By Mortz C. Ortigozas
P'NAN NEWS
Thursday, March 14, 2024
BATTLE ROYAL LOOMS: Guv Guico's Wife Transfers Residence to Urdaneta
1st Film Fest in P’ sinan under the Guico Admin
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—To establish Pangasinan as a preeminent creative hub of the country, the Provincial Government of Pangasinan (PGP) will hold the first-ever film festival in Pangasinan.
Dubbed ‘PangaSINE Film Festival 2024,’ the activity will
serve as one of the highlights of Pista’y Dayat (Sea Festival) this year.
As an initial step, Governor Ramon V. Guico III will sign a
contract agreement with Mr. Narciso N. Santos, Jr., for the conduct of the
activity.
A resolution was authored by Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member
Marinor B. de Guzman and approved by the august body on March 12.
“For this year’s celebration of the Pista’y Dayat, Mr.
Narciso N. Santos, Jr., shall be the strategic partner of the Provincial
Government of Pangasinan in the presentation of PangaSINE 2024: Official Film
Festival of the Province of Pangasinan, with its festival theme: “Pangasinan
Through the Lens of the Pangasinense,” the resolution partly stated.
Film-making workshops will be held primarily to encourage
creativity through filmmaking, discover and nurture Pangasinenses to have the
talent and skill in filmmaking, and produce meaningful and quality films that
are exclusively made in Pangasinan.
Based on the project proposal presented by Pangasinan
Information and Media Relations Officer Dhobie P. de Guzman, the event hopes
to “source, curate, and exhibit 10 outstanding short films by homegrown
filmmakers; conduct short courses (for students or individuals) in story
writing, screen/scriptwriting, producing, directing, cinematography/principal
photography, sound editing and design, film/video editing, and film
appreciation.”
There are four essential elements the festival hopes to see.
These are as follows: 1) narratives from the past that greatly influenced the
present-day Pangasinense; 2) the vibrant and ever-changing culture of
Pangasinan today; 3) storytelling techniques that fuse the traditional and
modern; 4) the hopes, dreams, triumphs, and challenges of the modern
Pangasinense, particularly of the youth.
(Ruby R. Bernardino/PIMRO)
More Poor Students to Attend Free College
AFTER GUICO COLLABORATES WITH SOKOR
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
LINGAYEN,
Pangasinan - Through the initiative of
the Pangasinan governor, more students from the marginalized sector will be
attending free college education in the big province because of the scholarship
given by the philanthropic South Korean organization.
“We believe in the power of education as a great equalizer. Once you are equipped with the knowledge, the attitude, and the understanding, we feel and know that our youth and all Pangasinenses and Filipinos could have the opportunity to alleviate themselves from poverty and the miseries of society,” declared by Governor Ramon V. Guico III during the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Lotte Shin Kyuk-ho Scholarship (Outstanding Talent Scholarship in Southeast Asia) of the South Korea based Lotte Group and the presidents of the four government owned colleges and university in Pangasinan.
MOA. Lotte
Scholarship Foundation Chairwoman Chang Haesun (extreme left) and Pangasinan
Polytechnic College President Raymundo Rovillos signed the memorandum of
agreement (MOA) between the two institutions for the free college education of
selected poor students in Pangasinan while Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III,
Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino, Board Member Vici Ventanilla look. The forging
of agreement among the presidents of the four government colleges and university in
the province ensued on March 8, 2024. (Photo: Pangasinan Police Provincial
Official)
The Korean
project aimed to provide a scholarship fund of USD $450 per semester to each of
the qualified recipients for this school year in these tertiary institutions.
The forging
of agreement between the four college presidents and the Lotte Scholarship
Foundation (LSF) Chair Haesun Chang have been witnessed also by Vice Governor
Mark Lambino, Board Member Vici Ventanilla and other luminaries.
These
presidents were Dr. Macrina V. Cajala of the Binalatongan Community College in
San Carlos City; Dr. Elbert M. Galas of the Pangasinan State University; Dr.
Evelyn Abalos-Tomboc (University of Eastern Pangasinan in Binalonan; and Dr.
Raymundo D. Rovillos of the Pangasinan Polytechnic College in Lingayen.
“Lotte Foundation was established 43
years ago and has been providing 3.8
billion to foster global talents. Now we want to support the Filipino
students,” Chang
said in her speech at the PPC.
