Spates of killings in Pangasinan: Not abetted by hired killers – Col. Ricaforte

LINGAYEN –Provincial Director Col. Rosueto Ricaforte, explained that not all the series of killings that ensued in Pangasinan were perpetrated by hired killers. “According to our intelligence (reports) that most of the crimes are result of vengeance. These are common crimes that resulted to shooting incident,” he stressed. He said that killers who ride in tandem on a motorcycle is a modus where everybody can buy a motorcycle for P5 thousand. “Sakyan nila then babaril na sila (They use the motorcycle and shoot somebody). But these are not organized crimes. Ito ay resulta ng away-away ng mga ta-o (This is a result of quarrels),” he stressed. He said that he consulted with his chiefs of police in a command conference the flaws that beset the operational procedure like in the police integrated patrol system. “So if there are lapses there, we would like to plug the holes. Kung iko-correct namin ito mapag-igting natin ang ating crime prevention”.

Politics in the 3rd and 4th congressional districts

The political kettle in Mangaldan, Pangasinan heats up this early. Since incumbent Mayor Herminio Romero is bowing out (he is on his last term) next year, those being rumored to run there are former national police chief and land transportation office’s (LTO) boss Art Lomibao, incumbent Vice Mayor Berex Abalos, and former mayoralty candidate Bona de Vera. My mole told me last week that Lomibao’s supporters have been scouting for his vice mayor. The spy said the logical tandem they found that could jibe with Lomibao is former vice Mayor Pedro Surdilla. They said vice mayor Abalos immediately torpedoed their proposal for him to be Art’s vice mayor. Abalos, who is the protégée of former congressman Mark Cojuangco, has been overheard telling the Lomibao’s boys that they should ask somebody to enlist a scientific survey for them to know that he (Berex) leads the pack. ‘Not just like the surveys cum consensunin the mahjong dens that some gambling aficionados’ supporters of Art have been crowing their figures,” Abalos told Lomibao’s emissary.

Gina de Venecia for governor?

By Mortz C. Ortigoza DAGUPAN CITY – Fourth District Rep. Gina de Venecia said her electoral option in the next year’s national and local election is open, including running for the province’s gubernatorial post. “Yes, it is not an impossibility,” she quipped when asked if she has a moist eye for the highest political post of the province. Earlier, de Venecia told media men in this city that she considered too a senatorial post in the 2013 poll. “Nag-uusap pa kaming mag-asawa kung ano ang nakakabuti for us and for the people kung saan kami mas makakatulong (I and my husband mull what is best for us and the people where we can help more),”she stressed. In the recent mass wedding in San Jacinto, Pangasinan where the solon stood as a witness, de Venecia’s brother-in-law former senator Ernesto Maceda declared to the crowd that former speaker Jose de Venecia, Gina’s husband, will seek a congressional seat next year, while his spouse Gina can either run as governor, mayor (Dagupan City), or seek another congressional seat in another district. Former speaker de Venecia said he has been also receiving proposals from different sectors for him to either run in the senate or the House of Representatives. “Some people are telling me to run for the senate, my constituents in the 4th District are also asking me to run for the House of Representatives –back to my old seat although Manay Gina is also doing a good job,” he said. But a political spectator, who asked for anonymity, opined that the former speaker’s son and namesake who ran and lost in the 2010 senatorial derby, is rumored too to be running again for a senate seat.

Lim prepares to veto P581 M budget

By Mortz C. Ortigoza DAGUPAN CITY – Mayor Benjamin Lim is set to veto a line item in the P581 million budget for 2012 which was approved recently by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council). City Administrator Vladimir Mata said there were some provisions colatilla to a section of the ordinance that Lim deemed for a possible veto. “We are still preparing for the veto message of the mayor and we will be coming out with the message probably before the end of the 10 day reglementary period,” he explained. Although Mata refuse to cite the provision that got the attention of the executive department, he agreed that the particular item will make it hard for the Lim Administration to implement a certain project. Mata said the controversial P10 million budget intended for the lying-in hospital and the P4 million budget for the Tsunami Hill in Pugaro village have been approved by the SP. He explained that the P4 million is the initial phase of the project, while the remaining P2 million will be sourced from this year’s calamity fund. “The tsunami hill could be implemented because the fund is charged from the 2011 calamity fund which we already approved by the SP in 2011,” he said. He said the eventual approval of the budget for the tsunami hill was buttressed by the assurances of the Mines Geosciences Bureau and the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology that the project is technically sound.

