GRACE UNDER PRESSURE

A multi-talented lady from the town of Villasis emerged as Best in Talent despite tripping off the floor while performing on stage during the Limgas na Pangasinan talent night competition at the Sison Auditorium in Lingayen last April 27.  Candidate No. 12, Eorlene D. Pedeglorio, immediately managed to regain her composure and continued performing her dance number that earned her loud cheers and applauses from the audiences.  (PIO Photo by Bob Sison)

Sayawan Ed Aplaya showcases the best Pangasinan street dancers

LINGAYEN Pangasinan - - The Sayawan Ed Aplaya, the grand exhibition of the best street dancers from various festivals of Pangasinan, is expected to draw a huge crowd from all walks of life on its yearly presentation on May 1 highlighting the celebration of Pistay Dayat.

 

Anchored on this year’s theme: “Parade of Pangasinan Festivals”,the Sayawan Ed Aplaya will reel off at the Narciso Ramos Sports Complex and Civic Center (NRSCCC) at 2pm. From there, the street dancers will perform live along the streets of Artacho and Avenida all the way to the Maramba Boulevard and winding up at the Capitol Complex beachfront where they will perform their exhibition number.

 

Eleven delegations representing the festivals of the participating towns and cities across Pangasinan will interpret the heritage and culture of their respective places through the art of street dancing.

 

The delegations are: Dagupan City’s Bangus festival represented by Barangay Lucao and Mangin, Binmaley’s Sigay festival, Bolinao’s Mangunguna festival, Corn festival of Sto. Tomas, San Carlos City’s Mango-Bamboo festival, Talong festival of Villasis, Mapandan’s Pandan festival together with other festivals from Sta. Barbara, Urbiztondo, Urdaneta City and Umingan.

 

Event Chairperson Janet Asis, officer-in-charge of the Human Resources Management Office (HRMO), is inviting the public to watch the show of “fascinating costumes and mesmerizing sounds.” (PIO/ Mark Gerry Oblanca)

Corruptions at the Department of Education

This is a story told to me by a public school teacher. This story can be better re-told in the vernacular:
Girl: Manong Bayad (Big brother, my jeepney fare)
Driver: Saan galing? (Where did you come from?)
Girl: Student, Nursing, St. Paul, bagung sakay (I just rode your jeep).
Boy: (Affronted by the air of the girl, paid P500)
Manong Bayad (Big brother, my fare)
Driver Angry) Ilan sa P500? (How many passengers for the P500?)!
Boy: Isa lang, Kip d change, seaman, bagong baba! (Only one, but you keep the change of my money, . I am a seaman who just disembarked from my ship).
Woman: (Feeling affronted by the arrogance of the boy, paid P1000!) Bayad, paki-abot! (My fare, please give to the driver).
Driver: Anak ng … Wala bang barya? (Son of Bi___, you don’t have loose change?)
Woman: Sa inyo na lang iyung sukli manong, teacher po bagong loan!
(The loose change yours, Mr. Driver. I am a public school teacher. I just received my loan.)
***
Why do some lending institutions that cater to teachers thrive at the Department of Education?
They are in cahoots with the public school’s Regional Director and the paymaster.
A lowest ranked teacher who receives P18 thousand a month but who borrows P50 thousand has to pay it for two years in a monthly amortization of P 2,521 -inclusive of the P438 interest- a month
He/she would find himself/herself receiving a monthly check of P15, 479. The same situation if he/she borrows using the P15, 479.
It’s a windfall for these lucky-as-Lotto-winner financial institutions that earned up to 21.024% interest for a P50 thousand loan.
Interest per month is efficiently collected because somebody in the regional office like the laughing- to –the- bank regional director, and other conspiring bigwig-malefactors give the imprimatur to the paymaster to deduct the loan payment before they would be released to the provinces.
***
Why are some public school supervisors and principals bullish every graduation day?
Because they get a financial cut from every rented toga and cap, and graduation picture from the captive impoverished parents and students who join the commencement exercise in the kindergarten, elementary, and high school levels.
A toga and cap for a graduate in the three levels are rented for P40. But unwitting graduate and parent do not know about the fast one done to them after they paid P100 for the package, as corrupt school officials pocketed P60 from each of the graduates.
“Sometime it is the principal only who pockets the overprice,” my source told me.
It is the same situation with those graft-ridden pictures that cost P100 for each graduate.
“The jacked-up price reached up to P25, where the student pays P125,” my source told me.
****
A former implementer of government-owned Land Bank of the Philippines told me he has read my “How Philippine officials pocketed some loans from gov’t banks” in my Blog that saw some thousands of hits,ahem, already because of the “intrigued” I sowed.
He said that mayors and councilors could easily pocket some portions of the loan, say P7 million for the P50 million loan vis-à-vis the “progress-building” policy of the LBP of how much loan it releases to its funded town hall , market building, and other public infrastructure.
He said progress building means LBP inspector go to the work site and check how much of the building is finished as based on the cost of the loan before the bank releases the money.
“Usually the cost of the project is jacked-up by those municipal officials,”
He said these officials already earned from the cut the mayor’s gave them.
He told me officials of the LBP do not check the priced-up invoices of the materials as it is the work of Commission of Audit.
He said some mayors use dummy to construct a municipal project.
He said aside from the portion of the loan illegally pocketed by the mayor, he gets another 10% from the Overhead Contingency not to mention his 10% as Contractor’s Profit .All of these percentages are sanctioned by law.
(You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

