Town Admin Enraged at Incompetence of RD-Lingayen

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

FURIOUS. Calasiao Administrator Vivencio Vallo

LINGAYEN – A town brass of a first class town in Pangasinan was furious to the office of the Registry of Deeds here after personnel there gave him a series of runarounds.
Calasiao Administrator Vivencio Vallo called the workers of the RD as incompetent after they breached for the third time their promised to cancel his mortgage record there.
He said that after he paid the loan mortgaged of his house, he went to the registry office sometimes last September for its cancellation.
Vallo cited that when he submitted the cancellation form after he paid P1,452 there, he was told by a clerk in the window to come after a day.
 “ Hindi ko ginawa iyong after one day, pinagbigyan ko pa ng three to four days na allowance. Pagbalikko hindi pa rin tapos sabi nila doon sa loob ng Registry of Deeds pag dating ko. Noong after four days lang naman, sabi nila hindi pa tapos,” he stressed.
He was told instead to come back after 12 to 15 days.
After he returned he was instead told again to come back again in another day.
“So sa second time nagbalik ako galing ako Calasiao pupunta ako doon magagasolina ako, twice na. Sabi sa akin uli bumalik na kayo. Pinagbigyan ko uli hanggang October 22 pag dating ko doon hindi pa rin tapos.”

He said he became incensed inside the RD when he was told the third time to come back.
He protested the manifest negligence of the staff there when he was told to appeal instead to the RD, who is a lawyer, for the latter to approve on that day.

“Nagalit na ako. Sabi ko bakit ganito iyong trato ninyo sa mga tao, three times na ako nagpabalik-balik dito with my gasoline expenses. Busy din ako, katulad ninyo rin ako government official din ako. Kung tratuhin ninyo naman ang mga tao!”

He wondered after being given a rough treatment he has to appeal with the office's chief when it was their obligation to expedite the cancellation of his document.



He deplored the actuation of the personnel there. He said that if they could make a ran around to a brass like him what would happen to the ordinary Filipino who transacts business with the Land Administration Office .
“Buwisit sila! Noong araw pag pa-register ka ng chattel mortgage o mag pa –cancel,  30 minutes lang iyon tapos na at wala pang computer noon. Ngayon may computer na nagiging incompetent na ang Registry of Deeds na iyan”.

He said he did not heed the request of the staff to go inside the office of the chief RD but stormed out in the building angry.
The RD, one of the biggest land registry office in the country, here have brushes of  scandals when years  ago Commissioner Kim Henares of the Bureau of Internal Revenue  announced  through the national media the malfeasance of Lawyer Melvin Castro, then the RD-Lingayen deputy head, whom she charged in court for violation of Section 258 (E) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. Castro was accused of allowing the transfer of ownership of the two parcels of land by the 12 heirs of Gavino Vinluan to former Mayor Ernesto Acain of Labrador town without a Certificate of Authorizing Registration (CAR) from the BIR authenticating that such transfer has been reported and that the Capital Gain Tax (CGT) thereon has been paid.

Gov. Espino Distributes Livelihood Assistance

P45-M Assistance Released Since 2008

Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. awarded last October 29 a total of P1.48 million worth of checks to some 11 associations and cooperatives from various towns including one city in the province as part of his administration's livelihood assistance project.

The groups composed of 306 members comprising the sixth batch of livelihood beneficiaries of the provincial government for 2014 shall utilize the financial assistance for commodity, rice and fish trading; shell-craft making; farm inputs, pasteurized carabao milk production; souvenir items production' and goat production and trading.

Governor Espino vowed to continue the loan assistance program and urged the beneficiaries to empower their cooperatives for the betterment of lives of their members as well as to uplift the living condition of their families.

A total of Php45.28 million has been released by the provincial government since October 2008 to support a total of 127 groups with 12,359 members at present, including 13 proprietors of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), according to Ellsworth Gonzales, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Population Office. 

DOLE confers Nat’l Best PESO Award to Pangasinan

LINGAYEN- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) conferred the National Best PESO Award to the Province of Pangasinan under the first class Province Category during the 14^th National PESO Congress held at General Santos City last October 22-24.

          The award recognizes the outstanding performance of the provincial government of Pangasinan under the leadership of Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. in facilitating the employment of thousands of Pangasinenses.

            This was the second consecutive award received by Pangasinan as Best PESO in the national level, the first of which was received by the province last year.