“We will be the lamp that lights the
path to learning,”
said by the motto inscribed on the LSF official website.
It elaborated that it “selects
outstanding foreign students who strive diligently to learn amidst difficult
circumstances, provides biannual scholarships, and also supports scholarships
for elementary, middle, and high school students who show excellent talent and
scholastic performance.”
Under the
MOA, each of the 80 scholars in Pangasinan will receive US$450 (P24,975) per
semester for their preferred courses until they graduate.
It will be
the tertiary institution that will select the scholars based on their respective
internal guidance. The college will then report to the LSF on the operations
and expenses they incurred.
“Rest assured that we shall carefully
select students who will dedicate themselves to their studies despite
challenging circumstances,” PPC First President Rovillos
told LSF Chairwoman Chang.
The people
of Pangasinan saw the formal opening of the PPC’s Center for Lifelong Learning
(CeLL) and the signing of the memorandum of understanding with the Colleges and
Institutes Canada (CICan) held on February 14 at the Narciso Ramos Sports and
Civic Center Complex here.
PPC, a
landmark project under the administration of Gov. Guico, serves
as his gift to the poor but deserving students in Pangasinan for a free
education.
Expressing
gratitude to the LSF, Guico sets his sights on soliciting more
organizations and foundations to extend their altruism for the scholarships of
the youth in Pangasinan notably those whose families hailed from lower income
brackets of the society.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Ph Jets the Chinese Fear
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
Monday, March 11, 2024
Gloria Arroyo, Larry Gadon Et Al. Are Coming!
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
The May 2025
senatorial election is more than 14 months away from now. If one is determined
to win one of the 12 post available as the top lawmakers of the country, it is
time to campaign this early.
But early
campaigning is not the silver bullet that catapults the candidate to victory
with the votes of the the hoi-polloi, it needs the power of dough – hundreds of
millions if not billions of pesos mostly for the expensive television ads – to win the hearts and minds of the electorates who
lived as far as the boondocks.
30 seconds TV
ads cost more or less P500, 000 at the boobtube’s leader GMA-7
TV.
2022 election Senatorial
bets Alan Peter Cayetano, Win Gatchalian, Mark Villar, and Joel Villanueva soared
in the Top 10 of those who would win the electoral derby on the date of the
survey by spending P1 billion each on ads a year before the election.
A billion of pesos, susmariosep!, to a post that gives P300,
000 a month or P23.4 million as salary in a six years term.
I asked Senator
Grace Poe in the 2019 election: “Congressmen buy votes to win, a senator
buys television ads to be victorious. Mostly consistent kayong No. 1 sa poll,
ilan ang TV ads ninyo sa major televisions’ GMA-7 and ABS-CBN?”
“Maramirami rin.
Ah, hindi naman ganoon karami katulad ng iba pero ang importante kasi sa lawak
ng Pilipinas hindi maabot mo ang lahat ng mga bumoboto. E paniwalaan natin o
hindi lahat naman ng nanood ng television kahit ano ang mangyari kahit pilitin
sarili mo sa lahat ng pupuntan lahat ng liblib,” she told me.
She’ll be ending her six years’ term on June 30 next year as Senator and folks in
Pangasinan are watching if she would transfer here her residence before May 12,
2025 poll to comply with the constitutional requirement of a one-year residency
before she challenges incumbent 3rd District Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas.
What say you Poe’s P.R folks’ Nora D. Deuna
and Ronnie
Estrera Calumpita?
***
At the recent Barangays (Villages) Night of the fiesta of Mangaldan, Pangasinan I saw former President and incumbent Pampanga Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo joining one of the shindigs being celebrated by the local government. This event – where roasted calves and hogs and drums of beers adorned the ostentatious party as seen on other towns – is seen by wannabe senatorial candidates as opportunity to hype themselves with the people.
Arroyo was accompanied
by would be candidates disbarred lawyer Larry “Mga bobo kayo put*ng ina mo” Gadon, Ariel
Querubin, and a young man - a partylist official and bet - that I was not familiar with as I saw them at the
town’s Facebook Page Public Information Office. Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno
allowed these wannabes to give their encomium to ingratiate with the masa in
their festivity.