TV5 premieres back-to-back Royal Wedding telemovie and exclusive interview this Thursday

Just before the British royal wedding ceremonies take place at London’s Westminster Abbey on Friday, April 29, TV5 brings an exclusive glimpse of the much talked about telemovie and interview of Prince William and Catherine Middleton this Thursday, April 28.

TV5 presents the exclusive Philippine free TV premiere of “William & Kate,” a movie-made-for-TV that tells the story of their nine-year romance and the journey leading to their much anticipated fairytale wedding. Filmed mostly in Los Angeles and some parts of England and Scotland, the telemovie takes a look back “from the moment they met at Scotland’s prestigious University of St. Andrews, through the ups and downs of their nine-year courtship complicated by social and royal-family pressures, and intense global media attention surrounding their storybook nuptials.”

“William & Kate” stars Nico Evers-Swindell as Prince William and Camilla Luddington as Kate Middleton, written by Nancey Silvers and directed by Mark Rosman. Catch this must-see telemovie in TV5’s Summer Super Sine on Thursday at 4pm.

In a very rare and exclusive joint interview to mark their engagement, Prince William and Kate Middleton asked “specifically” for Independent Television News’s political editor Tom Bradby to conduct the interview. As reported by leading UK daily newspaper The Guardian, Mr. Bradby is the most trusted media confidant of Princes William and Harry and is an old friend of the groom-to-be.

In the said interview, Prince William revealed that he always knew "there was something very special about her (Kate Middleton).” The royal couple spoke openly about the marriage proposal, the preliminary details of the wedding and their future plans to build their own family.

TV5 is the only Philippine broadcast network that has clinched the rights to air the full interview in line with its exclusive partnership with ITN to cover the royal wedding. ITN—the UK’s official royal wedding channel—is the news arm of ITV, the oldest and biggest commercial network in the UK.

Airing on the eve of the historic royal event, the interview will air on Thursday, 11:45pm (pre-empting Public Atorni).

Catch NEWS5’s 8-hour nonstop coverage of the royal wedding straight from London on TV5, Aksyon TV Channel 41, Radyo Singko 92.3 NEWS FM and InterAksyon.com on April 29.

BIR boss says high RPT good for agency

BIR Eastern Pangasinan boss Atty. Beverly Milo (left) and Assistant Regional Director Atty. Ernesto de Vota answer questions from the pressBy Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY- The Bureau of internal Revenue head in eastern Pangasinan said the new Real Property Tax passed by the provincial government bodes well for the collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue if the provincial government valuation is much higher than its zonal valuation

BIR collects taxes on lands through capital gain and sales taxes.

