leyte, Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. strongly appealed to all provincial officials and employees of the Province of Pangasinan to extend a helping hand by giving voluntary donations for the victims of the killer typhoon Yolanda.
In a memorandum issued by Gov. Espino on November 11 to all chiefs and heads of offices and  hospitals and employees of the provincial government, the provincial chief executive has encouraged the bayanihan spirit to signify the province’s deep concern and sympathy for our countrymen in the heavily affected areas.
“The sooner we can give something, the better,” thus stressed Gov. Espino.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan during its regular session on the same date  has earlier authorized Gov. Espino through Provincial Resolution No. 443-2013 to donate from the Calamity fund of the province P4 million (P2 million each) to Tacloban and Leyte for their relief and rehabilitation purposes.
Gov. Espino said the effects of Yolanda led to the loss of thousands of people’s lives after the supertyphoon lashed on the localities on November 8 causing irreparable damage  to properties.
Towards this end, the governor further urged that the fund and relief campaign be made a long term and continuing effort as the extent of damage is massive and almost permanent and the required rehabilitation is overwhelming.
Provincial Treasurer Malou Utanes and Col. Rolando Diaz, Officer in Charge for General Services Office were tasked to take charge of the cash donations and donations in kind. (PIO/Angeline D. Villanueva)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Why Prosecutor or Court Dismisses Cases Filed by Police

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

While some of my media colleagues went out of the swanky American designed Sison Auditorium in Capital Town Lingayen because of the legalese-filled lectures of Court of Appeals Justice Mario Lopez, I relished the new jurisprudences of the Supreme Court he showed and explained through a big white screen complement of a projector.
The audience were judges, prosecutors, clerks of court, lawyers, policemen, members of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Drug Enforcement & Agency who are all based in the humongous province of Pangasinan.
The November 19 seminar dubbed as “Pagkaka-Isa Laban sa Droga” (thanks to provincial information office top honcho Butch Velasco for inviting me) was sponsored by the Philippine Judges of the Philippines and the Provincial Government of Pangasinan under the watch of Governor Amado T. Espino.
***
Justice Lopez said policemen should be wary of flagging motorists who beat the traffic’s red light or motorbike rider who failed to wear helmet.
According to the Supreme Court, he explained, mere infractions of ordinance on helmet and red light do not justify the police to bodily frisk or search the motorist by invoking the doctrine of warrantless search incidental to a lawful arrest. Despite the confiscated illegal objects like gun or drug, he said the object could not be used in filing the case or incriminate the possessor because it is “a fruit of a poisonous tree”.
"Pag traffic violation huwag mong kapkapan kaagad, tikitan mo para ma fine mo siya," he stressed.
***
“May isa pang case sumisigaw iyong isang tao sa galit: “Pu _ _ _ _ Ina! Fake itong pera na ito!”
Somebody told the policeman that the person shouting had bogus money in his pocket.
Because a fake currency can be a crime (Illegal possession and use of false treasury or bank notes and other instruments of credit – Article 166, Revised Penal Code of the Philippines) against the State, the overzealous policeman wanted to arrest the person through alarm & scandal (because he disturbed the peace and tranquility of the place) so he can bodily search the person to get the dubious bill.
“Sabi ng Surpreme Court on its decision the police has no right to frisk the person.”
It means the evidence taken from him could not be used against him.
Why? The lone witness in court said  as a resident of the area, he was not alarmed and scandalized. The one who reported the “shout” in the police just learned it from the first witness. So it was hearsay.
Tsk, tsk! it was another waste of precious government resources after the police, judge, and other government personnel who were involved  tried to hear the case for years.
***
To the peace officers and some members of the media who love to concoct charges against their nemesis here is a case worth contemplating. You may be counter charged with criminal case of incriminatory machinations (Article 363, RPC) against innocent person and torts.
Lopez said one causes of acquittal in a grueling trial that took years is “Inconsistency of Evidence”.
 “Judges know what a minor or material consistency is,” he said.  He said judges could see minor inconsistency of the color of the dress, time, or sighting of somebody in the dark place.
“But what was unnatural was where the raiding policemen declared the weight of the pail of illegal drugs that was contradicted by different kilos in the affidavit of the personnel at the crime laboratory.”
Geez, the seminar by DAP was refreshing. I got a lot of notes on new cases presented by Justice Lopez.   They were buy bust, constructive possession, plain view doctrine, entrapment, and other contentious issue on RA 9165 (An Act Instituting the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002) that I’ll be sharing once in a while in this column to prick the interest of readers.
 Son of gun, some of these malpractices by peace officers (PNP, PDEA, NBI) can be used against  you readers someday.
Remember the adage: Foretold is forewarned.

