BIR Western Pangasinan explains sluggish collection

Assistant Revenue District-5 chief Atty. Elmer Carolino

ALAMINOS CITY – The top honcho of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) who is based here and oversees Western Pangasinan justifies the sluggish tax collection for this year as experienced by the BIR all over the region. Revenue District-5 chief Quirino Ramos said that the withholding taxes from the national and local governments that should be remitted to this office for one has fell short this year compared to the last year’s collection. He blamed the “Belt-Tightening” measures resorted by the Aquino Administration in the first semester of this year as the culprit of the anemic tax collection that affects even the collection  of the entire BIR. “Iyong mga tax administrative na meron kaming administrative control ang tumaas (collection) like mga negosyante riyan na kaya naming i-monitor. But we fell short in the collection of tax that the government pays to us. Iyong taxes na iyan  refers to withholding tax. Not only TRA (Tax Remittance Advisory) because itong mga LGU (Local Government Units) na inaawas nila ang withholding tax ng payee na ni-ni refer nila sa amin, “ he stressed. TRA is when private subcontractors’ income tax and Value Added Tax are withheld by the government that contracted their service for a certain project. Ramos said he wrote his superiors that the reason why his collection was under goaled this year was because of the decline of the remittances from the government. “January to July (2011) P84 milion lang pag baba ng withholding tax ko. Ang under goal collection ko lang is  P72 million. So kung na-collect ko lang I am over goal”. He said that he divulged all of these because he wants to be transparent before them and the public. Ilocos Norte Governor Imee R. Marcos corroborated the woes on the slow tax collection encountered by Ramos and most of the RDOs in the Ilocos Region. Marcos in her column in a tabloid said that the government should not crow on the billions of pesos it save for the first fiscal semester as it did not spend a dime for this year. Ramos is assisted by Assistant RD-5 Atty. Elmer Carolino. Atty. Carolino recently was making waves and raves at a local TV and radio when he commissioned the police’s Criminal Investigation & Detection Group to investigate an alleged falsifier of tax documents at the Register of Deeds’ Office in the capital town Lingayen (Mortz C. Ortigoza).

Ibalik ang integridad ng BOC

MARIING tinututulan ng Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Phils. (CAMPI)  ang pag-angkat ng segunda manong sasakyan. Nauunawaan ko ang pagkabahala ng grupong ito. Subalit kung pag-aaralang mabuti, halos walang idudulot na epekto sa kanila ang importasyon ng mga second-hand vehicles.

Nasa ibang income bracket kasi ang merkado ng segunda manong mga behikulo. Ang mga may nais at may kakayahang bumili ng brand-new cars ay bibili nito kahit mayroon second-hand vehicles na mabibili.

Ang walang “purchasing power” para bumili ng bagong kotse ay hindi na lamang bibili ng sasakyan kung walang segunda mano na mabibili sa murang halaga.

Subalit ang mga miyembro ng CAMPI ay maaari rin kumita mula sa owners ng second-hand cars. Ito’y sa pamamagitan ng spare parts at iba pang repair and maintenance services.

Kaya’t mayroon  pa rin ganansya ang local car industry mula sa mga may-ari ng mga segunda manong sasakyan. Higit sa lahat, mayroon pagkakataon ang mga kababayan natin na hindi kalakihan ang sahod na magkaroon din ng kanilang sariling sasakyan.

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Tama si Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon na palayasin mula sa kanilang tanggapan ang mga “hao siao” o fake na mediamen.

Talagang nagkalat sa Bureau of Customs (BOC) ang mga “reporters” na walang tunay na media outfit. Ang pakay ng mga bogus mediamen na ito ay hindi ang gumawa ng report kundi ang gumawa ng pera!

Istorbo pa sa pagta-trabaho ng lehitimong reporters ang mga ‘hao siao’ dahil kinu-konsumo nila ang oras para sa mga press conference. Kadalasan puro non-sense pa ang kanilang mga tinatanong!

Personal kong naranasan kung gaano kakulit ang mga ‘hao siao’ na ito noong ako’y pinuno pa ng Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). Kung maka-delihensya ang mga ito akalain mo mayroong ipinatagong pera!

At kung hindi mo pagbibigyan, pagbabantaan ka pa na ikaý sisiraan. Subalit wala rin naman silang magagawa kasi hindi sila totoong konektado sa anumang pahayagan o istasyon!

Minsan ang mga ito ay “freelance” reporters o photographers kung kaya’t mayroon silang mga ID mula sa kung anong media outfit. Ang mga malalaki at makukulay na media ID na ito ang kanilang ginagamit na puhunan para makadelihensya sa mga Customs officials.

Dapat talagang magkaroon ng maayos na accreditation process para sa mga tatanggapin sa BOC press corps. Tiyak na susuportahan ito ng mga lehitimong mamamahayag dahil sa aking pagkakaalam, inis na inis din sila sa mga pekeng mediamen!