Revenue District-6 boss lawyer Beverly B. Milo said the computation of any internal revenue tax against the value of the real property shall be, whichever is the higher of the fair market value as determined by the Commissioner of the BIR or her office, or the fair market value as shown in the schedule of values of the Provincial and City Assessors.

This is provided by Paragraph (E), Section 6 of the National Internal Revenue Code of the Philippines, Milo said.

In the recent press conference in Dagupan City attended by Abono Party-list Chairman Rosendo So, Provincial Irrigators leader Oftociano Manalo, and other stake holders of the real estate business in Pangasinan, So argued that the zonal valuation of the BIR in Pangasinan is still based on the old lower rates even there was already a public hearing last year for a new higher zonal valuation.

The new valuation of the RPT was assailed by many sectors in Pangasinan to be excessive and confiscatory.

The land tax was signed into law by Governor Amado T. Espino in December 10, 2010 and was implemented earlier this year.

The valuation of the new land tax spiked up to an average of 300% all over the province.

Eng. So said that the new zonal valuation of the BIR has not been implemented because of the campaign promise of President Benigno Aquino III that there would be no new taxes this year.

Provincial Assessor Nestor Quimbao said during the press conference that the new zonal valuation of the tax bureau is higher than the new land tax passed by the Provincial Board.

Quimbao said based on the valuation of the BIR, a square meter of a rice land in a particular town is P50 while the valuation of the province is only P30.

So challenged Quimbao to accompany him to the BIR to show to him that the valuation of the tax bureau is still lower than the new RPT.

The Abono Party chair said that the low valuation of the BIR is comparable to the valuation of the Register of Deeds in the province.

Meanwhile, Atty. Milo explained that a non-profit educational institution is exempted to any taxes by the government.

She said that after the institution deducted the salaries of its staff and personnel, all its profits are reverted to its coffer.

“It should remain with the corporation. It would remain to be reverted to the corporation as rebate earnings,” she stressed.

She said the salaries of the officials of the institution are taxable through a monthly withholding income tax

 

Operasyon ng jai-alai pabubusisi ni De Lima

ANG inyo pong lingkod ay labis na natutuwa sa isinasagawang imbestigasyon ni DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima sa operasyon ng jai-alai na front daw ng jueteng ng Meridien Vista Gaming Corporation.  Halos lahat naman kasi ng mga lokal na opisyal na kinausap ni Atong Ang ay alam kung ano ang tunay nitong operasyon.  Hindi nga lang natin alam kung aamin ang mga lokal na opisyal dahil malaking porsyento ang mapupunta sa kanila kapag nagbigay sila ng permit sa Meridien.

Pinupuri din po natin si DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo dahil umaksyon na din po siya sa issue at kinumpirma nga nya kay Sec. De Lima ang “resurgence” ng jueteng sa probinsiya ng Pangasinan, Isabela, Oriental Mindoro at ilang parte ng Metro Manila at ang ginagawang front ng mga ito sa iligal na operasyon ay ang Meridien daw ni Atong Ang.

Sa salitang kanyang ginamit na “resurgence,” kinumpirma na rin mismo ni Sec. Robredo na matagal nang walang jueteng sa mga nabanggit na mga lalawigan at ito’y lumabas o umusbong lamang muli ngayong may front na itong Jai-alai.

Sino ba talaga ang nagbigay ng license o permit para mag-operate ang jai-alai na ginagawang front ng jueteng sa ibang mga lalawigan? May nagsabi sa atin na kamakailan lamang ay nakakuha sila ng “license to operate” mula sa Games and Amusement Board ngunit ito ay license na mag-operate lamang daw sa loob ng CEZA!  Kaya nga ang ating tanong ay ligal ba ang operasyon ng jai-alai sa labas ng CEZA?!