            PESO Manager Alex Ferrer said Pangasinan bested seven other first class provinces for the coveted title which included the provinces of Tarlac, Rizal, Albay, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao del Norte and Agusan del Sur.

            Ferrer said judging was based on how PESO accomplished its goals in terms of facilitating job-seekers, serving as labor market information, job referral and placement, manpower pooling, providing recruitment schedules and other programs that have benefitted the people especially local workers and OFWs.

            If fhe province wins the title next year, Pangasinan will be elevated to the Best PESO Hall of Fame.

            As this developed, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a resolution expressing sincere commendation and congratulations to the Pangasinan PESO for being adjudged as winner.

            Provincial Resolution No 889-2014 authored by all the SP members said the feat and recognition is undoubtedly attributed to the efficiency, capability and better quality of work of PESO.

            The SP said the national award garnered by PESO will serve as an inspiration and worthy example for all offices and employees of the Provincial Government of Pangasinan.

Cayetano Belittles Fear Binay Gobbles Trillanes in Debate

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – A senator downplayed the fears of some quarters that a lawyer Vice President Jejomar Binay would devour the non-lawyer Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in their forthcoming debate

. 

Senator Trillanes                            Vice President Binay                                                                                                                                

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano said Binay’s lengthy experiences as human rights lawyer and 40 years in government service could not be discerned as downsides for Trillanes. He said the solon could just ask in the debate the right damning questions.

“Alam ng mga kapatid natin sa media kesyo iyon pero may tinatago, laging dehado. Iyon pang gustong mag expose e parating llamado. What do I mean about that? Kahit 40 years at isang Vice President ang isang tao kung may tinatago, iyong isang graduate ng journalism o mass com pag tama ang tanong niya lamang siya,” he expounded.

But Cayetano avoided answering that he should be the opponent of Binay in the debates because both are seasoned lawyers.
Trillanes is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy and was commissioned as a naval officer before he joined Congress.

       Senator Alan Peter Cayetano

 Cayetano instead explained that supposedly the proper person Binay should be debating would not him or Trillanes but former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado because he was the primary sources of the expose’ against the former.

Cayetano lauded Trillanes in accepting the challenge of the Vice President for a debate.

“Senator Trillanes biggest strength ay iyong nasa imbestigasyon, iyong nasa ground work, intelligence, ay hindi niya tinatalikuran ang hamon ng batas ang hamon ng Vice President”.

According to the ANC News, Binay had issued his challenge to Trillanes while he spoke to reporters in the sidelines of a memorandum of agreement signing between officials of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) and the Pag Ibig Fund in Manila a week ago.

Binay said his supposed debate with Trillanes must happen outside the Senate where Trillanes can claim immunity from being questioned.

"I'm willing to debate with Trillanes, walang immunity. It's a kangaroo court eh, prejudged na, wala kang pupuntahan doon (Senate)," he said.

Ombudsman’s claim of P10-M loss in Gulf black sand mining debunked

 Vicente Oliquino (center)

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan --  Complainants in the alleged black sand mining on a portion of the proposed eco-tourism zone here debunked claims of the Office of the Ombudsman that the government lost at least P10.7 million worth in mineral deposits.

“It’s fantastic. How could there be a loss of money here? The extracted minerals are there in stockpiles, untouched,” said Vicente Oliquino, lead complainant in the anti-graft case filed against Gov. Amado Espino, Jr. and 18 others, in a press interview Sunday at his residence in barangay Sebangan here.

“There was no shipment, so there was no trading. How come such an amount was lost?,” added a stunned Oliquino, a kagawad of barangay Sabangan who is also president of Aro Mo ako Sambayanan (AROMAS), an environmentalist group which initiated the filing of the complaint with anti-graft body last January 2012.

Oliquino’s statements were earlier affirmed by lawyer Carlos Tayag, regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in a similar press interview two years ago.

Tayag had clarified that black sand extraction in the area did not violate any mining law.

“If the black sand has a commercial value, then the provincial government can sell it,” the MGB official was quoted by a national daily as saying in the press forum arranged by his agency in Dagupan City.

Tayag said the extraction of the magnetite or black sand was necessary because turf grass would not grow with its presence in the golf course area.

Ombudsman indicts Pangasinan Gov, 13 others for black sand mining

            The Environmental Ombudsman slammed local government officials of Pangasinan for engaging in illegal black sand mining trade in the Lingayen Gulf area.

