Suspected Notorious Criminals in Dagupan Killed

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Recently, I picked in the news stand in Baguio the 44- page Baguio Midland Courier and 16 pages Sun Star.

Midland Courier, used to be read by my father in early 1970s when we still resided at PMA compound, reported that the local government unit of the Pines City has a staggering proposed 2014 budget of P1.4 billion.

That budget dwarfed the same year’s budget of two Pangasinan cities – Urdaneta- P700 million and Dagupan -P626 million.

“Mayor Mauricio Domogan submitted an executive budget of P1,395,822,000 for 2014.  This is P109,679,000 higher than last year’s P1,286,143,000 budget,” the Courier reported.

The mammoth local revenues of the Pines City, that helped back the 2014 proposed budget,  surely comes from its vaunted tourism and its galloping real estate industries, and the business taxes  paid by its burgeoning malls and its retail stores including the famous ukay-ukay industry.

The saving graces of the Pangasinan cities and towns in having their allocation from the national taxes called internal revenue allotment come from their population. The more population you got the more taxes you will receive (an upside argument college debaters should cite whenever they are asked to defend the resolution: Resolve that bigger demography is good for a country or a community).

Just look at the towns of Bayambang and Calasiao. Mayor Ric Camacho told me before that next year his renowned fish-rich freshwater town (soon to be included in the Guinness Book of World Record, am I right Janice Hidalgo?) will be operating on a P186 million budget – complements of Camacho friendly members of the Sanggunian Bayan (town council).

 “How much is your local revenue there, mayor?” I posed.

“Mga P36 million,” he answered.

In a conversation lately with Calasiao Vice Mayor Roy Macanlalay ( a three-term hizzoner) told me that his burgeoning town will have a conservative budget next year of P155 million - despite the almost two year non- operation of the Villamil Bridge that sapped the tax efforts of the town. The bridge is an essential egress of the town to Central Pangasinan’s municipalities and Manila.

“Mga P50 million and local taxes namin,” he told me when I asked him how much was the local revenue in the P165 million budget.

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But what makes Calasiao unique to Bayambang or Mangaldan and other bigger towns in the province is the puto making town has a population (2010 census)of 91,109  and land area of  48.36 kilometers  while Bayambang has a huge demography (2010 census) of 111,521 and land area of  143.94 kilometers .

The difference why Calasiao got P50 million versus Bayambang’s P36 million was the former has been enjoying the robust local taxes it gets from the entries of international and national business behemoths car sales and service centers like Honda, Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan, and lately giant retail store Robinson and new gas stations.

These businesses, including the future presence of renowned mall SM unless Mayor Lito Zaplan of the nearby Sta Barbara does not snap it, jostle and shove each other in a limited area of the town. The more business entities outdo each other, the more business taxes and revenues from the appreciation of the real property taxes the local government gets. 

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As I prepared to encode my column here, the 6-foot 2- inch Dagupan City chief of police Supt. Cris Abrahano text me the following shoot out incidents that ensued yesterday.

“Robbery holdup suspect liquidated. Shooting incident transpired at 12: 20 pm this date in Brgy. Tebeng, Dagupan City. Victim sustained gunshot wounds on his head causing his instantaneous death. Victim identified as Reynald Flores y Espejo alias Palos Dugong of legal age, married, known hold upper in the area and was believed to be behind the series of robberies. He was jobless and resident of Bacayao Sur this city. Shooting suspect fled to unknown direction by taking away victim's blue Raider single motorcycle”.

The other text message said: “Wanted person shoots it out with Dagupan Police and was killed in the encounter. The shoot out ensued after the police served his warrant of arrest at 1:30 pm on December 27, 2013 at Sitio Parongking, Brgy. San Miguel , Calasiao, Pangasinan. Elements of Dagupan City Police Station and Calasiao Police Station served his multiple warrant of arrests for murder against Noynoy Diaz, a member of de Guzman gun for hire and hold up group operating within the 3^rd and 4^th Districts of Pangasinan. The said suspect, when alerted of policemen’s presence, refused to surrender and attempted to fight it out with police prompting the police to engage in the exchanged of fire. Suspect sustained fatal gunshot wounds.”

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)