Napakarami na ng mga lalawigan at bayan ang kanilang napasok sa buong bansa ngunit hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa din nila mapatunayan na ligal ang operasyon nila sa labas ng CEZA. Lalo na at maugong ang balita na ginagawa lang naman daw nilang front ang jai-alai sa kanilang jueteng at mashiao operations.

Isa pang tanong na hindi nila mabigyan ng kasagutan ay kung nagbibigay ba ng share sa gobyerno itong jai-alai na ito ng Meridien? At sino sa mga  ahensya ng ating gobyerno ang may “supervision” sa sugal na ito para masabi na ligal sila? PCSO o GAB ba?

Kung mapapatunayan nila na ligal ang operasyon nila at may nakukuhang share at pakinabang ang gobyerno mula sa kanilang operasyon ay baka sakaling huminto na ako sa pagbatikos sa kanila!

Ito ang mga katanungan na dapat nilang sagutin at hindi kung sinu-sinong personalidad ang idinadawit nila kapag may mga nahuhuli silang mga tao na maaaring gumagamit sa kanilang front ng jueteng!

Teka muna, saang lugar ba naglalaro o nilalaro ang jai-alai na ito? Saan ba makikita ang fronton nito? Sana malaman din natin kung saan? Gusto lang naman natin dito ay makinabang ang gobyerno pati na ang lahat ng bayan sa buong Pangasinan!

Sa Pangasinan, hindi ko na kailangang magsalita, dahil kilala naman ako ng aking mga kababayan at alam naman nila kung sino ang talagang humahawak at nakatutok doon.

Kahit araw-arawin n’yo pa ang paninira sa akin at kahit anong mga kwento pa ang inyong imbentuhin,  hindi kayo paniniwalaan ng mga kababayan ko dahil kilala nila ako at alam nila kung ano ang totoo!

Kung may mga mapaniwala man kayong tao sa mga paninira at “demolition job” niyo sa akin dahil mukhang napakalaki ng pondo na inilaan niyo para sirain ang reputasyon ko, hindi ako maaapektuhan dyan, kahit araw-arawin niyo pa dahil alam ko na lalabas at lalabas din ang katotohanan!

Sumasang-ayon din po tayo sa ihahaing resolusyon sa Mababang Kapulungan ni Congressman Erico Aumentado ng ikalawang distrito ng Bohol na hihiling ng isang malawakang imbestigasyon sa  operasyon ng jai-alai dahil may nakikita itong anomalya at iligal dito.

Hihintayin natin ang pagpapatawag ng hearing sa Mababang Kapulungan at susubaybayan natin upang malaman kung sino talaga ang gumagawa ng istorya at nagsasabi ng katotohanan sa isyung ito ng jai-alai pero jueteng daw!

Kung ating matatandaan, kaya pinatigil ang jai-alai noong 1986 sa administrasyon ni dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino ay dahil maraming alegasyon ng “game fixing” sa naturang sugal.

Hintayin na lang kasi natin ang Loterya ng Bayan! Ang gusto kasi natin lahat makikinabang! Hindi tayo para sa kung ano pa man, kung mapatunayan na tunay at ligal ang jai-alai na jueteng daw, titigil ako ng pagbatikos.

Ngunit habang hindi tayo sigurado at puro bulung-bulungan at paninira lamang ang ebidensya rito, patuloy tayong susulat upang tuluyang mamulat ang mga responsable dito.

Sa mga tinatamaan sa isyung ito, hindi n’yo na kailangang siraan ako at ang pamilya ko. Ako’y anak ng Pangasinan at kami ay kilala ng aking mga kababayan mula sa aking pinag-ugatan.

Patuloy akong nanawagan sa mga opisyal ng aking lalawigan sampu ng ating mga kasamang lingkod-bayan na nakatutok sa isyung ito, ito na ang tamang panahon upang maramdaman ng bayan ang ating sinseridad sa ating pagganap ng tungkulin sa bayan at pagtahak sa tuwid na daan.