Bobom practices austerity in recent trips abroad

By Mortz C. Ortigoza URDANETA CITY – If many Europeans today practice austerity measures imposed to them by lending institutions, the mayor of this city has his version of austerity during his recent trips abroad. Mayor Gregorio “Bobom” Perez IV said when he attended the 10 –day League of Cities of the Philippines conference and official visit to Hawaii for the historic signing of the memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the LCP and the State of Hawaii, he did not stay in a hotel but stayed in the house of a city mate there. He added that he stayed too in the house of a friend from this city in the US mainland when he made a three-day side trip there. “Mabuti iyon dahil matipid unlike sa hotel na mahal,” he quipped. He said he asked compatriots in Hawaii and in the U.S mainland to join again the renowned Mrs. Urdaneta in the next city fiesta. He said he did not solicit monies for this city as practiced by other mayors in Pangasinan whenever they go abroad.

Pangasinan braces for Palarong Pambansa 2012

The upgrading and rehabilitation of the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (NRSCC) in Lingayen is in full blast that includes the construction of the grandstand’s southwing in preparation for the staging of Palarong Pambansa 2012 on May 6-12 in Pangasinan. Once finished, the facility can accommodate 15,000 spectators, from the present 10,000 sitting capacity. Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. assured all Department of Education’s (DepEd) officials, athletes and delegates that all additional constructions and repairs will be completed as scheduled. It will be remembered that Gov. Espino, then police provincial director of Pangasinan, was the Palaro’s Task Force Commander when Pangasinan first hosted the event in 1995. He led the completion of the NRSCC in record time of 49 days with full support of then President of the Philippines Fidel V. Ramos, a native of Pangasinan. (PIO Photo by Meinard Sadim)

San Roque Power Corporation Fetes FVR and Opens Reservoir Cruise

Lingayen - - Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led the provincial government of Pangasinan during the unveiling of a marker to honor former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos and the launch of the San Roque Reservoir Boat at the San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC) on March 12 in the municipality of San Manuel. The SRPC, which officially started operations in 2003, also tendered a special birthday celebration for Ramos after the activities.

JDV urges to run either in Senate or House

By Mortz C. Ortigoza DAGUPAN CITY – Former five-time House speaker Jose de Venecia said he has been receiving proposals from different sectors for him to either run in the senate or the House of Representatives. “Some people are telling me to run for the senate, my constituents in the 4th District are also asking me to run for the House of Representatives -- back to my old seat although manay Gina (de Venecia’s wife) is also doing a good job,” stressed by de Venecia who is famously called JDV. He said however that his allies and colleagues in the international organizations like International Conference of Asian Political Parties and the bigger Centrist Asia-Pacific Democrats International he both founded and presided asks him to continue his pioneering works for the political and economic integration in Asia-Pacific.

POGS invites pregnant women

SAN CARLOS CITY. The Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (Foundation) Inc. invites all pregnant women to celebrate “Araw ng Buntis” at the San Carlos City gym on March 10, 2012. “Maabilidad na Pinay, Malusog na Nanay” is the theme of the celebration which attempts to set on the Guinness World Records 2012 the “Largest Pre-Natal Class (Multiple Venues)”. Supporting the Araw ng Buntis celebration are vitamin companies BioFer Me, Hemarate, Obimin, Calciumade. In charge of registration from 7:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. are POGS members and C.H.O. Lecturers are OB-GYNE doctors Betha Fe Castillo, and Amelia Cayabyab who was former Region I POGS president and incumbent presiding officer protempore councilor of San Carlos City. Mayor Julier Resuello will give his message for the occasion. Closing remarks will be delivered by Dr. Rico Reyes (department head of Region I Health Office). At 11:00 A.M. is free pre-natal check-up, lab tests and ultrasound. A packed lunch will be provided by LGU.