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)

WITH "PORK" VOIDED: Partylist calls for Lower Taxes

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

ROSALES, Pangasinan – With the recent scraping by the Supreme Court of the Priority Development Assistant Fund (PDAF) of members of congress, the chairman of Abono Party List group called on the national government to lower the P1.253 Trillion goal it tasked the Bureau of Internal Revenue this year.
 Engineer Rosendo So said this would  give relief to the taxpayers.
He explained that the SC’s declaration that the PDAF, including the remaining P24.70 million this year, was illegal the government should slacken the pressure on revenue district offices all over the country so they would not squeeze taxpayers to cough up more taxes.
A big part of the tax goes to  the PDAF.
“Without the pork (slang name of the PDAF) the one that will benefit from it will be the taxpayers,” So said in the vernacular.
The tax goal of the BIR this year is P1.25 trillion while the goal of the tax agency this year in Region-1 is P9 billion, according to BIR Region 1 Director Arnel Guballa.
Without the “pork”, So cited the following congressional projects and programs that will be affected: Free medical missions among the indigents, scholarship for poor college but deserving students, construction of needed school buildings, and necessary farm-to-market roads.
“Sa panahon ni Erap (former president Joseph Estrada) lumaki ng P40 million (a year) ang pork, sa panahon ni GMA (former president Gloria M. Arroyo) nag increased ng P70 million (a year),” he said.
Engineer So doubted if  the congressmen can still ask PDAF from President Aquino because his P932 billion is being threatened too by some quarters who plan to file a case in the high tribunal.
“Depende iyan sa Supreme Court. Pati Malacanang babawasan din ang PDAF niya gaya ng (funds from) Malampaya (gas revenues) , PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office), PAGCOR (Philippine Gaming Corporation)),” he said.
After the SC rendered null and void the privilege of congressmen and senators to identify projects and programs through PDAF, the plan of Abono Party List  to expand its corn program in La Union has fizzled out too.
The corn program was conceptualized by So and other Abono Party stalwarts.  The program lends corn seedling, fertilizers, and farm equipment to farmers without interest.
The five percent interest on agricultural loans is commonly practiced by private lenders which aggravates the plight of corn farmers.

