Ignorant Filipinos

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I’VE been browsing lately on the comments of readers from all over the country in a national daily about the brouhaha brought by the GUICO-C (a medicine equivalent to Ascorbic Acid + Zinc like the ImmunoPro) given for free to the constituents of Governor Monmon Guico in Pangasinan.

Some of the scathing comments there anchored how the reelectionist governor “hijacked” the PhilHealth Konsulta (the precursor of the Yakap that gives P20,000 free medicines to a patient yearly) and how he pocketed P300 of the P1,700 allocated by the PhilHealth to each of the beneficiary. 

Those comments were virtually false from ignorant Filipinos!  

PHILHEALTH KONSULTA is a national health insurance benefit program, while GUICONSULTA is a local complementary project created by the provincial government of Pangasinan under Governor Ramon V. Guico III to help register residents and encourage them to use the national program. To solve the problem of residents missing out on checkups due to travel costs, GUICONSULTA provides localized barangay-based registration drives and financial assistance of P300 for food, transportation allowances, possible deduction of their daily pay because of their absence from the work site, and others per enrollee to help him/her visits accredited government hospitals and facilities. PHILHEALTH KONSULTA provides on the other hand P1,700 annual capitation rate per registered patient yearly.

Philhealth Vice President Dennis Adre said the P1,700 capitation goes to the member’s laboratory fees. It is also used for maintenance medicines of the member to include antibiotics, anti-diabetes, and hypertension medicines which is in contrary to what detractors claimed about reimbursements.

In February 2025 Governor Guico received the "Kampeon ng Kalusugan sa mga Komunidad" (Health Champion in Communities) award from the Department of Health (DOH) in recognition of the province's breakthrough primary healthcare initiatives, highlighted by the Guiconsulta or Government Unified Incentives for Medical Consultation program.

DOH exhorted the stakeholders in the rest of the provinces in the country to emulate Governor Guico on his phenomenal brainchild.

***

LET’S go back to the commotion brought by the GUICO-C.

Here’s a post I saw from the Facebook Page’s Ilocano Avenue:

“Sa gitna ng mga komento at alegasyong kumakalat sa social media, kasabay ng maagang pag-init ng usaping pampolitika kaugnay ng susunod na halalan, nanawagan ang Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Pangasinan sa publiko na maging mapanuri sa mga impormasyong kumakalat tungkol sa Guico-C.

Ayon dito, hindi dapat manaig ang fake news at black propaganda habang nagpapatuloy ang libreng pamamahagi ng FDA-registered na produkto sa ilalim ng GUICONSULTA program.

Sa isa sa mga lugar na binisita ni Gov. Monmon, personal na ipinaliwanag niya sa mga benepisyaryo ang Guico-C at ang libreng pamamahagi nito bilang bahagi ng programa.

“Ito po ay FDA-approved. Ang katumbas po nito ay Ascorbic Acid + Zinc, gaya ng ImmunoPro,” ani ni Governor Guico III.

Ayon sa gobernador, mas potent at mas mura umano ang produkto, ngunit libre itong ibinibigay sa mga benepisyaryo ng GUICONSULTA.

Nilinaw naman ng Pamahalaang Panlalawigan na donasyon ang Guico-C at walang pondong panlalawigan na ginamit sa pagbili nito. Ayon din dito, hindi umano maaaring i-procure ng pamahalaan ang Ascorbic Acid + Zinc bilang combination drug dahil hindi ito nakalista sa Philippine National Drug Formulary sa naturang kombinasyon”.

***

I hope you readers including those ignoramuses that perpetuate lies on the PhilHealth Konsulta and Guiconsulta are now enlightened.

KAP. MYLA IPINAGTANGGOL SI MAYOR BONA

 Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza

TAMA si Malabago Kapitana Myla Muyargas hindi naintindihan  ng vlogger na si Kuya Jay-R na ang annual appropriation budget ngayong taon sa Mangaldan na ₱539,035,706.00 ay sobrang laki at sapat para gamitin sa pagpapagawa ng drainage system na magpapagaan o lulutas sa pagbaha sa ilang mga mga barangay doon. Itong mahigit na isang buwan na mga pagbaha ay hindi limitado lamang sa central Pangasinan town kundi ito’y dala ng malakas na Habagat na bumayo sa buong Metro Manila, Southern, Central, at Northern Luzon, at Cordillera Region.

Tawag dito ay Force Majeure.

Laos ang Pinas Kaya Napag-Iwanan Na!

 Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Ang Pilipinas ay nahaharap sa lumalaking problema sa kumpiyansa ng mga mamumuhunan habang ang mga tagapamahala ng pondo sa ibang bansa ay patuloy na lumilipat ang atensyon sa ibang lugar. Isa sa mga nangungunang ehekutibo sa pamumuhunan sa bansa ang nagbabala na ang Pilipinas ay halos naging "hindi na mahalaga" o "negligible" sa paningin ng ilang pandaigdigang mamumuhunan.

“𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐀 𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐀”? Nagbabala ang Presidente ng BDO Capital na si Ed Francisco habang iniiwan ng mga dayuhang mamumuhunan ang Pilipinas."

State of Calamity sa Pangasinan

 Ni Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Nagdeklara ng State of Calamity (SoC) ang malaking lalawigan ng Pangasinan kung saan ilalaan ang mga bagong pondo para sa mga residenteng naapektuhan ng pinalakas na hanging habagat. Halos isang buwan nang binabayo ng mga pag-ulan ang lokal na pamahalaan ng apatnapu't apat na bayan at tatlong lungsod, kung saan mahigit kalahating bilyong piso na ang halaga ng mga nasirang ari-arian at produktong agrikultural.

“Ang Lalawigan ng Pangasinan ay opisyal na inilagay sa ilalim ng State of Calamity simula noong Agosto 31, 2026 sa pamamagitan ng Provincial Resolution No. 985-2026. Ang deklarasyon ay ginawa kasunod ng malawakang pinsala sa agrikultura, imprastraktura, at mga komunidad na dulot ng magkakasunod na bagyo at patuloy na malalakas na ulan,” ayon sa opisyal na website ng lalawigan na nag-post ng deklarasyon ngayong umaga.

Bugallon Recipient of Big Ticket Projects from the Gov’t, Investors

THANKS TO COJUANGCO-DY COLLABORATION

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BUGALLON, Pangasinan – This thriving first class town is a beneficiary of big ticket infrastructure projects from the national government through the aggressive lobbying of its congressman and the decisions of giant solar plant investors to pour their capitals here.

P55-M 3-STOREY SCHOOL BLDG

Recently, the office of Mayor William K. Dy lauded Pangasinan 2^nd District Rep. Mark O. Cojuangco for interceding at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for a P55 million three-storey public school building to be constructed at the Bugallon Integrated School (BIS).

SP Reviews Basista’s Adoption of Solo Parents Welfare Act

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

 BASISTA, Pangasinan – The members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Pangasinan are currently reviewing the Ordinance passed by the officials of this town strengthening the “Solo Parents Welfare Act”.

Known as Republic Act No. 8972 as amended by Republic Act No. 11861, Mayor Jolly “JR” Resuello and the members of the Sangguniang Bayan passed Ordinance No. 259 Series of 2026 adopting the national law here.

San Carlos, Dagupan Most Populated LGUs in P’sinan

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Based on the latest 2024 census of population released on August 21, 2026 by the Philippines Statistics Office (PSO), the chances of the cities of Dagupan and San Carlos, Pangasinan to be a lone congressional district are still dimmed.

Article VI, Section 5 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates that a city that reaches a population of at least 250,000 is entitled to a legislative district and can elect its own representative.