            Facing two counts of violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) are Governor Amado Espino, Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, along with Cynthia Camara and Lolita Bolayog of Alexandra Mining and Oil Ventures, Inc ( Alexandra Mining).

Facing one count of violation of Section 3(e) of R.A. No. 3019 are Pangasinan Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Officer Alvin Bigay, Alexandra Mining Directors Cesar Detera, Edwin Alcazar, Denise Ann Sia Kho Po, Annlyn Detera, Glenn Subia and Emiliano Buenavista  and Michael Ramirez, Gina Alcazar and Avery Pujol of Xypher Builders, Inc.

            In the Joint Resolution, the Environmental Ombudsman cited that Presidential Proclamation No. 1258 ( 1998) declared Lingayen Gulf as an environmentally critical area and expanded the scope of the protected area to cover the barangays of Sabangan, Estanza, Malimpuec and Capandanan, reserving a protected area of 184 hectares for eco-tourism and other sustainable development activities and projects.

            Upon assumption as Governor in June 2007, Espino crafted the Site Development Plan that would turn the area into an eco-tourism complex, with the development of two 18-hole golf courses at par with international standards. Immediately after, a negotiated contract was entered into between the local government and Alexandra Mining with soil remediation activities conducted in Barangay Sabangan as pilot area.  On 29 June 2011, a Small Scale Mining Permit (SSMP) was issued in favor of Alexandra Mining.  Barely three weeks later,  Baraan issued a Notice of Cancellation of the SSMP and ordered Alexandra Mining to vacate the area. 

Provincial Gov't holds NSM Jingle-Making Contest

In celebration of the National Statistics Month (NSM), the Provincial Government of Pangasinan conducted jingle-making contests for high school and tertiary level schools at the Malong Building located within the Capitol complex here in Lingayen on October 24.

Liga ng mga Barangay President and NSM celebration chair Amado "Pogi" I. Espino III in an interview said that the contest was held to boost the morale of students and to inspire the youth to utilize their God-given talents in music.

Anchored on this year's NSM theme: “NSM at 25 Years and Beyond: Solid and Responsive Philippine Statistical System in Support of Globalization and Regional Economic Integration,” participating students took turns to wow the judges as they presented their entries.

Among the competitors at the secondary level, Alaminos National High School bagged the highest plum, Calasiao Comprehensive National High School won as 1st runner-up while Speaker Eugenio Perez National Agricultural School of San Carlos went home with the second runner- up post.

At the tertiary level, students of Dagupan's Kingfisher School romped off as champions, Colegio De Dagupan as1st runner-up while PASS College of Alaminos City took the second runner-up spot.

For winning the top spots in their respective categories, participating groups from Alaminos National High School and Kingfisher School is set to compete in La Union on October 30 to represent the province at the regional level. / ADV

Senator Cayetano turns Funds to Dagupan Jeepney Organization

Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter “Companero” S. Cayetano personally turned over to the Dagupan City's Transport Group financial assistance funds that will be used to bankroll a microfinancing program for hundreds of its members.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano with wife Taguig City Mayor 
Lanny Cayetano after they disembarked from their chopper
to distribute P100 thousand seed monies for a trans-
port group in Dagupan City. Earlier the solon 
gave the same group P100 thousand as fund for their
other business endeavor. Cayetano's program is under
his Presyo, Trabaho, Kita (PTK) Platform

The funds are meant to offer the organization’s members small loans at very low interest and easy payment schemes.

“During this period of strong economic growth, what all Filipino families need and deserve is a kind of action from government that is free from corruption. They need to feel that they are part of this country’s development. Despite the recent corruption anomalies involving some public officials, we vow to remain committed to our goal of helping the people in their fight against poverty,” the senator said.

Cayetano on Saturday (October 25) met with officials and members of the transport group and handed a total of P 100 thousand worth of funds, which is envisioned to aid individual members and discourage them from borrowing money from loan sharks that charge very high interest rates.

Did Panelco’s Officials Pocket the Funds?

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Sixth District Board Member Ranjit R. Shahani lashed out the officials of the 
Pangasinan III Electric Cooperative, Inc. (PANELCO) for an indiscriminate
 power rate increase without proper consultation with the consumers and declaring 
its “wrong decision unconstitutional.”

According to some high police officials in Pangasinan, morale among their ranks especially the chiefs of police (COP) are at its lowest. Why? They have received a memorandum of the “No –Take- Policy” from the police regional office.