Injunction suit mulls vs. Pangasinan's land tax

After the provincial government declared it would not amend the inflated valuation of Real Porperty Tax, Eng. Rosendo So, Chairman of Abono Party-list, (4^th from left) declared at the Press Conference held in April 19, 2011 at Jollibee in Brgy. Lucao to consult with stakeholders and their lawyers of a civil case they would file against the province of Pangasinan.

"If they would not amend, we do not have a choice but to file the case. Our class suit  against the officials of San Roque Dam made them prudent  every time they release dam water to the lowlands, " Eng. So declared in the conference hosted by media organization Patrima.

At the photo is Provincial Assessor Nestor Quimbao (extreme left) who absorbed all the criticisms and denunciations by some of the guests, media men, and panelist led by Atty. Gonzalo Duque. Those raps should have been leveled against the members of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan who were responsible to craft the "onerous" ordinance but opted not to attend every-time they were invited by media organizations to shed light on this incendiary issues that infuriated different sectors in Pangasinan

TV5 strengthens network guidelines for the protection of children

TV5 Top Honcho’s in Dagupan: TV5 Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer Ray Barriero (left) and Columnist/Blogger Mortz Ortigoza of Pangasinan News posed for posterity after the former announced in Dagupan City that TV5 opens it regional network that would be based in the city this year. The media announcement was followed by the jam-packed show of Wiling Willie in the nearby town of Lingayen, Pangasinan (Photo and Text by Mortz Ortigoza).
 

In line with its commitment to support the intellectual, emotional, psychological, physical and social development of children, TV5 released today its Guidelines on the Treatment of Children as Viewers, Subjects, Talents or Participants.

The Guidelines, formed in consultation with the Philippine Children’s Television Foundation, articulate the network’s general policies on the treatment of children, with specific provisions on children’s programming, news coverage pertaining to children, participation of children in programs, and compliance measures. Apart from these Guidelines, TV5 commits to comply with other standards that may be formulated by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, the Department of Labor and Employment (e.g., on child talents), and other relevant agencies.TV5 will assign a child welfare coordinator with appropriate background and training to be present at each stage of the production process (auditions, interviews, rehearsals, and production conferences, among others) to oversee all matters relating to the welfare of children

To ensure that all programs consistently comply with the Guidelines, TV5 will conduct regular seminars and sensitivity training sessions for all talents and employees in production. ...

Sangkot daw ako sa jueteng sa Pangasinan

MAY lumabas na artikulo kahapon na nagdadawit sa inyong lingkod sa operasyon ng “jueteng” sa Pangasinan.  Maliwanag na isang paninirang-puri ito sa akin dahil ako ang kauna-unahang opisyal na nanindigan sa aming lalawigan laban sa jai-alai na ginagawa din daw front ng “jueteng” ni Atong Ang.

Noong ika-5 ng Abril, ako ang ginawang guest speaker ng foundation day ng Pangasinan at tahasan kong tinuligsa ang pagiging mukhang pera ng ibang lokal na opisyal ng probinsya dahil binigyan nila ng permit ang jai-alai gayong alam naman nila kung ano talaga ang magiging operasyon nito. Marahil marami ang napahiya sa aking ginawang pagtuligsa...

No amendments for new land tax – Governor

Provincial Information Officer Butch Velasco invited me recently to attend the press conference led by Governor Amado T. Espino despite this paper’s critical stance to Espino’s new higher rates of Real Property Tax.
The conference held at the swanky Training Centre at the Capitol Ground in Lingayen was attended by almost all members of the provincial board and almost all mayors of Pangasinan.
It was a treat, man.
Lydia Colobong of Radio Veritas smarted to the governor how could she explained to the listeners when Provincial Assessor Nestor Quimbao rudely treated her at his office...

Board Member defends mayor, blamed prov’l assessor

Mangaldan Mayor Hermie Romero officiates an official function on this photo

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN - Provincial Board Member Jeremy Agerico Rosario comes to the succour of Mangaldan Mayor Herminio Aquino by blaming Provincial Assessor Nestor Quimbao as the one responsible for the lack of information by the public in the new valuation of Real Property Tax.

His raps against Quimbao ensued recently in a press conference here called by Governor Amado T. Espino.