Ngunit kailangan maging maingat din si Ginoong Biazon sa kanyang pakikitungo sa mediamen dahil baka mabastos ang mga ito kung kanilang maramdaman na pinagdududahan ang kanilang credentials.

Mahirap makabangga ang mga legitimate media practitioners lalo na kung ang mga ito’y hindi nakikisawsaw sa katiwalian sa BOC! Ang kailangan ay isang discreet screening process para hindi rin mainsulto ang mga tunay na reporter.

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Subalit bakit nga ba namumugad ang mga ‘hao siao’ reporters sa isang ahensya katulad ng BOC? Sapagkat talamak din ang korapsyon sa tanggapang ito!

Sadyang maraming itinatagong mga sikreto ang mga opisyales ng BOC kung kaya’t sila’y naghahanap ng mga kakampi sa media. Umaasa sila na sila’y mapo-protektahan ng kanilang media connections laban sa mga kasong maaaring ipukol sa kanila. Ito naman ang sinasamantala ng mga “fly-by-night” mediamen.

Ang hindi maipaliwanag na paglaho ng 2,000 container vans mula sa BoC ang isang halimbawa kung bakit pilit naghahanap ng kakampi sa media ang mga customs officials. Natural lamang na sila’y takot mabatikos! Kung may ginawa silang milagro.

Kung matatanggal ang graft and corruption sa Adwana, walang dapat ika-takot ang mga opisyales ng BOC mula sa media! Dahil ang tanging misyon ng isang tunay na mamamahayag ay ang mag-labas ng katotohanan.

Sinusuportahan ko po ang bagong-talagang commissioner sa kanyang hangarin na maibalik ang integridad ng BOC.

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Anong klaseng mga tao nga ba ang gumagalaw d’yan sa Adwana? Tingnan natin ang kaso nitong si Efren dela Cruz Ledesma, isang customs broker sa Davao City.

Si Efren ay nahaharap ngayon sa kasong rape at drug possession! Inaresto siya ng mga awtoridad sa Cabaguio Hotel nitong nakaraang Biyernes batay sa reklamo ng isang 18 anyos na babae na diumano’y kanyang ni-rape. Nabawi mula sa suspect ang sachet ng shabu at mga drug paraphernalia.

Base sa salaysay ng biktima, siya’y pinagamit muna ni Efren ng shabu bago siya niluray! Kung mapapatunayan na siya’y nagkasala, marapat lamang na mabulok sa bilangguan itong si Efren!

Bagama’t ang BOC ay tila isang lugar ng iba’t ibang uri ng buwaya, may pagkakataon pa rin naman na ito ay mabago ngunit sa paraang pagtatanggal ng 99% ng bumubuo rito!

Ngunit dahil hindi maaari sapagkat sila rin ay saklaw ng Civil Service Commission, imposible na ang totoong pagbabago sa loob ng ahensya!

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Sa pagkakataong ito, nais kong batiin ng isang Happy Birthday ang aking inaanak at chief-of-staff na si Jeff Patawaran sa Biyernes. Ngayong araw na ito, ang binyag sa kanyang panganay na anak na si Sean Joffrey Patawaran. Welcome to Christiandom, Jethro!

Happy Birthday din sa aming apo na si Ian Villar bukas! First Honor siya sa Ateneo Grade School. Ganun din sa aking kapatid na si Atty. Rey Villar, advance Happy Birthday sa Sabado!

Belated Happy Birthday naman kay Ryan Villar ng Central Bank na aking pamangkin na anak ni Atty. Rey Villar at congratulations din sa kanyang pagtatapos ng Masters sa USA!

Happy Birthday din sa aking kaibigan na si Nestor Manahan na magdiriwang ng kanyang kaarawan ngayon!

Sa inyong lahat na nagdiriwang ng kaarawan, sumainyo muli ang pagpapala ng Diyos!

(Para sa inyong impormasyon, suhestiyon, o reklamo, mag-text lamang po kayo dito sa number ko: 09159509746 o di kaya ay mag-email sa wagkukurap_101@yahoo.com.ph)

This congressman should run after hair-stylists and not rallyists

Bad Hair Days for Pro-Planking: Anti - Planking Proponent Rep.Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Quezon City)

Bad bangs -sporting Congressman Winston “Winnie” Castelo (Quezon City) should be running after his hair stylist and not the “rallyists”.

His House Bill titled “Anti-Planking Act of 2011” that did not criminalize but prohibits planking among students is a waste of government resources and congressional saliva.

According to Wikepedia, planking (or the "Lying- Down- Game") is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location.

It is no different from sitting, jumping, and fist rising if one uses it as a form of protest. This actuation is protected by the “Freedom of Expression” clause of the Constitution – a high fundamental human rights given by the State to her citizens.

Castelo, who epitomizes the bozos in Congress, should know that planking is no different from barricading the highway that eventually causes traffic snarl.

One doesn’t need a new law on this. Since college students are mostly minor, their leaders who are legal aged should be liable if somebody sued them with illegal assembly, unjust vexation, and laws in relation to traffic.