Romero weds 80 ‘live-in’ couples

By Mortz C. Ortigoza MANGALDAN- Mayor Herminio Romero exhorted couples who lived together out of wedlock to consider the shame their children could suffer from teasing from other people because their parents are living without the benefits of marriage. Because of this call from the mayor, 80 couples who lived for decades as common law spouses exchanged “I dos” before the mayor who solemnized the marriage at this town’s gym recently. The mass wedding saw a cast of personalities. Some grooms wore coat and tie, some sported casual dress as if they were just going for window shopping, while some baby sit and sang lullabies to their babies as they waited for Romero to ask them to say “I do” , and ask the couple to kiss each. One of them was a 59-year old grandfather-groom Andreo who persuaded his “wife,” lola Vilma to marry before one of their children marries. “Her daughter has passed the board exam for nursing. I said we should already so the luck would continue,” Lola Vilma said.

An incorruptible congressman

By Mortz C. Ortigoza You probably read my previous expose’ about corrupt members of the House of Thieves, er, Representatives ,extorting a mayor for a P300 thousand a month share from the illegal number game jueteng, getting in advance a significant share from almost every government funded project funded by the solon’s pork (Priority Development Assistance Fund) from a private contractor, pocketing up to 40 to 60 percent of the multi-million peso dredging of rivers, relatives of the lawmaker’s shameless interference in every government projects to maximize the solon’s cut on the funds for road works, bridges, school buildings, and others, and a “solomonic (local moniker of a greedy official)” lawmaker getting all the cut for the projects without giving a cent from the spoils to the grudging mayors who hosted the site of the projects. (For the details of these brouhahas, you can read all these alleged anomalies by scrolling the topics at my blog at mortzortigoza@blogspot.com) *** “But there is a congressman and a congresswoman that ever since I could remember, they did not ask a dime for an SOP (Standard Operational Procedure, a misnomer for an anomalous cut) for every infrastructures financed by their pork ,” a very high government regional official in Region -1 commented on one of my expose’. He was talking about the spouses’ former Congressman and Congresswoman Mark and Kimi Cojuangco of the 5th Congressional District of Pangasinan. He proudly told me why these spouses did not ask for an SOP because they are already very rich with their billions of peso business empire. Mark is the scion of business czar Danding Cojuangco, the chairman of the San Miguel Corporation- the largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company in the Philippines with 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific. Mark heads the family run National Cement Corporation in the town of Sison in Pangasinan. *** When Kimi used to be a mayor of Sison, chiefs of police (COP) detested being assigned there. Their reason: Kimi did not want jueteng and a red light district that proliferated during the time of her predecessor former Mayor Dionisio Lagmay. Without jueteng and nightclubs, COP would be deprived of up to P90 thousand a month payola that their counterparts earned in other towns of Pangasinan. (Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)