“I agree with the statement of Mayor Romero earlier na medyo look-out dapat ito ng local assessors  by municipalities and cities to have a clear idea to explain na duon sa kanilang end na kung anung nangyaring adjustment na ito. Ang nangyari kasi tinuturo dito sa probinsiya kaya nga may kaunting problema sa aspect na iyon. Dito ang talagang medyo kulang ang provincial. Just the same iyon nga alam na natin ang problema mabibigyan at malalagyan ng solution itong problema. Information or lack of knowledge whatever itung local assessor and the treasurer,” he stressed.

Board Member Rosario blamed Provincial Assessor Quimbao for his failure to inform the provincial board and the municipal assessors about the mechanics of the new higher valuation of lands.

“In short even those local assessors were not briefed enough,” he quipped.

...

P7.75milyon supllemental budget ipinasa para sa mga brgy ng Dagupan

BUONG PUSONG IBINIGAY NG SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD NG DAGUPAN ANG KANILANG SUPORTA SA 31 BARANGAY SA PAMAMAGITAN NG PAGPASA NG P7.75 MILYONG PISO SA GINANAP NA SESYON KAHAPON.

 

SINABI NI DAGUPAN CITY VICE MAYOR BELEN FERNANDEZ NA ITO NA YONG KATUPARAN NG KANILANG IPINANGAKO NA HINDI SILA MAGIGING HADLANG SA MGA NAIS NA GAWING PROYEKTO NG IBA’T-IBANG SEKTOR NG SYUDAD GAYA NG MGA LIGA NG BARANGAY BASTA DUMAAN SA TAMANG PROSESO AT PALIWANAG ANG KANILANG KAHILINGAN.

 

ANG PONDO AY MAGMUMULA SA UNAPPROPRIATED BUDGET PARA SA 2011 NA P81 MILYON, NA ANG IBIG SABIHIN AY ITO YONG SOBRA NA HINDI NAKABUDGET.

 

MAPUPUNTA ANG P4.650 MILYON SA MGA 31 BARANGAY NA GAGASTUSIN NILA SA KANILANG PARTISIPASYON SA GILON GILON STREET DANCING PARA SA BANGUS FESTIVAL HABANG P3.1 MILYON NAMAN AY PARA SA SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES GAYA NG PAGLINIS SA KANILANG DRAINAGE AT FOGGING OPERATYION PARA LABANAN ANG DENGUE.

...

Manay Gina’s Greening Program

Rep. Gina de Venecia has given the go signal to the offices of the PENR (Provincial Environment and Natural Resources) and CENR ( Community Environment and Natural Resources) to start the massive planting of colorful trees along major highways as well as bamboos along riverbanks and mangroves in seacoasts to promote environment protection in the 4^th District. As agreed, the P3 million greening project will start formally in June, this year.

Photo shows Project Manager Rudy Ramos, former Speaker Joe de Venecia, PENR Officer Wendy S. Co,  Rep. Gina de Venecia, Dagupan City CENR  Officer Raymundo Gayo, Forest Management Chief Mechor Gonzalez and Central Pangasinan Reforestation Chief Marciano G. Gonzalez. Photo taken during their planning meeting two weeks ago at the congresswoman’s residence in Bonuan Binloc, Dagupan City

...

Atong Ang may 15 bodyguards

KAUSAP ko si Congressman Napoleon Dy ng Isabela kahapon na aking napag-alaman na  kapag lumalakad ngayon si Atong Ang ay may 15 bodyguards daw na pawang mga miyembro ng NBI at CIDG!

Talaga nga namang nakakapag-init ng ulo, dahil ang sinusuweldo ng mga tauhan ng NBI at CIDG na bodyguard nya ay galing sa buwis ng mamamayan ngunit bakit isang ex-convict naman ang kanilang binabantayan na kung ituring ay parang isang VIP?

Matikas pa siya sa mga senador natin na iilan lamang ang security, o di kaya sa mga justices, Judges o mga secretary ng ating gobyerno dahil sa dami ng security na nakapaligid sa kanya!