Bataoil Unfazed on Scrapping of PDAF

                        BY RUEL CAMBA
LINGAYEN –Second District Rep. Leopoldo N. Bataoil said on Thursday he was  unfazed by the abolition of the pork barrel fund which the Supreme Court ruled as “unconstitutional.”
            Bataoil said the ruling of the High Tribunal “put things in their proper perspective” as to the role of the legislative and executive branches of the government.
Members of Congress were allotted Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or commonly known as pork barrel fund ranging from P70 million (for congressmen) to P200 million (for senators) a year to bankroll various programs and projects for their constituents.
Voting 14-0 with one abstention, the Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the practice of allotting pork barrel fund to the members of Congress was unconstitutional as it violates the basic principle on the separation of powers.
However, Bataoil said  the House of Representatives already deleted PDAF in the proposed P2.2 trillion national budget for 2014 even before the SC ruling.
“All entries pertaining to PDAF in the proposed 2014 budget have been deleted and are now downloaded directly to the implementing agencies like the DPWH, DSWD, DOH, DepED, Ched, Dole, and TESDA,” he said.
He said that the role of the lawmakers now aside from making laws, is to closely monitor that the programs and projects for their respective constituencies are properly implemented by the implementing agencies.
However, he added, the lawmakers could still recommend to the President for funding through the implementing agencies priority programs and projects they have identified in consultation with their constituents who should benefit from the taxes they pay to the government.
“We have to extensively exercise our oversight function to ensure that our constituents who are the rightful end users and beneficiaries as taxpayers get their fair share of the programs and projects from the government,” he said.
                                                No backlash
Bataoil is unperturbed by the possibility of diminished political influence with the scrapping of the pork barrel fund.
“I don’t mind working even without the pork barrel because I agree that the primary role of the members of Congress is to make laws to spur economic development in our country,” he said.
However, he said, he will exercise his best efforts to make sure that the programs and projects allotted to the second district are properly implemented by the various implementing agencies of the national government.
He said this is the common stand of his fellow congressmen in Pangasinan: Rep. Jesus “Boying” Celeste of the first district; Rep. Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas of the third district; Rep. Gina de Venecia of the fourth district; Rep. KimiCojuangco of the fifth district; and Rep. MarlynPrimicias-Agabas of the sixth district.
“We will ensure that the taxes being paid by our people will benefit our respective districts,” he said.          
                                    Scholars
Batoil said the slots for 115 regular college scholars that he inherited from then Rep. Victor Agbayani will be maintained through the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“I strongly believe that worthy programs like scholarship grants should not be politicized,” he said.
These are regular scholarship slots being funded through the budget of CHED that must be maintained, he said, stressing that the scholars are “our own people.”
For the 120 college scholarship grants that were funded through his PDAF, Bataoil said he has made representation with House Speaker Sonny Belmonte for their inclusion in the budget of  the CHED, Department of Education, or the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or TESDA.
Bataoil said that DepED has now the biggest budget allocation in the proposed annual appropriation law since education has become the top priority thrust of the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
                                    Private support
Bataoil said he is also enlisting the support of private groups and foreign organizations to help his constituents affected by recent calamities.
            Recently, he said, the Taiwan Association Inc. Philippines (TAP) led by its president Wayne Chi, in cooperation with his district office distributed hundreds of bags of rice typhoon and flood-affected families in the second district.
In the distribution held at Purok Marcela Resort in Lingayen, TAP provided a total of 800 bags of rice from Taiwan.
At least 100 bags each went to the eight municipalities of Lingayen, Binmaley, Bugallon, Aguilar, Labrador, Mangatarem, Basista, and Urbiztondo.
According to Rep. Bataoil, the second district of the province has been affected by typhoons "Habagat" and "Maring".
"We always like to be close to you guys, hopefully this relationship can last forever," said TAP Vice President Cheng Cheng Lee while remembering that Philippines also helped their country some years back.
"We are very happy today. We felt the love of our neighboring country," Bataoil replied.

He added that TAP had previously donated wheelchairs and relief packs; and even conducted a computer-based livelihood training program for students in the province.

MAJORITY OF DADS RALLY CAUSE OF EW



By Joseph C. Bacani
 
DAGUPAN CITY – The long-unpaid emergency workers here can now have sighs of relief!
In a special session presided over by three-term City Councilor Karlos Liberato E. Reyna IV, the majority members - along with two minority members - passed last Friday the supplemental budget that funded the compensation of hundreds of emergency workers.
The majority members present were City Councilors Alipio Serafin D. Fernandez, Marvin V. Fabia, Jeslito C. Seen, Joaquin D. Reyes and Reyna himself.
Minority members who likewise voted in the affirmative were City Councilors Alvin T. Coquia and Jesus D. Canto.
Mayor Belen T. Fernandez expressed intense gratitude to the legislators who stamped their approval on the measure, saying that the single stroke “fully proved their deep concern for the welfare of their co-workers in government.”
City Councilor Redford Christian P. Erfe-Mejia objected on technical grounds – claiming that a two-thirds vote is required under the SP’s House Rules.
Seen, however, was quick to defend their move as he emphasized that the Interim Rules – drafted by then City Councilor Marc Brian C. Lim, now the city’s Vice-Mayor – does not specifically provide that a two-thirds vote is required in passing a supplemental budget.
In the absence of the two-thirds vote provision in the House Rules, Seen cited the provision of the Local Government Code which requires a majority vote in the passage of an ordinance.
The provision of the Local Government Code was eventually adopted by the SP as a mode in passing Draft Ordinance No. 0-497 Approving and Appropriating Supplemental Budget No. 3, in the total amount of P15.992.
This amount represents reversions from personal services savings as of July 2013 under various offices account in the amount of P12.292 million and balances under maintenance and other operating expenses of various offices totaling P3.7 million to the appropriated account of the general fund, to cover the cost of various expenditures.
Councilor Guillermo P. Vallejos left the hall without casting his vote.
The job order employees - popularly known as emergency workers - cannot help but profusely thank Mayor Belen T. Fernandez and the aldermen who sympathized with their cause in the passage of the supplemental budget.
Joy M. Fernandez, an emergency worker detailed at the City Tourism Office and Tony Ceralde of the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) both said that finally they can pay their long overdue debt.
Morgan Diaz, another emergency worker detailed at the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Office, said that his salary will greatly help his family. (CIO/11-22-2013)