A strike committed by demonstrators who are standing in the middle of the highway and demonstrators who plank are all the same. They both endanger themselves to passing motor vehicles.

Besides, there are a lot of pressing issues a lawmaker like Castelo could do to compensate the taxpayers’ monies paid to him.

This solon is worse than Senator Lito Lapid. At least the English language-handicapped solon has reason to lament the rejection of his “Overloading of School Bags” that caused why many Filipinos are as tall as their dark-skinned Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Next time Rep. Castelo should pass a bill, he should limit himself on the overloading of public utility vehicles (PUV). We don’t know it get pass on the three readings in the House and the Bicameral Committee of congress.

Besides, he ain’t got the same ridicule he got from the different sectors on his Anti-Planking Bill

Next time, Rep. Castelo should tinker on overloading of public utility vehicles sans planking. Who knows, it could pass the three reading requirements in  the House.

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When Sheila  Marie Sison  became the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Superintendent of Department of Education (DepEd) in Pangasinan for 36 days, one the goodies she procured were three  sets of Close Circuit TV (CCTV) Camera worth P25 thousand that she immediately installed at different strategic locations of the DepEd’s office in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

A week before her OIC’s post term ended, a woman thief sneaked in one of the rooms at the second floor there and took the bag (that contained some valuables and  thousand of pesos cash inside) of a lady worker.

 Thanks to the CCTV cam, the thief was seen spiriting away through the main door up to the main gate.

But her face was exposed by a TV outfit and her printed photo from the tape of the CCTV was taken already by the police. Now the long-arm of the law is searching for her.

Residents to barricade bridge construction- Macanlalay

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO- The former mayor and incumbent vice mayor of this rice-cake producing town warned the Department of Public Works & Highway (DPWH) that many residents would barricade the upcoming construction of the Villamil (formerly Marusay) Bridge that connects this town center to the towns and San Carlos City.

Vice Mayor Roy Macanlalay said the grumbling by the residents was blamed on the silence of the engineers of the DPWH whether or not they would construct a temporary foot bridge during the construction.

Villamil Bridge caters to the residents of Barangays Mancup, Talibaew, and Buenlag who study at the government- owned Central Elementary School located at the town proper.

“As I heard, they would vehemently protest the construction if they would be required to use the by-pass road (in Sitio Pogo in Brgy. Nalsian) to and from their homes. It means it would be another financial burden on their parts as their children would pay more for the motorized- trike fare,” he stressed.

Vice Mayor Macanlalay  said when engineers from the DPWH made a courtesy call at his office, they would not tell him how much amount was appropriated for the construction of the new bridge.

He wondered why they would not disclose the amount as the appropriation for the bridge comes from a grant of the Spanish government.

He said its construction has long been mulled after it was damaged by the 1990 killer quake that wrought havoc in some towns and cities in Pangasinan.

“I could not understand why the public works office would not allow the construction of a foot-bridge as it is favorable to the sub-contractor of the DPWH that would hire the former to do the construction,” he said.

Macanlalay is the father of this town’s mayor Mark Roy who replaced the former as the chief executive in 2010.

Meanwhile, in a press conference held at Dagupan City recently, Rep. Rachel Arenas (2rd District, Pangasinan) said the planned protest by residents here could be avoided as she would initiate a meeting between this town’s officials and residents and the concerned DPHW officials to iron-out the problem.

Moreover, a resident  in the Poblacion, who asked anonymity, wanted to know the plan of the DPWH with the pipe line of the water district here after the old bridge is demolished. He said that the pipes are attached to the Villamil Bridge.

Romero leads rally for environment protection

The soft-spoken Mangaldan Mayor Hermie Romero (extreme left) leads municipal officials and employees in an environmental protection parade

Members and employees of the Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Council) led by Vice Mayor Berrex Abalos (4th from left) joined the parade around the town center

Mayor Romero (extreme right) and Vice Mayor Abalos (extreme left) ate heartily with their bare hands on a long tabled Boddle Fight. The festivity was joined by municipal employees and trike drivers.

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN- The mayor of this burgeoning town led the municipal employees recently by marching around the town- center in a rally for the protection of the environment.

Mayor Herminio Romero said the rally signified this town’s determination to educate his constituents on the importance of waste segregation.

The rally, held  in tandem with the 111th anniversary of the Civil Service Commission, was participated in by all the departments  of the municipality and the police here who proudly donned their different colored shirts while some of them carried makeshift  garbage bins marked with “Hazardous Waste, and Recyclable and Non-Recyclable”.

Participants wield placards that screamed with slogans like “Clean and sustainable environment protection the best legacy of the future generation”, “Masdan mo ang iyong kapaligiran. Di Kaya’t isa ka sa dahilan sa pagkasira ng kalikasan. Sagabal sa pag-unlad ng iyong bayan!”

Romero said that just like neighboring Dagupan City this town faces garbage congestion on this town’s limited dumpsite areas unless residents here cooperate by segregating their waste before they dispose it.