Sec. Robredo at Director Gatdula, kayo po ba ang nagbigay ng mga security kay Atong Ang? Nagtatanong lamang po.

Nababalitaan din natin na kalat na kalat na daw sa buong bansa ang operasyon ng Jai-alai ni Atong Ang na “Jueteng” din naman daw ang kinabagsakan!

Nakakagulat naman talaga dahil si Atong Ang na bawal makipag-transaksyon sa gobyerno ayon sa kanyang Plea Bargain ang siya naman mismong nakikipag-usap sa mga governor at mayor upang makapaglagay ng Jai-alai na “Jueteng”  din daw naman sa kanilang nasasakupan!

Isa pang nakakatawa ay hindi naman Incorporator si Atong Ang ng Meridien Gaming Vista Corporation na nakarehistrong mag-operate ng Jai-alai sa CEZA lamang!...

Update, not tax hike on RPT sked

Provincial Press Conference: A press conference led by PangasinanGovernor Amado T. Espino was held recently at the swanky Training & Development Center at the Capitol Ground in Lingayen. Aside from Espino, the members of the Provincial Board and the municipal mayors of the province were there to answer the queries of media men on the controversial land tax the provincial government has just passed (Text and photo by MorTz C. Ortigoza)

 

LINGAYEN - “For the last eight years, the people of Pangasinan have been enjoying a prolonged real property tax holiday.”

This was declared Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. during the press conference today, April 11 at the newly-inaugurated Pangasinan Training and Development Center here as he took exception to “unfounded and malicious insinuations recently raised by some quarters against the provincial government regarding the newly revised tax rates imposed on real estate properties.

The press conference was participated in by members of the provincial board chaired by Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, Jr., town and city mayors ,and some representatives of various local government units in the province, Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan and Provincial Assessor Nestor Quiambao.

In clarifying the issue, Gov. Espino said that the move to increase said tax collections was “not a unilateral, whimsical act on the part of the province but an act to comply with the law, and to implement the directive of the national government issued thru the Department of Finance (DOF) and Department Of Interior and Local Government (DILG).”

As mandated by the Local Government Code (RA 7160), general revision of LGU tax codes should be made every after three years. In the case of Pangasinan, the last revision was in 2003, or 8 years ago.

Following the mandate of law, a general revision on real property tax impositions should have been undertaken in 2006 and in 2009.

However, the Governor said that due to the three powerful typhoons that wrought heavy damages on the province’s agricultural crops and also on private and public properties, the provincial government decided to withhold new tax increases in 2009 for humanitarian considerations, especially on the part of marginalized farmers who were directly affected by said natural calamities.

“It’s unfair for the provincial government to be slapped with malicious insinuations and unfounded speculations when in fact the current administration has done its part in making things lighter for Pangasinense taxpayers,” the governor said..

“The people should realize that for allowing them to enjoy very low real property tax assessments for an extended period of eight years, the provincial government has continually failed to comply with the law,” the Governor added.

According to the Governor, the provincial government ironically gave up large amounts of foregone revenues that otherwise would have been spent to further improve the economic condition of the constituents, particularly the members of the farming community through the acquisition of more and better infrastructure support facilities, such as farm-to market-roads and irrigation facilities.

If the law was followed, a general revision should have been conducted in 2006, and another in 2009. The third general revision should take place in January 2012.

In spite of the very low tax rates, Gov. Espino explained, the province has implemented so many projects over the last four years as compared to the last nine years of tenure of the past administration.

Under the RPT scheme, municipalities receive the biggest share of 40%, while the 35% goes to the province, and 25% to the barangay. In the case of cities, the province has no share and taxes are shared only by the city with 75% share and the barangay with 25%.

It will be recalled that an updated schedule of property values was submitted to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last September 2010. Public hearings followed which was attended by Real Estate Developers, Real Estate Brokers, Real Organizations and BIR officials who were asked to present the zonal valuation of properties in the different cities and municipalities throughout Pangasinan.