SP is set to ok P2.4-Billion budget for Pangasinan

Lingayen — The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) is set to approve in its regular session on November 25 the province’s annual budget for calendar year 2014 amounting to P2.43 billion.
          This developed after the SP Committee on Appropriations chaired by Board Member Clemente Arboleda, Jr. convened in the annual budget hearing held November 18 at the session hall.
          In a report submitted to the committee, Provincial Planning and Development Officer Benita Pizarro said that the proposed 2014 provincial budget has appropriated an increase of 15.61 percent or an equivalent of P332.4 million increase from the current year’s P2.13 billion.
          The 2014 IRA of the province jumped to P2.1 billion from the P1.8 billion of the current year.
          The increase of budget is attributed to the increase of the province’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share from the national treasury amounting to P332.4 million and the increase of tax and non-tax revenue.
          The proposed 2014 budget, according to the PPDO Chief, will support the full implementation of the present administration’s priority program and projects that are included in the proposed 2014 Annual Investment Plan (AIP).
Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. disclosed during an interview after the budget hearing that the provincial government has given priority to the health sector, granting the Provincial Health Office (PHO) proposed budget amounting to P23 million while the 14 province-owned and managed hospitals got P544.3 million operational budget.
The Gov. Espino said, however, that the agriculture and tourism sectors are also prioritized with the increased budget allocation for the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPAg) and Provincial Tourism Operations Division (PTOD).
For 2014, the OPAg has a P62.8M budget from this year’s P62.7M while the tourism office, having a P4.3M budget this year got an increase of 500 thousand for next year.
Gov. Espino takes the lead in bolstering agricultural production as way of helping the marginalized farmers and fisherfolks; and constantly spurs up tourism investments and promotions for tourism development.
The present administration has set its sights on enriching the lives of every Pangasinense through the implementation of development programs in health, agriculture and tourism which are all geared in transforming Pangasinan as the best place to work, live, invest, and raise a family.
Board Member Alfonso Bince said the hospitals have been getting “a lion’s share from the annual budget.” He cited an increase of P40M to the current budget of P503M for next year.
PHO chief Ana de Guzman informed the committee that the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) now caters about 600 in-patients — that is way beyond the 150-bed capacity of the hospital.
The influx of patients, she said, is attributed to the modern medical facilities and laboratory equipment being used in the hospitals and the quality medical services rendered by the nurses, doctors and medical staff. (PIO/Merlita Tibalao/Mark Gerry Naval Oblanca)

Friday, November 22, 2013

Where would Congressmen get Monies to Buy Votes?


By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

With the priority development assistant fund (PDAF) infamously known as pork barrel now rendered unanimously by the Supreme Court as illegally detested as possessing an illegal drugs, how could the president dangle some portion of his pork to the vulnerable members of congress without the beneficiaries sued with Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act?
I could not imagine how members of congress particularly those in the House of Representatives seek reelection in the 2016 poll after their PDAF has been abolished.
Each of the most of the congressmen maintain their popularity among their constituents because of the monies cum patronage they get as kickbacks in projects from their P70 million a year pork (The senator has P200 million each a year) and the millions of congressional insertion they chalk up from the president’s P932 billion pork to fund their pet projects with the solon not only pocketing 20% of a P3 million worth of a concrete bridge but up to 60%  cut from the P6 million  dredge operation of  a silted river in his district.
Where would the congressman or senator gets his dole-outs to would be voters and their love ones (i.e college scholarship, medicines) not only in the entirety of his three years term but in the expensive electoral campaign after the Supreme Court gave the Coup de Grace (deadly blow, idiot!) in a 14-0 votes last November 19?
Would many of these representa-thives and Sena-Tong in congress throw the towel and allow those moneyed businessmen and those non-moneyed but principled and intelligent individuals seek the no longer palatable position?
***
Would President Aquino really allow members of congress to exist till 2016 election lard’s free?
What will happen to the pet bills Malacanang wants congress to approve? 
Solons, who can be marshaled to pass a bill because of the pork and the carrots from the P932 presidential pork we call congressional insertion, could no longer be swayed by the House Speaker and Senate President because they cannot financially gain from passing the bill.
"Wala kaming kita diyan. Ano si Presidente masuerti?" some of them would posed.
Transaction like passing of bill in congress is in a quid  pro quo ( for this you get that) basis since time immemorial.
We know that most of our lawmakers would rather fill up their pocket than make a name as statesman and leave a legacy for their countrymen and love ones.
Now my poser: What will happen to our country if personalities with vested interest like Vice Presidential bet Jojo Binay, former Senate President Johnny Enrile, and senate bench warmer and clown Senators Bong Revilla and Greg Honasan and corporate giants like those cigarette and alcoholic beverage sellers who want the sin taxes reduced significantly agitate members of congress not to vote for Malacanang  pet bills like Freedom of Information, Anti-Dynasty Bill, bills against certain corporations and individuals, to name a few and instead vote for an impeachment bill in exchange of the return of a pork with a different name and those old corrupt practices?