****
I couldn’t just
imagine that La Presidenta Gloria de Excelsis and the bemedaled retired Marine Colonel
Querubin- a former member of the leftist student group Samahang
Demokratiko ng Kabataan - would be rubbing elbow with each other on
every soiree and fiesta they whistle stop all over the country.
In February 26, 2006
Querubin and a throng of Marines launched a stand-off at their barracks after Arroyo
relieved Major General Renato Miranda, the Philippine Marine Corps Commandant,
who was suspected to be part of a looming coup d'état against her. Many in the military then detested her for abetting
corruption, favoritism among the brass, and rigging the votes against her May
2004 presidential opponent actor Fernando Poe, Jr. – the father of Grace Poe.
Querubin was
released from the slammer after President Benigno Aquino, III – who eventually
threw Arroyo to the brig -- granted amnesty to soldiers who were linked to the
2003 Oakwood Mutiny, the 2006 Fort Bonifacio standoff and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege.
Many Filipinos could
not forget the somber faced La Gloria telling them on national TV: “I AM SORRY”.
The cheating accusation
against her centered on the audio recordings in which she told then Commission
on Elections Chief Virgilio Garcillano (son of a gun, a fellow Pangasinense!)
to secure for her a million-vote margin in the May 2004 ballot. Garciano
checkered pasts involved his alleged vote-rigging stunt in the 1995 ‘dagdag-bawas’
senatorial race.
Now both Arroyo -
who became a nine years’ termed president – after the military toppled down President
Joseph Estrada 2001 and ushered her succession as the then vice president - and the idealistic Querubin - become a strange
bedfellow.
Politics, by golly,
is full of paradoxes. It is a game of convenience for those with vested
interest unmindful about the propriety of their actions that they were once nemesis flailing on each other's throat.
Diyos ko! Parang si Boy Tapang at Cherrie White lang.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Sokor KF-21 Threats to F-16, Euro Fighters in Ph Market
By Mortz C. Ortigoza
CLARK, Philippines – A business executive of the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) said their KF-21 (Boramae or known too as KF-X) is a candidate for the Philippines needs of a multirole combat jets.
“Actually, Philippines armed forces interest
of getting the multiple-role fighter jet in the near future and I heard KF-21
can be considered as one of the candidates,” disclosed to this writer by Hyaonjin Ha, the International Business
Development for Asia Executive of KAI, at its booth that displayed a model of
the homegrown KF-21 in the Haribon Hangar here. The booth is one of the several
booths brought by Korean arms and technology manufacturers during the recent Korea
Air Force staged three-day air shows to mark the 75 years of diplomatic relations
between the Philippines and South Korea.
The two-engine KF-21
Block-2 will compete with the U.S made General Dynamic-Lockheed Martin's F-16
Falcon Block 70/72 and Sweden’s Saab produced Gripen JAS Series E in the multirole
jet needs of the military in the Philippines.
The Block-2 is
superior to the F-16 Viper and Europe made fighters like the Dassault Aviation’s Rafale Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo’s Typhoon
and Saab’s Gripen JAS E.
It carries four stealth
drones or adoptable area platform (AAP) as seen on its model display here where
this writer and some Filipino fighter pilots - clad on their green jumpsuits -
milled around them with curiosity.
“It can be launched from the KF-21 but they are also can be launched from the ground or we can carry this one to the cargo or from the air,” said by Mr. Ha in his non-accented fluent English on the AAPs.
A prototype of the KF-21 Boramae flies over Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, March 28, 2023, during a test flight. Photo courtesy of Defense Acquisition Program Administration. |
SUPERIORITY
KF-21 stealth capabilities
exceeds those of Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon but
less than of the Lockheed Martin F-35
Lightning II. (1)
The Weapon Systems
Concept Development and Application Research Center of Konkuk
University advised that the KF-X should be superior to
the F-16 Fighting Falcon, with 50% greater
combat range, 34% longer airframe lifespan, better avionics, more active electronically scanned array (AESA)
radar, more-effective electronic warfare, more data link capabilities, and approximately
50,000 pounds-force.
It is a 4.5
generation fighter. (2)
KF-21 resembles the stealthier F-35 of the United
States after KAI disregarded the European delta wing design it earlier
submitted. Its airframe however
does not carry weapons in internal bays like fifth-generation fighters, though that internal
bays may be introduced in later development. (3)
FEATURES
“We will finish the Phase-1 development and
the manufacturing until 2026 and we will deliver to the (inaudible), Mr. Ha told this writer.