He declared that his administration resorted to a control dumpsite in barangay  Banaoang that he wants to convert into an ecological park.

He said that this town would not dump its garbage in Urdaneta City because that city’s P220 million Sanitary Landfill could just accommodate the city’s heaps in 20 years only.

Meanwhile, the rally was capped by a boodle fight participated in by hundreds of municipal officials, employees, and even trike drivers who all relished the first time experience of eating with their bare hands on foods like fried fish, chopped roasted hog, cooked rice, beans, chicken adobo, all spread above banana leaves on long tables that were prepared at the back of the municipal hall.

“The boodle fight was a first among the employees and trike drivers here,” Romero proudly said.

He said the event fostered camaraderie among the participants.

Dagupan hell-bent to reverse dependency on IRA

Dagupan City Administrator Vlad Mata (Extreme Left).

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY- Despite an impending reduction next year of P25 Million from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA, this city is hell-bent to reverse its dependency on the IRA by sourcing more local revenues.
City Administrator Vladimir Mata said at present this city gets 51 percent of its revenue from the national government and 49 percent is from local sources.
“We want to reverse this set-up by making the local revenues bigger than the external revenues,” the city administrator stressed.
Mata said that Mayor Benjamin S. Lim will cushion the P25 million impending loss for next year from the IRA through an aggressive tax collection, sale of the idle MacAdore Hotel owned by this city, and implement provisions in the Revenue Code that have remain untapped.
The city received a letter from the Department of Budget & Management early this year informing officials about the allotment reduction because of the sluggish economy in 2009. But this city has proposed P576 million budget for 2012. This budget is P8 million higher than this year’s budget of P568 million.
Mata said that the IRA reduction from the national government will not result in the lay-off of some contractual city workers here unlike what Urdaneta City has decided to do.
He opined that the Lim Administration is bullish as evidenced by the proliferations of countless 711 stores that sprouted like mushrooms, the Metro State that houses Manila-based food chains like Mang Inasal, Yellow Cab Pizza, and many new retail business establishments in this coastal city.

BIR: Difficult to tax professionals

Eastern Pangasinan BIR's Top Honcho Atty. Beverly Milo

By Mortz C. Ortigoza
URDANETA CITY- A top official of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) bared the difficulty of imposing correct taxes to professionals like medical doctors, lawyers, architects, and dentists.
Atty. Beverly Milo, chief of Revenue District-6 that is based here, blames the lack of manpower of the BIR to conduct surveillance operation to gauge how much these people are earning.
“Ang problema kulang sa tao. Sa dami ng doctors that you cannot actually (monitor) hindi tuloy natin ma-establish. Pero sa mga income nila from the hospitals meron na tayong PhilHealth”.
She however said out of these professionals the medical doctors are the least difficult to tax because their business transactions with patients are corroborated by data provided by the PhilHealth Insurance Corporation.
“It was attributed to their accountant, as far as they are concerned. They are not aware of the data that they were signing. Iyon ang isang dahilan na ibinigay nila na pinipirmahan nila ang financial statements. They are not actually aware of the data that has been reflected in those documents,” she explained.
She said that PhilHealth is obligated by law to file annually all the data of hospitals.
In his State of the Nation Address this year, President Benigno Aquino III deplored how these professional have evaded paying their correct taxes.
“According to the BIR, we have around 1.7 million self-employed and professional taxpayers: lawyers, doctors, businessmen who paid a total of 9.8 billion pesos in 2010. This means that each of them paid only an average of 5,783 pesos in income tax..,” President Aquino said.
He found it hard to believe that these people earned an average of P8,500 a month.
Milo said that the other reason the BIR failed to collect the proper taxes from physicians was because of the delayed issuance of the certification of payment from the PhilHealth.
She said the delay happened in the years 2007-2008.
“I am not aware if PhilHealth was able to improve the system for 2008-2009 onward. Kasi iyong ni-verify namin na tax return are referring to taxable year 2007-2010. There might have been improvement learning from that complaint coming from these doctors. With that scenario, I could not actually say these professionals coming from the medical profession intentionally under declared their taxes,” she said.
She said these discrepancies have been dealt with after the BIR and the doctors complained at Philhealth.