Bursar laments budget snafu in Dagupan

By Mortz C. Ortigoza SAN CARLOS CITY – The stalemate between the warring executive and legislative bodies in Dagupan City on 2012 budget did not escape the prying eyes of a veteran bursar here. Arturo Mandapat, who used to be the treasurer of this city and Urbiztondo town, deplored the delay in the approval of the 2012 proposed budget of P581 million for Dagupan, which should have been approved as provided by law in the second semester of last year. “As I saw on TV the budget hearing of Dagupan, I sensed that it was only City Administrator Vladimir Mata who was prepared to argue with the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. I felt sorry for the department heads who were sometimes at a loss or were groping in the dark when they were grilled by the SP (members),” he said. Mandapat said the passage of the budget starts when heads of departments or offices submit a budget proposal for his department or office of the mayor on or before the 15th of July of each year,” Mandapat said. “Upon receipt of the statements of income and expenditures from the treasurer, the budget proposals of the head of departments and offices, and estimates of income and budgetary ceilings from the local finance committee, the mayor shall prepare the executive budget for the ensuing fiscal year in accordance with the provisions of this on the Local Government Code “Mandapat quoted Section 318 of the Code. Mandapat said that in case the SP of Dagupan fails to enact the proposed budget within 90 days from the start of the official working day in January 2012, the ordinance authorizing the appropriations of the previous 2011 fiscal year shall be reenacted and shall remain in force and effect until the ordinance authorizing the proposed appropriations is passed by the SP. He explained that the budget has three components namely, personal services, material operating expenditures, and capital outlay. He said development projects like roads and buildings are included in the capital outlay. But because there is no approved 2012 budget, development projects like these could not be implemented unless proposed and approved in 2012. “However, only the annual appropriations for salaries and wages of existing positions, statutory and contractual obligations, and essential operating expenses authorized in the annual and supplemental budgets in 2011 shall be reenacted and disbursement of funds shall be in accordance there,” Mandapat explained

Elected officials should go to the villages – Bobom

By Mortz C. Ortigoza URDANETA CITY – The mayor of this richest city in Region- 1 in fiscal appropriation said mayors and members of legislative of bodies should go to the villages so that they can feel the real pulse of their constituents. Mayor Amadeo Gregorio “Bobom” E. Perez IV said being a son of a former mayor does not mean he could be complacent in his leadership. “The bottom-line for government officials is performance and not lineage,” he quipped. He said he is hands- on in his style of governance by seeing to it he saw the problems personally either in the city proper or in the villages. Perez, who is the son of the long-time mayor here Amadito who is now an “ambassador” to Taiwan, helps steer this city with his father what she is today. He brought this city as the “richest” city and by winning the “Cleanest & Greenest City” all in Region-1. His administration earned raves and waves lately when he said that this city runs Urdaneta City University earned a yearly net windfall of P170 million revenues that all go to the city coffer. This amount buttressed the reputation of this city to be the number one city in Region -1 in terms of the approved fiscal appropriation of P641 million – an amount lower by P30 million if compared to the preceding year budget of P671 million due to the reduction of this city’s share in the internal revenue allotment for the League of Cities of the Philippines. The city of Laoag has an appropriation of P600 million in 2011 according to the Ilocos Sentinel, while the city of Dagupan has a proposed but uncertain budget of P581 million due to her “warring” executive and legislative bodies. When the young Perez won his mayoral post in 2010, he immediately asked the Sangguniang Panglungsod to implement an ordinance that many people in and outside of city thought was “unpopular” for a leader who will seek reelection in 2013. Perez said the Ordinance was the no-nonsense “Anti-Littering Law” that apprehend and fine by P500 as first offense anybody who are caught throwing rubbish like cigarette butt, candy wrapper, to name a few in public places here. Those who were fined by city enforcers without qualms were army and police officials and media men who are not from here. “Even you go to the far-flung villages in Urdaneta, you can not see any decals posted on the walls of public schools, and even private houses. Any one can be fined committing the illegal posting,” a resident who asked anonymity said. Because of this endeavor of Mayor Perez this city won the “Cleanest & Greenest Award” in the region. “Because of this effort, everybody supported the Anti-Littering Law. Everybody was proud of Urdaneta,” a resident said. Likewise, the mayor, according to the same source, won the hearts and minds of his constituents for his being low profile and down -to-earth. “He is seen reporting to office before 8 am and leaves it even beyond 5pm. After that he is seen doing ocular inspection at some nook and cranny of the public market, helping traffic enforcers in a busy city street, or doing some marketing for his family” When asked about doing for an errand for his family, Perez said he did not find it awkward to buy food for his family as he wanted to see what he buys are all fresh like fish. Meanwhile, Mayor Perez said that if his schedules permit him, he plans to join the members of the League of Cities of the Philippines for their trip in Hawaii on February 27 to attend the sisterhood agreement between Hawaii City and the 138 strong members of the LCP.

