Tax cheats in Dagupan City?

by Mortz C. Ortigoza

After 15 years, this lowly columnist who is used to see the lowly edifices of Dagupan City for decades, has visited Cebu City once again recently.
Susmariosep, I was overwhelmed by the progress “Ceboom” has been reaping. Skyscrapers that are mostly high ends, and three to five stars hotels are everywhere.
I thought I was either in Seoul in South Korea or Guangdong in Mainland China– what with those chinky-eyed tourists who walked in the streets and hotel lobby by batches.
To those who just learned how to read economics, Cebu is eight times bigger than our city in terms of yearly appropriation if we base it on our still-stalled and politicized P568 million annual budget against that Visayan City’s P4.4 billion.
I drooled more as “Ceboom” jeans and boots sporting mayor Mike Rama has concluded on his speech in English (Cebuanos are not good in Tagalog, they are a disaster. They pronounced “pig” as “peg” “shit” as “shet”) to us mostly Filipino-speaking delegates of the National Hog Summit at the convention hall of the swanky Water Front Hotel & Casino:
“Ladies and Gentlemen, after this summit, I have some appointments to attend.
I asked your indulgence to go early because this is not an ordinary city. This is a highly urbanized city. This is the queen city of the Philippines. To all and sundry, daghang salamat (many thanks)”...

SM’s entry an emotional issue in Dagupan

by Mortz C. Ortigoza
The acrimonious debate recently on the venues where Dagupan City Mayor Benjie S. Lim would deliver his State of the City Address was a treat to the people in and outside of the city.

All dressed-up to the occasion, members of the Sanggunian Panlungsod stubbornly waited at the narrow August Chamber for the mayor to come, while a dressed- up Lim snubbed them and proceeded at the spacious City Astrodome to deliver his reports of his programs and misgivings on the politicized SP to the more than 3,000 yelling and applauding leaders and supporters who waited for him there...

Showboating of wealth at PMA's alumni rites

My wife and kid attended recently the two-day alumni homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City - complement of a high ranking police relative.

They were billeted at the expensive plush two-bedroom suite in the Camp John Hay Manor Hotel.

“Grabe, it’s all expenses paid for the PMAyers. Even the gas of their vehicles was shouldered by their organizations,” she exclaimed to me through phone.

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Enrile, De Venecias, Lim

Recently, fellow columnist Brando Cortez told me to come pronto at Lenox Hotel for a meeting with Rep. Jack Enrile (1st District, Province of Cagayan).

Enrile, who was “barnstorming” the country, discussed to us food security and the prohibitive interest rates of credit cards.

He was game in answering questions posed by passionate selected media colleagues that I only asked a single question, and a clarification.

But after the meeting, I told him that it’s a coincidence that I met him.

“The other day, I was hooked up to the wee hours reading at the internet the compiled columns at Philippine Folio of Larry Henares when I came across a certain  Juanito Furruganan.

“Ah, si Daddy. Iyan ang dating pangalan niya sa Gonzaga,” he smiled as his eyes sparkled.

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No Pangasinense is drug courier – PDEA

By Danny O Sagun

 

DAGUPAN CITY– Nobody from Pangasinan is now facing drug trafficking case in other countries, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

 

But there was one victim from the province of an international drug syndicate in early 2008 who is now cooperating with the agency in the anti-drug courier campaign, said agent Charlton Carame during the KBP Forum at the Philippine Information Agency Thursday.

 

The victim, a woman, was befriended by a Nigerian who was member of the West African drug syndicate who promised her financial benefits as well as marriage. “Nakalaya sya, pero andoon pa rin ang trauma. Noong 2009 nagpunta sya sa atin para tumulong sa kampanya natin,” he said. She was a victim of fly-by-night job recruiters.

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Pangasinan has 773 new nurses

DAGUPAN CITY– A total of 773 nursing examinees out of 3,521, or 21.95 percent, from Pangasinan passed the December 2010 Nurses Licensure Examination.