How Pacquaio fares after Mayweather's 4-round dominance of Ortiz

Holly Molly, what a fight! WBC Super-welterweight champ Victor Ortiz headbutted challenger Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The latter used sly by hugging him at the remaining seconds of the 4th Round by unleashing a flushing left hook and a staggering straight right to the chin of the unwary Mexican descent warrior who caused his knocked out. But Victor is a lucky guy, Mayweather said he would give him a rematch. If Ortiz earns $2.6 Million in this freakin' tussle, he'll be earnin' a windfall in the second rumble. But before that the juiciest mega-million of dollars fight between Floyd and Pound-for-Pound king Manny Pacquiao should take the center stage first. The Ortiz rematch could wait in the sideline for the meantime. Business strategy dictates that a win or loss of Floyd to Manny could not affect much the stocks of the former to Ortiz. Unlike the financial backlash it gives to the coffer of the Mayweather-Pacquaio tussle if promoters insist for a Mayweather-Ortiz rematch soon.
Moreover, Mayweather's verbal exchanged with HBO's anchor Larry Merchant about the propriety of Floyd actions helps hype his tiff with Manny.
Top Rank and ABC TV are smiling these days.
The spoiler here, anyway, is when the Camp of Ortiz will question the victory of Mayweather at the Nevada Athletic Commission. Remember, referee Joe Cortez did not ask both fighters "to box" or to start fighting in that remaining seconds of the round. The ref did not even see Mayweather hits Ortiz. He just saw Ortiz fell on the canvas.
But to those who scored that short four-round fight, probably just like me, you gave all the rounds to Money May.
Jesus Christ, the Nevada resident exudes superiority. He stands tall by bobbling, and weaving in front of a dangerous but seemingly surprised knock-out artist Ortiz in the entirety of the rounds.
Mayweather's chutzpah before the KO makes a lot of Pacquaio watchers reevaluate the chance of the former to defeat the latter.
If they thought Mayweather would be annihilated by Pacquaio, the first four rounds of the Mayweather - Ortiz fight could probably give them some answers.
You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com).

BIR officials lament difficulty to tax motel owners

Asst. Revenue District -6 chief Badeth Mangaoang

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

URDANETA CITY – Two top tax honchos of the Bureau of Internal Revenue shared the view of Atty. Beverly Milo of the difficulty in imposing taxes to owners of motels in Pangasinan.

Assistant Revenue District Officers (ARDO) Ma. Bernadette Mangaoang and Charmaine C. dela Torres said that a lot of measures have been implemented already to evaluate how much revenue the BIR can collect to these perennial and nagging problems the motel businesses poised to them.

Dela Torre said that the problem that beset the BIR vis-à-vis the motel is lack of manpower to man a regular surveillance how much a certain motel owner exacts from customers that patronize it.

Atty Milo, who heads the BIR office here that supervised Eastern Pangasinan, recently distinguished hotel and motel in terms of tax compliance with the BIR.

“Ang hotel regulated because of the O.R (Official Receipt). Sa motel exclusive ang pumupunta doon. Ayaw mag request ng O.R (the customers because) identify ka. Kung baga iyong situation is more on not requesting an O.R . So nobody requesting an O.R,” Atty. Milo said with a chuckle.

One of the formulas Mangaoang said before to assess the number of couples who patronized these lucrative tryst businesses was the national tax office’s strategy where a BIR personnel lists how many cars entered the motel everyday.

She said usually the lists are recorded on the logbook of the motel security personnel who man its gate.

“Hindi naman everyday may BIR. Kaya nga e kukunin na lang nila iyong average,” she stressed.

In an earlier interview with this paper, Mr. Fred Quinto, the president of Hotel and Motel Associations in Pangasinan said that the BIR could use as basis the number of bed sheets and towels used by love birds. He said that the tax man could ask the laundry shops how many bed sheets and towels are consumed by this tryst hide-away business everyday.

But some tax observers who asked anonymity doubts the reliability of this measure as owners of laundry shops and motels could collude with each other by declaring a lower number of dirty, wet, and crumpled bed clothes and towels for the BIR to assess how much income tax to bill.

Mangaoang said that her office could count on the soap consumed by the customer in a particular period.

She argued that this can be checked by the government issued official receipts (O.R) used by the suppliers of soap to the motel owners

Sindikato ng droga, pinakamatinding kalaban ng Kano, ‘di terorista!

Ni Secretary Antonio "Bebot" Villar, Jr.


PAGKATAPOS ng 9/11 attacks, marami ang nag-aakala na mga terrorist groups katulad ng Al-Qaeda ang nagdudulot ng pinaka-malaking banta sa seguridad ng Estados Unidos. Mali po iyon. Ang mga sindikato ng droga po ang pinaka-matinding kalaban ng mga Amerikano ngayon!

Kung inyong ikukumpara ang bilang ng mga US citizens na nasawi dahil sa isang aktwal na terrorist attack sa bilang ng mga namatay sa mga drug-related incidents, ay napakalayo po ng agwat. Tanging noong September 11, 2001 lamang nagdulot ng malaking bilang ng US casualties ang mga terrorista.

Ihambing ninyo ito sa bilang ng mga tao na pinapatay ng drug cartels at mga drug gangs o ‘di kaya sa mga namamatay sa drug overdose at iba pang drug-induced complications. Araw-araw mayroon nasasawi sa tinatawag na “Drug Wars” na nagaganap sa loob mismo ng US soil!

Ang Iraq at Afganistan ang maituturing na front line ng laban ng United States kontra sa terrorismo dahil dito naka-base ang maraming mga utak ng Al-Qaeda. Ang mga Middle Eastern countries na ito ay sadyang malayo sa Amerika.