“No-Take-Policy” means they could no longer receive their tens of thousands of pesos monthly share from Meridian Gaming Corporation’s Jai-Alai (a number game played like the illegal jueteng).

“OK lang iyong wala kaming natatangap, pero saan napupunta iyong para sa amin?” a high police official asked.

Another brass cited that it was unfair to implement the “No Take Policy” while all concerned police officials all over the country regularly received their payolas.

Another police brass said that many police stations in the province stop the free meals funded from the poor man’s game among its personnel. “Iyong iba,nagagawan pa ng paraan para may libre pagkain ang mga ta-o”.

Oh by the way, why is it that until now the injunction case of Meridian’s Jai-Alai in the Court of Appeals has been dragging already for several years. Injunction case is usually resolved in a few months or most in a year, why the procrastination at the higher court? Paki check Supreme Court, after you sacked Justice Gregory Santos Ong for shenanigans, why it takes that long for the justices to resolve the legal questions on the multi-billion of pesos betting juggernaut.

The pendency of Jai-Alai’s case there means it has a semblance of legality where the police could not apprehend Meridian personnel roving the villages and boondocks to get bets from gullible mostly poor folks whose chances to win are subject to the manipulation of the gambling officials.

***

We just heard lately shocking news on the P400 million back taxes of Pangasinan Electric Cooperative to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and where the BIR Eastern Pangasinan garnished tens of millions of Panelco’s fund at Land Bank of the Philippines – Urdaneta City's branch.

Garnishment, by the way, is a drastic measure for collecting a debt. A court order of garnishment allows a creditor to take the property of a debtor when the debtor does not possess the property.

 Son of a gun, what kind of mismanagement and corruption this electric cooperative had messed itself?

Cojuangco rebuffs Prelate who bashed BNPP

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

CALASIAO – Gubernatorial aspirant Mark Cojuangco assails Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos on his negative stance on the possible utilization of the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to avert the power crisis that grips the country.

Gubernatorial aspirant Mark Cojuangco as
 guest speaker recently of the supplemental feeding
 program in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
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Cojuangco, who was the guest speaker of the supplemental feeding program here, said that he could not understand Bishop Santos pronouncements opposing the BNPP as solution to the looming power crisis next year.

“Hindi ko po maintindihan bakit ang namumuno sa local na simbahan ay may ganyang position na well iyong Santo Papa mismo, iyong nakaraan na Santo Papa, si Benedict XVI ay pabor siya sa nuclear power kung ito ay magagamit para mabawasan ang kahirapan ng mga mahihirap na mga kapus-palad sa buhay,” he stressed.

 Santos recently issued a pastoral statement stressing that his diocese would counter any plans to use nuclear power to generate electricity in the country, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ website said.

“The Diocese of Balanga has decided… [we] are against this [move] and this stand will not change,” Santos said, citing the lobbying by some business groups in favor of nuclear energy to solve what energy officials say is a looming power supply crisis next year.

Cojuangco refuted Santos’ recommendation that the alternatives for the country’s power woes are not nuclear but solar and windmill.

He explained that the prelate deceives the people because his proposal will only aggravate the already expensive power rates in the country.

National Awards on Tourism Programs and Choral Competition

 Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. (standing, 5^th from right) flashes the number one sign with some of the provincial employees and department heads during the presentation of various awards the province of Pangasinan have won in September.  The Pangasinan tourism bagged the 1^st runner-up in tourism event-festival category for its Balitok A Tawir, Pangasinan Culture and Arts Festival entry and 2^nd runner up in the Tourism Month celebration-provincial category.  Tourism Operations Division Chief Ma. Luisa Elduayan (standing, 3^rd from right) and Special Events Head Marife Acerit (4^th from right) received the award during the Pearl Awards given by the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines (ATOP) and Department of Tourism (DOT) last October 4 at El Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.  Meanwhile, the Pangasinan Provincial Chorale (PPC) bagged the 3^rd runner-up in the Government Choral Competition staged by the Civil Service Commission in celebration of the agency’s 114th anniversary last September 30 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).  Joining the employees is Human Resource Development and Management Officer Janet Asis, manager of the choral group.  /VFS

Nuts at Urdaneta's Overpass Roof Causes Traffic, Commotion

On October 22, 2014 at about 6:40 AM, at the rooftop of overpass of 168 Mall, Urdaneta City Pangasinan, unidentified male person with mental illness climbed at the aforesaid rooftop of the establishment and tried to commit suicide.