In Baguio City, 1,423 examinees out of 4,472, or 31.82 percent, successfully hurdled the test.  In La Union, 267 out of 1,140, or 23.42 percent, passed. In Vigan, 468 out of 1,595, or 29.34 percent, passed while in Cabanatuan, 354 out of 1,566, or 22.61 percent, passed.

Out of the total 84,287 examinees, 29,711, or 35.25 percent, passed the exams administered in 18 testing centers nationwide.

Director-In-Charge Evangeline Vergara advised the successful examinees to personally sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals and bring the following requirements: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, 2011 Community Tax Certificate (Cedula), two (2) pieces passport-size pictures (colored with white background and name tag), one (1) piece 1”x1” picture (colored with white background and name tag),  one (1) piece documentary stamp, original and photocopy of NSO Birth Certificate (original copy for presentation purposes only),  and  initial registration fee of P600 and annual registration fee of P450 for 2011-2014.

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Village officials urge to exercise power with accountability

  SENIOR CITIZENS’ MEETING – Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim (before podium, left photo) addresses the first quarter regional meeting of the Federation of Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines (FSCAP), Region I chapter at the Model Senior Citizens Center here last Tuesday. At the guest  table from Lim’s right are Judge Joven Costales, FSCAP Region I president and FSCAP Dagupan chapter President Felipe Siapno. (CIO Photo by Edwin Palaganas)

 

 

DAGUPAN CITY – “You can earn respect if you exercise your authority with responsibility and accountability without fear or favor.”

                This was stressed by Mayor Benjamin S. Lim on the opening day of the Barangay Newly-Elected Officials (BNEO) Orientation Program sponsored by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) at the Pinkie’s Restaurant last Monday.

                Lim encouraged all barangays officials to involve their constituents in finding the best solutions for their problems through consultation because the process of communication is very important.

                “Never think that as head of your barangay, you already have the best solution because the best solutions sometimes come from the simplest member of your community,” he emphasized.

                He added that “no city can be great without the barangay doing their part and no barangay can be great if the folks do not understand what things are all about.”

                A term-based, integrated capacity development intervention for newly-elected barangay officials, BNEO is geared to enhance their competencies to attain the needed synergy to transform the barangay as champions of excellence in basic service delivery and bring the government closer to the people.

                With the BNEO program, new barangay officials are expected to strengthen barangay partnerships and alliances with the civil society organizations and with other local governments and the national government agencies for efficient and effective barangay governance development.

                The objectives of the program are anchored on the tenets of the Biyaheng Pinoy to facilitate the smooth transition of power and authority from the old to the incoming barangay officials; build partnerships and alliances with various stakeholders for local development; and enhance the skills of barangay officials and functionaries to enable them to perform their emerging roles as policy maker, program planner and provider of basic services to their constituency.

                The BNEO program consists of four components: ensuring smooth transition, laying the foundation, citizenship building and component, and sharpening the saw. It will be implemented in partnership with the Liga ng mga Barangay, various local resource institutions, national government agencies and local government units, with the DILG serving as BNEO Program Manager.

 

Magkano ba Vice Mayor O…ang advance na nakuha mo?

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Romero lauds the de Venecias

57 COUPLES WED IN MANGALDAN: Fourth District  Rep. Gina de Venecia presents a gift to  one of the 57 couples who participated in the mass wedding ceremony at the gymnasium in Mangaldan recently. De Venecia who stood as one of the sponsors also gave gifts to the other couples. Also in photo are Mangaldan mayor Herminio Romero(3^rd from right) and other officials

 

 

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How Philippine public officials rob the coffer (Part II)

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Why towns want to be a city?

Members of the 122-strong League of Cities of the Philippines
 are up in arm over the Supreme Court's recent ruling on 16 new cities!

 by Mortz C. Ortigoza

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