Samantala, ang front line ng giyera ng US laban sa narcotics trade ay nasa Mexico dahil dito naman naka-base ang makakapangyarihang drug cartels. Ang Mexico ay katabi lang ng US at posibleng lumakad lamang upang makatawid sa kabilang bansa!

Ang halimbawa ng karanasan ng US ay hindi malayo sa sitwasyon sa ating bansa ngayon. Dahil kung iku-kumpara natin ang bilang ng mga Pilipino na namamatay o nababalda dahil sa NPA, MILF at Abu Sayyaf, ay napakalayo sa bilang ng ating mga kababayan na namamatay o ‘di kaya nasisira ang buhay dahil sa droga! Nandito sa sentro ng ating lipunan, sa ating mga pamayanan, ang iligal na droga!

Ano ba ang aking punto? Ang punto ko ay sana huwag natin maliitin ang banta na dulot ng industriya ng iligal na droga! Sana ay bigyan po ng ating mga mambabatas ang Dangerous Drugs Board at mga ahensyang naka-kabit dito tulad ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Philippine National Police-Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (PNP-AIDSOTF) at iba pang katuwang na ahensya ng hustong ayuda upang gampanan ang napakahalagang tungkulin nito!

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Opo, ang aking kolum ngayon ay mahahantong sa usapin ng pondo! Dahil lubhang kulang po ang budget ng DDB upang harapin ang problema ng droga sa ating bansa ngayon.

Ang proposed budget ng DDB para sa taong 2012 ay P170,842,000.00 na kung i-a-approve ng ating mga mambabatas ay nangangahulugan ng dagdag na P5,674,000.00 kung ikukumpara sa ating kasalukuyan na P165,168,000.00 lamang.

Hindi po ako naniniwala sa “token anti-drugs campaign” o para lamang masabi na mayroon tayong ginagawa upang solusyunan ang problema. Kung lalabanan natin ang drug menace, lumaban tayo hanggang tayoý magtagumpay! At imposible po tayong magtagumpay kontra sa bilyon dollar multi-national industry kung kulang ang ating logistics!

Kailangan ng PDEA ng mas maraming tauhan na mga bagong recruits na kailangan pasahurin, bigyan ng kaukulang training at equipment. Kailangan din ng mas maraming drug rehabilitation facilities para makapag-bagong buhay naman ang mga nalulong sa bisyo. Lahat ito ay nangangailangan ng pera upang maisa-katuparan!

Marami nang naitalang accomplishments ang DDB at PDEA tungo sa ikalulutas ng drug menace. Subalit sadyang bitin ang ating kapabilidad, at hindi natin kayang sakupin ang lawak ng problema dahil nga sa kakulangan ng manpower at logistics.

Hindi natin pinapangarap na pantayan ang suportang ibinibigay ng US government sa anti-drugs campaign nito. Alam po ninyo, ang US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), bukod sa mayroon sapat na manpower ay mayroon din mga aircraft, watercraft at mga spy satellites para lamang magampanan ng epektibo ang kanilang trabaho.

Kami naman ay lubos nang masisiyahan kung madaragdagan ang bilang ng ating agents at kung mabibigyan sila ng basic equipment at training na kinakailangan.  Kung nais ng kinauukulan na magtagumpay ang kampanya ng gobyerno kontra sa iligal na droga, kailangan pong maglabas ng sapat na pondo.

Sa madaling sabi, kung nais ninyo na aming itumba ang isang tigre, huwag ninyo kaming bigyan ng tirador!

****

Nais ko ring bigyan-pansin ang rehabilitation process na ginagawa para sa mga nalulong sa bawal na gamot.  Sa kasalukuyan, ito ay nasa Department of Health (DOH) simula nang maipasa ang Republic Act 9165 o ang tinatawag na Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Napansin ko kasi na tila dumarami na ang sumbong laban sa ilang mga rehab centers na nag-o-operate kabilang na ang Marikina Rehabilitation Center.  Sa ilalim ng batas ngayon,  DOH po ang responsableng ahensya sa kanila ngunit parang hindi po yata sila nabibigyan ng sapat na panahon?

Sa simula pa po kasi ang DOH ay nakatutok na sa mas maraming karamdaman at sa pagpigil ng mga virus na nakamamatay tulad ng dengue.  Isa po ang dengue sa pinagka-kaabalahan ngayon ng DOH sapagkat talaga namang tunay na pumapatay kung hindi maagapan.

Kung kaya’t sa aking palagay, mas nararapat siguro na ibalik na lamang sa DDB ang pamamahala sa rehab center katulad noong dati.  Nang sa ganun, maibabalik natin ang dating programa kung saan natututukan ang bawa’t rehab center sa bansa.

****

Pinupuri ko ang bayan ng Lingayen at siyudad ng Dagupan, Pangasinan sa kanilang pakikiisa sa programang Barkada Kontra Droga ng Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Inaasahan natin na madaragdagan pa ang mga bayan sa aking probinsya na makikiisa sa kampanyang ito ng barkadahan laban sa bawal na gamot. Sa programa kasing ito, nilalayon ng DDB na makapag-parami ng bilang ng mga barkada na magpapa-kalat ng ating kampanya kontra droga.