 Elements of Urdaneta City Police Station together with Bureau of Fire & Protection, Public Order & Safety Office and Local Government Unite the city continuously conducting negotiations to persuade him to go down That as of this report, rescue operations is in place in case there is opportunity because said male person is not cooperating. Description of said male person is wearing black t-shirt, maong pants, medium built and 5’5-5’6 in height. Consequently, while being persuaded to come down launch an attack to the PNP and BFP personnel with a bladed weapon but fortunately missed. Rescuing personnel tried to prevent him from falling but to no avail. He fell down on the canvass already set up. He was immediately brought to Urdaneta City District hospital and declared safe by the attending physician and undergoing x-ray for precautionary measures. 

Meanwhile, on October 22, 2014 at about 7:00 O’clock one Edgar Quinto y Barrozo, 43 years old, married and a resident of Brgy Nibaliw, Mangaldan, Pangasinan appeared before this office and requested to put into record claiming that he was a victim of robbery incident allegedly transpired along Provincial road of Brgy. Nalsian, Manaoag, Pangasinan. 

2 Nabbed for Pot in Dagupan Ctiy

On October 21, 2014 at about 05:45 PM at Brgy Pantal Centro, Dagupan City, Pangasinan, Dagupan City Police Station, arrested the persons of Arces Serrano y Tamondong a.k.a. “Aries”, 35 years old, single, jobless and his brother Mark Raymond Serrano y Doria, 25 years old, married, jobless, both residents of Brgy Pantal Centro, Dagupan City, after they intervene on the foiled drug-bust operation conducted against a certaina.k.a “BisoyDoria” and seized from each possession (Arces and Mark) two (2) heat sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspect dried marijuana leaves.

Prior to the operation the aforesaid elements were able to set-up transaction thru the help of their confidential asset and on their arrangement the place of transaction would be held in front of the suspect’s residence. Forthwith after their brief preparation same elements were dispatched to implement said drug-bust operation wherein the poseur buyer was able to meet the suspect who was already waiting in the area together with the arrested suspect, forthwith the subject sold one (1) piece of heat sealed transparent plastic sachet containing suspected shabu worth Php200.00 to the poseur buyer, however before the arrest was affected against the subject he was able to sense that the person he was dealing with is a undercover policeman prompting him to resist and struggle while his two companion upon seeing the commotion ensued between them they rushed to help their friend in pushing away the undercover policeman, the subject was able to escape and ran towards their house and jump-over to their back concrete fence and subsequently he was able to elude arrest while his two friends were split-up and ran in opposite direction but after a brief chase they were able to collared and arrested. 

Dion paved Dagupan City’s “Abortion Road”

Despite absence of Funds

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY– “What abortion road?” posed by the new chief of the Pangasinan’s 2nd Engineering Office of the Department of Publics Works & Highway when asked if the construction of the rough and tumble Tambak-Tebeng Road  here has already been started.

D

New District Engineer Rodolfo Dion

District Engineer Rodolfo Dion said that despite the absence of the P11 Million Special Allotment and Release Order (SARO) allocation from the Department of Agriculture he saw to it that three days after occupying his post  in Lingayen, Pangasinan early this month the road had been paved by his office’s road grader where his personnel will cover soon the potholes and put asphalt on some parts of the two kilometers road.

The controversial road here has been dubbed by the media as the worst road for pregnant women.

 “If you want to mitigate a badly conditioned road, one does not need a SARO to expedite the solution of the road there,” he said.

He stressed that he immediately used his modicum’s office funds and asked some friends in the construction business to pool some P40,000 for diesel of the grader, gravel, asphalt, and snacks to smoothen the road.

He said the two kilometers road is not totally badly shaped.

“There were some portions that we have paved to ease up the motorists who use it”.

When asked that he has beaten his two predecessors in solving the discomfort given by the perennial “hell road” to motorists, Dion, whose last assignment was DE in Ilocos Sur, downplayed the compliment.

“I was just doing my job”

The concreting of the Tambak-Tebeng Road needs more than P40 million for the entire two kilometers road.

Former DE Tangco told earlier this paper that the P11 million funds for the construction of the Tambac-Tebeng road came from a realignment of the D.A in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

“But this road was included in the list of projects to be funded by the Department of Agriculture. They are going to release P11 million but it is not enough,” she stressed.