It has a larger
airframe with room for upgrades that could lead to a future reclassification as
a fifth-generation fighter. KAI
partnered with Lockheed Martin – the maker of the F-16 and the
F-35 - for technological support.(4) The contract formed a plan for
delivery of the aircraft to begin in 2026.
Lockheed Martin transferred two dozen F-35A technologies as part of a
purchase deal with KAI. The US government however
blocked the transfer of four vital technologies: AESA radar, infrared search and track (IRST), electro-optical
targeting pod (EO TGP), and radio
frequency jammer (RF jammer) technologies. The South Korean
manufacturers however developed those technologies.
The first test fly of KF-21 was on July 19
2022 after it used six flying prototypes, including the two two-seat versions and
conducted 2,200 flights. Its mass production of the 40 Block-1 jets begins in
2024. (6). The Block-1 jets have an interim capability of limited air-to-air
interdiction. Its first customers will be South Korea and Indonesia. Mass
production of the multirole 80 Block-2 jets will start on 2026. Later
developments of the Block-2 will include equipping it with a domestically
developed air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) and hypersonic
missile. (7)
The Block 2 was what
KAI intends to sell to the Philippines, Peru and Poland.
The KAI KF-X is
South Korea's second domestic fighter jet development program after the
successful FA-50 supersonic light multi-role aircraft. The Philippines bought
12 FA-50 in 2014 at P18.9 billion under the administration of President Benigno
Aquino, Jr.
PERFORMANCES
KF-21 has a maximum speed of 2,200 km/h (1,400 mph, 1,200 kn) or Mach 1.81.
It has a combat range of 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi) and a ferry range of 2,900
km (1,800 mi, 1,550 nmi) (8)
SUPERIOR JETS FOR PH. Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) Executive Hyaonjin Ha, head of the International Business Development for Asia of KAI, discusses with Northern Watch Newspaper Editor Mortz C. Ortigoza at its booth in Clark, Pampanga that the multi-billion-dollar conglomerate is willing to supply the Philippines its superiority two-engine multirole fighters after it starts to mass produce from its plant the lethal aircraft a few years from now.
ARMAMENTS
It has the following weapons:
Guns:
1× 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan rotary autocannon.
Hard Points:
10 (6 under-wing hard points and 4
under-fuselage hard points).
Air-to-Air Missiles:
MBDA Meteor; AIM-120 AMRAAM; Diehl IRIS-T;
AIM-9X Sidewinder; ASRAAM (planned).
Air-to-Surface Missiles:
Taurus KEPD 350;
AGM-65 Maverick; Korean long-range air-to-ground guided missile (Block 2
improvement); MBDA Brimstone (planned); SPEAR 3 (planned); Anti-ship missiles:
AGM-84 Harpoon; Taurus KEPD 350; SPEAR 3 (planned); Dual-purpose ordnance (with
both anti-ship and land-attack capability): Taurus KEPD 350; Korean Air-to-Ship
Guided Missile-II (planned); SPEAR 3 (planned).
Bombs:
Normal bombs: CBU-87 CEM; CBU-97 SFW; GBU-39 SDB (Block 2 improvement); Mark 82
bomb (Block 2 improvement); Mark 84 bomb (Block 2 improvement); Precision
guided bombs: JDAM; GBU-54/56 LJDAM (Block 2 improvement); GBU-12 LGB (Block 2
improvement); KGGB (Block 2 improvement);
CBU-105 WCMD (10)
Mr. Ha could not say
the exact year KF-21 can be delivered to the Philippines in case the latter
wants to procure a squadron of the jets.
“It is really hard to talk… we have not on
the stage of mass production at this point so it is hard to tell,” the Executive told this writer after he
badgered him to have a guess of the date of the multirole jets delivery in case
the Philippines buy them.
While KAI was the primary builder of the
aircraft, numerous other domestic and foreign companies were contracted to
provide its components or support. Several of these firms had worked with KAI
on the T-50 – the training version of the FA-50.