Iligal na sugal talamak pa rin sa buong bansa, ’di naman tumigil mula noong umupo si P-Noy

TALAMAK pa rin sa buong bansa ang jueteng lalo na sa Pangasinan kung saan napaka-takaw ng kamag-anak ni buwayang Lolong na si Col. Ricaforte! Hindi na siya iniintindi kahit anong kalabit natin kina DILG Sec. Robredo at PNP Chief Bartolome. May mga ilang probinsyang STL ang gamit pero 10% lang ang para sa kubransa, pero dito sa jueteng 90%! Ibig sabihin, front lang ang STL para kunwari legal! Sa Pangasinan nga nag-iisyu pa ang mga mayors ng gambling permit! Puwede ba ’yon? Kaya nga plano ko nang dalhin sa Ombudsman ang mga mayors na ito! Ginagawa na natin ngayon ang mga kaukulang dokumento para maisampa ang kaso. Dalawang testigo lang naman bawa’t bayan ang kailangan buhay na ang kaso! Ilang buwan ko rin kasing tinutukan ang isyung ito at maging ang ating suking readers ay makapag-papatunay nito. Kamakailan lang nasulat sa Philippine Daily Inquirer ang pa-anunsyo na may jueteng pa rin daw at nakahanda sila umano ang PNP na ipatupad ang kanilang polisiya sakaling may ma-involve na kanilang kapulisan! Pero bakit ganun? Tila hanggang d’yaryo lang po yata ang assurance ng DILG at PNP? Bakit hindi yata nila nababasa ang ating mga isinulat noon at magpahanggang ngayon? Alam kaya ni P-Noy ito? Tila zig-zag ang daan ng DILG at PNP? Saan ba ang tuwid na daan? Nag-papa-pogi na lang yata ang dalawang ito! ’Di kaya namamantikaan din ang nguso ng dalawang ito kaya hindi na lang iniintindi ang isyu? Bagay sa dalawang ito sa Clowns Comedy Bar sa Timog, kasi lagi silang nagpapatawa hindi naman kalbo! Niloloko tayo, ang mga taong-bayan maging si P-Noy! Kung alam ni P-Noy ang tungkol dito, siguradong napaimbestigahan na ito dahil alam naman natin na sensitibo ang ating Pangulo pagdating sa ganitong mga isyu! **** Matapos ang halos walong taon at kung anu-anong legal tactics, hindi rin nakaiwas sa hustisya ang mga operators ng tinaguriang “Mega Shabu Lab” sa Mandaue City. Ito’y matapos nagbaba ng guilty verdict ang Mandaue Regional Trial Court Branch 28 sa siyam na Chinese nationals at dalawang Pinoy na mga akusado kaugnay ng isa sa pinakamalaking shabu manufacturing operations na nadiskubre sa ating bansa. Reclusion perpetua o habangbuhay na pagkakabilanggo ang parusang iginawad ng hukuman kina convicted drug financier Calvin Tan at sa 10 miyembro ng kanyang sindikato. Abswelto naman si Hung Chin Chung, ang assistant ni Tan na nagsilbing state witness laban sa kanyang mga kasamahan. Marahil humaba nang husto ang kaso dahil kayang-kaya nila Tan bilhin ang pinakamahuhusay na legal defense. Ngunit dahil sa mabibigat na ebidensya na nakalap ng mga awtoridad laban sa kanila, sa guilty verdict pa rin nahantong ang desisyon ng korte. Hindi rin kayo nakatakas sa mahabang kamay ng batas!! Saludo tayo kay Judge Marylin Lagura-Yap, ang presiding judge sa nasabing kaso. Masasabi ko na well deserved ni Judge Yap ang kanyang appointment bilang associate judge ng Court of Appeals kamakailan. Congratulations Judge Yap! Sana magtagal pa ang inyong serbisyo bilang isang instrumento ng hustisya! **** Congratulations din kay Judge Danilo P. Camacho! Siya po ang presiding judge ng Branch 62 Regional Trial Court sa La Trinidad, Benguet na humatol ng pagkakakulong na habang-buhay kina Basilio B. Tulabis at Satur