            After the public hearings and further review, the SP enacted Provincial Ordinance No. 146-2010 approving the Proposed Schedule of Market Values effective December 10, 2010.

The land distribution in Pangasinan constitutes about 70% agricultural, 15% residential, 10% commercial, and 5% industrial.

Provincial Assessor Nestor Quiambao cleared that the tax increase is 100% for rice lands contrary to claims that the tax hike would reach 300 to 800% increase.

With this, an example was presented during the press conference which showed direct facts that the updated schedule of market values passed by the SP is well below current BIR zonal valuation level and much lower that the market values prevailing within the province.

Towards the end, Vice Governor Calimlim said that the SP did its job as policy makers.

“We have to obey and abide with the laws otherwise the Governor, being the chief executive of the province will be penalized, and on the case of the cities and municipalities, the mayors will be the ones held responsible,” he said. (PIO/Ruby R. Bernardino)

President Noynoy Aquino and leaders of Pangasinan

President Noynoy Aquino imbibes a mineral water as Urdaneta City Mayor Bobom Perez (2nd from left), Governor Amado T. Espino, and Alaminos City Mayor Nani Braganza huddle during Aquino's recent inauguration of the P250 million engineered sanitary landfill in Urdaneta City. The Landfill, a first in Pangasinan, would cater to the garbage of the fastest growing city Urdaneta and local government units as far as Baguio City (Text by Mortz Ortigoza)

Don't Re-Elect Those Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan

I could not understand the demeanors of those high officials of the Commission on Audit on the return of a former colleague whistle-blower Heidi Mendoza as their new  deputy commissioner.

Assistant Commissioner for Finance Isabel Agito posed that after what Mendoza has said about a corrupt COA she has the temerity to work in the agency.

The head of the fraud audit Leonor Boado was surprised about Heidi’s return after what she said.

I disagree.

The return of Mendoza could stymy, if not eliminate, corruption at COA.

Officials of COA are accomplices of honchos of corrupt government offices like the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Departments of Public Works & Highway and Local Government, Bureau of Custom, Armed Forces, Philippine National Police and their sub-offices in the provinces and cities all over the country.

For example, here in the province, some officials of COA could emulate the excessive lifestyles and ostentatious display of wealth by those “vultures” and “hyenas” of those government offices I mentioned.

It takes two to tango in embezzling the government.

***

Amid the brouhaha brought by spikes of up to 500% Real Property Tax that scandalized Pangasinenses, my informant told me that members of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) want to deflect the public outcry from the law they whimsically created.

They do a ridiculous stunt by re-igniting the intention of the province to host two nuclear power plants despite the present radiation being emitted by those nuclear power reactors in Fukushima, Japan.

They invited even the unwitting nuclear-advocate former Congressman Mark Cojuangco in their session recently as their resource person.

Although everybody wondered but laughed on this audacity, nobody bites it.

The nuclear hosting dies down, the land tax brouhaha continues to haunt the electoral chances of these provincial dads and their vice governor.

The latest bombshell posed by Abono Party-list chairman Rosendo So was if the provincial board gave Governor Amado T. Espino a blanket authority to negotiate a 5% RPT with mammoth power suppliers San Roque Hydro-Power Plant and the Coal Power Plant in the towns of San Manuel and Sual, why did the Board members not give the same option to the governor to give a 5% RPT instead of 500% land tax (and the Special Education Fund)?  Their grievances are snowballing. They felt ripped off by these excessive and confiscatory taxes.

Unless the members of the Board amend this onerous (as it lacks an exhaustive public hearing) ordinance, voters should not vote those members who will seek re-election in the 2013 poll.

They are the following: Vice Governor Ferdie Calimlim, Board Members Von Mark Mendoza, Angel Baniqued, Jeremy Agerico Rosario,Napoleon Fontelera Jr., Teofilo Humilde Jr, Raul Sison, Generoso Tulagan Jr., Mojamito Libunao Jr., Clemente Arboleda Jr, and Ranjit Ramos Shahani.

(You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)