Sa programa kasing ito, may kaakibat na activities kung saan itinuturo ang tamang pamamaraan kung paano ang isang kabataan ay makaiwas sa imbitasyon ng masamang bisyong ito.

Tinutulungan din ang ating mga kabataan ng iba’t-ibang pamamaraan kung paano mapagtitibay ang kanilang pagde-desisyon kung dumarating ang mga negatibong bagay sa kanilang buhay.

Sana ay gayahin ng iba pang mga bayan sa Pangasinan ang inisyatibo ng Lingayen at Dagupan City nang sa gayon ay madagdagan ang dami ng mga kabataan na namumulat sa epekto ng salot na droga.

****

Napakasipag at respetado ang Director-General ng PDEA kaya’t ako’y nalulungkot sa mga balitang lumalabas laban sa PDEA nitong mga huling araw.

Kung bakit naman kasi meron pa ring mga tauhan ang PDEA na may iba pang layunin sa kabila ng pagiging ahente ng PDEA!

Paano na maniniwala ang mamamayan sa ating kampanya laban sa droga kung mismo ang mga ahente ay gumagawa ng kalokohan??

Ang konsepto ng PDEA na maging isang sibilyan na ahensya ay upang hindi matulad sa ibang mga law enforcement agency na kinakain ng problema tulad ng kurapsyon, pag-abuso sa kapangyarihan at iba pa.

Maganda ang imahe ng PDEA na inabutan ko nang ako’y dumating sa DDB subalit sa mga nangyayari ay tila yata pilit na sinisira ngayon?  Sayang naman ang magandang naumpisahan ng PDEA noon at kawawa rin si Gen. Gutierrez dahil siya na ang ulo ng ahensyang ito ngayon. 

Sa aking pagkaka-alam, isang mabait, respetado at mabuting tao naman si Gen. Gutierrez, kaya’t sana naman, mag-isip-isip kayo diyan sa PDEA. Kung gusto ninyong rumaket ay bumitaw muna kayo sa serbisyo nang hindi madamay ang inyong pinuno at ang buong ahensya!

(Para sa inyong impormasyon, suhestiyon, o reklamo, mag-text lamang po kayo dito sa number ko: 09159509746 o di kaya  ay mag-email sa wagkukurap_101@yahoo.com.ph)

Shamcey Supsup's Politically Incorrect Answer

Shamcey Supsup

By Mortz C. Ortigoza


Forgive this political calumny, er, columnist who has the gall to dip his finger on the “politics” of the Q & A of the Miss Universe’s contest.

The reason that undermined Ms Shamcey Supsup not getting a higher plum was how she answered the last part of the question posed to her by American pageant judge and actress Vivica A. Fox whether she would change her religious beliefs to be able to marry the man she loves and why.

“"If I have to change my religious beliefs, I will not marry the person that I love. Because the first person that I love is God, who created me. And my principles make me who I am. And if that person loves me, he should love my God, too,"the stunning lass who looks like my favorite U.S actresses Cindy Crawford and Eva Mendes, answered.

The first part of her answer was commendable. The second part, however, borders with bigotry.

Susmariosep, I nearly ironed my left hand when she uttered that “…And if that person loves me, he should love my God, too”.

She should not impose her religious belief to her beau as the world now practices religious tolerance.

 But she still persisted.

That answer, for me, undermined her stocks before the judges.

***

According to my mole, when Jai Alai operator Atong Ang’s lieutenant Angelito de Villa alias ”Boyet” and his men took over Jai alai in Pangasinan some media men despaired.

Why? The weekly payola for each of them was cut.

“Why should we give them when Jai-Ali is already legal (through the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) applied by Meriedien -MCO)?” one of the men of Boyet was overheard by a media man.

Now that the TRO of Meridien has lapsed in Pangasinan, some of these media men have seen the light at the other part of dark tunnel of uncertainty.

 It means happy days would be here again, thanks to the forthcoming payolas for either Jai-Alai or Jueteng.

As you know amigo, when Jai-Alai was still legal, it has been used as front for the illegal gambling game jueteng.

**

I was listening recently to Bombo-Radyo-Dagupan’s Bog Toribio while he interviewed Colonel Rosueto Ricaporte - Pangasinan’s Police Director.

The latter denied the headline of provincial newspaper Regional Examiner that he would be sacked because of his incompetence to curb the proliferations of the illegal number game Jueteng and Jai-Alai that has no betting stations in Pangasinan.

This according to Bogs in contrast to what Ricaporte insisted on that interview.

He said he does not mull to file a libel case against the paper.

My five cents worth of advice to the colonel: “Sir, baka may naputol at nagtatampo lang ang mga kafatid natin sa media.

***

Bureau of Fishery & Aquatic Resources (BFAR ) National Integrated Fisheries Development Center Chief Westley Rosario should better watch out. According to Dagupan City Administrator Vlad Mata in case the report from “an incognito” source that Rosario is processing and selling bangus (milkfish) at the multi-million of pesos Bangus Processing Plant then he would be in a bind.