During a visit to South
Korea in April 2023 of Sebastian Chwałek, chairman of the PGZ (Polish Armaments
Group), he expressed Poland's desire to participate in the KF-21 project as a
development partner in 2026 when Block-2 begins. It is reported that the Polish
government discusses the possibility of acquiring Indonesia's stake in the
program by paying the ₩800 billion in overdue contribution funds that it failed
to pay. PGZ reportedly plans to deliver a letter of intent to participate in
development partners to the Seoul soon through the Polish government. (8)
Just like the Saab
made Gripen JAS C/D and E/F, the KAI made jet, the KF-21 Block-2 has lower
operational cost not to mention its less expensive purchase price, too.
The introduction of
the KF-21 in the market will have a ripple effect on multirole jet manufacturers
globally.
1. "KF-X Fighter: Korea's Future Homegrown Jet". Defense Industry Daily. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
2.
"KF-X Fighter: Korea's Future Homegrown Jet". Defense
Industry Daily
3.
Roblin,
Sebastien (13 April 2021). "Korea's New KF-21 Jet Isn't A Stealth
Fighter—But Could Evolve Into One". The National
Interest. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
4.
"KF-X Fighter: Korea's Future Homegrown Jet". Defense
Industry Daily
5. "국방기술 연구개발 투자 1조 원 시대를 열다". Defense Acquisition Program Administration. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
6. "KFX/IFX program is continued, Government should chose the design (Translation from Indonesian)".
7. Jung Sung-li (6 October 2009). "Probe Into Foreign Defense Firms May Widen". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
1. 8. "한국형 전투기 KF-X 시제기 출고식 - [끝까지 LIVE] MBC 중계방송 2021년 04월 09일". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
9. "KF-21 Next-Generation Fighter". Korea Aerospace Industries. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
10. Kang Heon (7 March 2023). "앞으로 남은 시간 36개월, 순항 중인 KF-21 보라매". Uberin. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Mangaldan Celebrates Women’s Day as Part of Fiesta
MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – “𝑩𝑨𝑩𝑨𝑬 𝑨𝑲𝑶, 𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑰 𝑩𝑨𝑩𝑨𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑮”
Women from different barangay families and
walk of life gathered at the 3rd floor of the Municipal Social Hall here recently for
the Women's Day celebration in line with the Mangaldan Town Fiesta and Pindang
Festival.
Municipal Administrator and Event Focal Person Atty. Teodora S. Cerdan warmly welcomed about 500 participants comprised mostly of Barangay Health Workers (BHW), Barangay Nutrition Scholars (BNS), Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPO) and local government employees.
Cerdan lauded the speakers for sharing their knowledge and time on this woman
empowering event.
Municipal
Coop. Officer Dr. Rosallie Hulipas, delivered Mayor Bona Fe de Vera-Parayno's
speech during the early part of the event, where she said that under her
administration, women in Mangaldan will not be left behind but are being taken
care of, respected, given importance and loved.
Dr. Grace
Petonio from the Municipal Health Office talked about Teenage Pregnancy, Dr.
Diana Ray Margarita Diala, Medical Officer III discussed about Postpartum
Depression & Menopause, Sylvia Jimenez, Midwife II talked about Family
Planning.
PSSg.
Jeanneth Nabua from the police talked about Republic Act 11313 or Safe
Spaces Act or commonly known as Bawal Bastos Law while Diana Grace Uson,
Psychometrician/Admin. Aide IV from the MSWDO lectured about Women Empowerment,
Gender Equality & Mental Health.
John Patrick
dela Cruz and Joanne Santiago from Magnolia Chicken San Miguel Foods -
Mangaldan branch also shared a business opportunity talk to the village folks
that can help them earn extra money for their family.
During the
latter part of the event, Mayor Bona who came from an important engagement
surprised the crowd and personally greeted the participantson Happy Women’s Month
and affirmed them that under her administration, women in Mangaldan are
empowered!
The local
chief executive asked the barangay families for their support as the local
government unit of Mangaldan resumes the Bantay
Barangay this April.
Participants
were enthused to actively listen and participate during the lectures and were
rewarded with prizes from Kiwanis Club of Metro Mangaldan led by Ms. Emma
Cabrera and Mangaldan Pindang Lady Eagles led by Janice Barrozo through a
raffle draw.
The question
and answer portion was also spiced up by the instant loading of nominal cash
prizes to the winners’ e-wallets courtesy of the event focal person, Atty.
Cerdan. (𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒂𝒏𝑷𝑰𝑶)