L. Tayao ng Kibungan, Benguet. Pinagbabayad din sila ng multang tig-P3 milyon bawa’t isa. Mabilis din nakamit ang hustisya rito sapagkat bago sumapit ang ikatlong taon ng kaso sa Marso 27, ang dalawang akusado ay nahatulan na. Sila po ay naaresto ng Kapangan, Benguet Municipal Police habang dala ang 57 bricks at 13 tubes ng tuyong dahon ng Marijuana na may bigat na 126.89 kilos! Hindi n’yo naitatanong, ang Kibungan at Kapangan ay katuwang sa alternative program ng Dangerous Drugs Board. Inumpisahan natin diyan ang “sericulture” project na inasahang magiging pamalit sa pagtatanim ng Marijuana ng mga magsasaka para pang-kabuhayan. Mabuhay ka Judge Camacho! Ang mga katulad niyo ang kailangan natin sa ating gobyerno! **** It’s all in the family! Arestado ng mga operatiba ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) ang isang 42 anyos na tiya at dalawa niyang pamangkin na nagbebenta umano ng shabu mula sa kanilang apartment sa Rosario, Pasig City. Mukhang sinusunod nila ang kasabihang “A family that sells together, stays together!” Kakasuhan ng paglabag sa Republic Act 9165 o Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 sina Carol Flores, Bhong Flores (25 anyos) at Bong Mikhail Flores (18 anyos). Nasabat mula sa kanilang tirahan ang 12 plastic sachets ng metamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu), mga drug paraphernalia at isang Honda motorcycle na posibleng ginagamit pang-deliver ng droga. Kung tutuusin, small players lamang sa industriya ng iligal na droga ang mga mag-tiya. Subalit sila’y isang malungkot na larawan ng unti-unting pagkaka-agnas ng pinaka-pundasyon ng ating lipunan -- ang pamilya. Maraming nagtataka kung bakit napakaraming krimen, kahalayan at iba’t ibang mga imoralidad na nagaganap sa ating bansa ngayon. Hindi na sila kailangan pang magtaka kung ibabatay natin sa pamilya Flores. It’s complicated, ika nga ng mga mahihilig mag Facebook! Sadyang komplikado ang problemang kinakaharap ng ating lipunan sa makabagong panahon. Ayon sa mga socioligists, ang pagkakabulok ng ating moral fabric ay sanhi ng pagkakawatak-watak ng maraming pamilya dahil sa kung anu-anong dahilan. Sabi naman ng mga psychologists, ito’y sanhi ng desperasyon dahil sa kahirapan ng buhay. Hindi po ako eksperto sa mga isyung iyan. Isa lamang bagay ang malinaw sa akin batay sa aking nasasaksihan araw-araw bilang pinuno ng Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB). Sa bawat hinagpis na sinasapit ng ating mga kababayan -- madalas involved ang DROGA! Ang ipinagbabawal na gamot ang uod na unti-unting lumulusaw sa pamilyang Pilipino. Ang droga ang sumpa ng Demonyo sa ating sosyedad!! Magtulungan po tayo para lipulin ang lahat ng drug syndicates na kumikilos sa ating bansa. Amyendahan natin ang R.A. 9165 para bigyan ng karagdagang ngipin ang mga awtoridad sa pagsugpo ng iligal na droga. Baguhin din natin ang mga probisyon ng Juvenile Protection Act para hindi makunsinti ang mga menor de edad na involved sa drugs. Puntiryahin natin ang mga foreign nationals na sangkot sa drug trafficking. Dagdagan natin at suportahan ang mga drug rehabilitation centers sa Pilipinas. Talagang “it’s complicated” dahil napakalawak ng problema. Ngunit obligasyon natin iyan sa ikaliligtas ng pamilyang Pilipino. (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)