(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).

ANALYSIS: PACQUIAO VS. RIOS


 By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Two days before the much anticipated tussles between eight divisions world champion Manny Pacquiao and Mexican-American Brandon Rios at the Venetian in Macau,China, yours truly was asked by Philippines GMA-7 TV to give his takes on the upsides and the downsides of  both of the protagonists of the hurt business. 
Here under is my VIDEO:


WATCH THIS VIDEO: ANALYSIS PACQUIAO
VS. RIOS

Blogger Mortz Ortigoza as resource person  at
GMA-7 TV on Pacquiao versus Rios

Blogger Ortigoza strikes a pose with "Nur
Misuari"

Add caption

The Super Typhoon Haiyan "damn with the torpedo"
 kick from Ariza that scandalized the international 
community.
 But Freddie Roach baby said Alex Ariza kicks like 
a girl.
Here what ensued in the melee according to this blog bug Alikabok J. 
Alikabok Jr.: 
"Rios trainer Rober Garcia was sitting on the ring steps doing an interview when
 Roach entered the gym and shouted, "Get the fuck out of here."







View gallery
.

Freddie Roach is held back during the melee. (Chris Farina/Top Rank)
Garcia said he was trying to finish the workout that began late because of an interview.
"The first thing he said was, 'Get out of here you piece of shit," Garcia said. "That was the first thing he told me. I was like, 'What?' He was like, 'Get the fucking out of here.' He called me a piece of shit. Then he called my friend 'a fucking Mexican,' and he called [reporter] Elie [Seckbach], 'a fuckingJew.' What the fuck is that?"
Alikabok J.Alikabok told this blog that as a Filipino he could not understand the mouthful of fuck words Roach told the camp of Rios.
"What the fuck is that? In the Philippines fuck is an everyday affair since the 
Philippine government fucks the Filipino everyday. Who needs sex when your government fuck you everyday".
Seckbach is close with Rios' camp and operated the video camera in 2010 when
 Rios and Garcia mocked Roach's tremors from his Parkinson's disease. 
There has been tension between them ever since.
"I don't like them," Roach said of Garcia, Rios and Seckbach.
 "They're not good people."
Ariza said he got involved because Roach was getting aggressive.
"He got physical," Ariza said. "He was going to hit Robert [Garcia].
 I told him, 'This isn't Wild Card [gym].' You're not in charge here. 
He looked at me, cocked his fist back and I kicked him in the chest. ... 
When you raise your fist at somebody, the other person has the right to 
defend themselves."
Roach denied making any racist comments and said he simply asked Garcia to
 leave. He said Garcia said they'd leave in 30 minutes, but that was not audible 
on a tape of the incident".
Ariza told blogger Ortigoza in this interview that Manny
Pacquiao does not need to have Olympic style testing
to check if he is into steroid.
Here's the excerpt of the interview by clicking the link: 

http://www.fightkings.com/boxing/featured-article/q-a-pacquaio-doesn%E2%80%99t-need-olympic-style-drug-test-to-fight-mayweather-%E2%80%93-areza/