Mata said that BPP could be padlocked because Rosario has no Mayor and Sanitary Permits to operate a business.

Rosario’s post at BFAR is strictly for research of fishery and aquatic resources. BFAR has no mandate to go into proprietary endeavour.

If this report is true, Rosario should be ashamed of himself.

People would think badly about him.

Mata did not answer my query if Rosario can be padlocked too in case the report against him was true.

Media man Harold Barcelona asked the city administrator to investigate if Rosario sells also the “tons” of rock salt BFAR has been processing at its Brgy. Bunuan Binloc’s office.

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

Eva Mendes

Cindy Crawford

Convert this Into a Park

Convert this into a park and enforce the segregation of wastes by enforcing the non-pick-up of garbage in their homes if they don't segregate, Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, recommended to Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan during an onsite visit to Asin, Baguio City, where the garbage from the Irisan dumpsite fell and damaged several homes, killing six people.  Senator Legarda is the principal author of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Pamsy L. Tioseco).

Basista’s 50th Founding Anniversary

Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala and second district Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil were the guests of honor during Basista's 50th founding anniversary.

Clean Air Act ban on incinerators: not absolute- NSWMC

by Andrea Renevera-Bancud

QUEZON CITY, September 8 (PIA )-- National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) Deputy Executive Director Eligio Ildefonso said the provision on the Clean Air Act prohibiting the use of incinerators for waste disposal is not absolute.

He made the statement during today's "Talking Points," a radio program of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine Broadcasting Services (PBS), and PTV4.

“The Supreme Court has come up with a mandamus order that incinerators are allowed only if the facility passes the emission standard,” says Ildefonso.

Section 20 of Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999 states that “Incineration, hereby defined the burning of municipal, bio-medical and hazardous wastes, which process emits poisonous and toxic fumes, is hereby prohibited.” The provision states further, “with due concern on the effects of climate change, the Department shall promote the use of state-of-the-art, environmentally-sound, and safe non-burn technologies for the handling, treatment, thermal destruction, utilization, and disposal of sorted, unrecycled, uncomposted municipal, bio-medical and hazardous wastes.” This allows a safe and environmentally-sound form of incineration.

“Pwede naman, basta magiging malinis siya, pero questionable 'yon, kung magiging malinis ang teknolohiya na dadalhin sa atin. Kasi wala naman sa atin yung technology, I-i-import yan,” (Incinerators are allowed but the technology for it, which we don't have and would be imported, must ensure the safety of the environment) added Ildefonso.

The director also believes that if the technology for incineration would be brought in the Philippines, it should be paired with a pollution control device. He said cement factories in the country today already have the technology which enables them to convert their wastes into a “panggatong” but the pollution that this process creates is controlled.

The NSWMC is also looking into the conversion of wastes into energy. Ildefonso said maybe this may be a better option than using incinerators to treat waste materials.

Section 15 of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management of 2000 states that the National Solid Waste Management Framework must involve “Practical applications of environmentally sound techniques of water minimization such as, but not limited to, resource conservation, segregation at source, recycling, resource recovery, including waste-to-energy generation, re-use and composting.”(PND/ARB-PIA GHQ)

Solid waste commission and malls promote recycling, plastic-free drive

by Alice V. Sicat

QUEZON CITY, Sept. 08 (PIA) -- Deputy Executive Director Eligio Ildefonso of National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) on Thursday said that the average garbage produced by an individual is at least half a kilo per day and in Metro Manila, garbage generated is at least 40 to 45 metric tons daily, equivalent to the size of the biggest mall in the country.

In the program “Talking Points” at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and aired over DZRB - Radio ng Bayan, Dir. Ildefonso said that the volume of the total garbage collection in a day is not very obvious as these are being collected in different parts of the country.

Among the most common problems, he pointed out, is the proper disposal of plastic bags which are often used to pack grocery items, most merchandize and goods purchased from malls and markets.

In response to this problem, Ildefonso observed that mall operators have implemented a plastic bag-free day, usually Wednesdays. On these days, customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags for their grocery purchases.

Malls have also organized and scheduled regularly recyclable collection events where recyclable materials like old cellphones, laptops and other electronic gadgets, classified as electronic wastes or E-Wastes, are collected.

“We have enjoined the malls (to implement this), actually joint program namin ito, matagal na, that was more than five years ago. Kung saan mayroong mga recyclable collection event, lahat ng recyclables dadalhin mo sa mga malls, may mga namimili dun.” (We enjoined the malls, actually, this is our joint project for a long time now way back more than five years ago. Whenever there is a recyclable collection event, all recyclables can be brought to malls where there are people who collect, buy and dispose these), Ildefonso said.

Aside from these projects, he disclosed that there are at least 200 private companies that have partnered with his commission in adopting and cleaning different huge bodies of water in the country. (PND/AVS PIA-GHQ)